A Fresh Coat Of Paint

When you moved into your apartment, there’s a good chance that a fresh coat of white paint was on the walls. If you want some more colours on the walls, a new coat may be in order. Be sure that your landlord will allow you to do this before you splash up some new colours. You don’t want to break any rules, especially if you just moved in. If you are allowed to do this, pick a nice lively colour for your living room. White walls can get tiresome; don’t be afraid to add some colours to perk up your new living room.

Think Smaller When Buying Living Room Furniture

Many times people that live in apartments try to shove too much furniture in the living room. Your living room is probably where you will spend most of your time, so take every effort to keep the room open and comfortable. Instead of a huge sectional or large couch, choose a small love seat and a few chairs. This will keep your living room from becoming too crowded with furniture. Instead of a coffee table, try bringing two, smaller end-tables together and covering them with a nice piece of fabric. This allows you to rearrange the tables in a flash and create some extra space when you have company.

Above all, make the apartment a reflection of your personal style. Never go beyond the limitations of your lease, though. A little creativity and choosing furniture that will not overcrowd the living room will allow you greater flexibility in setting up your first apartment.

Go For The Big Screen

The centerpiece of an entertainment room has to be a big plasma, or LCD screen TV. Prices on these sets have gone down in recent years, so you should be able to find some good deals. For an optimal entertainment experience, don’t go smaller than a 42 inch screen. This is on the smaller end for a really decked out entertainment room but it will work. Be sure to get a wall mounting kit to keep from having to set up a huge entertainment center because they are a huge waste of floor space that your entertainment room cannot afford to spare.

Bring In The Gear

Get all the peripherals hooked up to the TV. Bring in the home theatre system, the gaming systems and the computer. If you know how to hook electronics up get the PC hooked into the TV too. Get all the entertainment gear into place. Avoid the urge to bring in an entertainment center, utilize small tables or desks instead. A really cool idea is to hide the gear away in a closet that is set aside for clothing. Store your electronics gear in there instead. You can purchase simple all-in-one infrared systems with a control eye to ease the use of your gadgets.

Easy On The Furniture

Keep furnishings very basic and sparse. Two good theatre style chairs and a beanbag chair or two for visitors is plenty. It’s a good idea to have a few extra beanbag chairs available to bring in for company. Beanbag chairs are comfortable, easy to move, and provide a great retro feel to your entertainment room. By the time you’re done with this room, it may become the hotspot on the weekends for your friends and family.

Before you start buying electronics for your home theatre, decide on a design for the room. Setting up the room in true theatre style can be a fun way to add a little glitz and glamour to your home. Here are a few tips to get you going.

Theatre Style Furniture

Instead of going for a traditional living-room type set up, go full-out theatre style in your room design. This means setting up all seating so that it is facing toward the big-screen. How many rows you go will be limited only by your budget and the size of the room. Keep seating comfortable and dark coloured. There are theatre style chairs available that make you feel like you are sitting in the local cinema. These chairs can be expensive, but they are a great way to add an air of authenticity to your home theatre.

The Screen Set Up

The home theatre system can be expensive. There are many systems available that have everything in a box. These home theatre systems are not the most high-end systems, but they are a good way to get started with a home theatre system. Shop around – there are systems available from as cheap as $200 to a couple thousand dollars. Invest in a nice big screen that doesn’t overwhelm the whole room. These electronic costs are high, but they pay off when movie night rolls around.

Theatre Decoration

A good way to go with design is to keep the walls and flooring dark because you want to add to the ambience and make it like a real theatre. Also, think about getting some nice movie poster prints to hang up. Be sure to keep heavy picture frames and shelves out of the room. With a high-end sound system, too much clutter on the walls will vibrate and ruin the sound experience.

You’ll have friends and family lining up for movie night at your house. Be sure to keep snack and drink prices to a minimum. Lights, Camera, Action!

1. Television – The television has been the centerpiece of living rooms for over half a century now. More people are getting flat screen TVs that can be mounted on the wall. Here’s a quick design idea – mount the television on the wall and consider a decorative border. You could use wood for a picture frame look, or colours to jazz things up.
2. Stereo – Today’s stereos are typically lumped in with home theatre systems. Think about how much space the typical theatre system takes up because it is kept in an entertainment center. You can free up a lot of space in the living room by hiding some of the home theatre components inside drawers or on bookcases instead of an entertainment center.
3. Computers – Many living rooms have a computer in the corner on a desk or table. Think about ways to minimize the room that the computer takes up. Perhaps it’s time to upgrade to a net-book or laptop. Getting rid of big, bulky desktops can free up a lot of room and make your living room more relaxing.

The big thing about electronics is that while the components themselves get smaller, the furniture that holds them tends to get bigger. Think about ways to minimize the extra furniture for these devices to open up the room and to do some decorating around the electronics, instead of in spite of them.

Take Time to Plan

The biggest cause of failures in nearly all pursuits is the lack of planning. Before you go out and decide on furniture and paint, take some time to reflect on what you want your living room design to communicate to guests. Are you looking for a livelier room that is more high-tech and cutting edge? Or would you rather opt for country simplicity that is more relaxing?

Assess the Room As It Is

Before you do a complete overhaul, take a look at the room as it is right now. Do you need to change everything or will a simple coat of paint take care of your design needs? Maybe a new couch would be a good place to start. Pick one aspect and attack from that angle. Don’t get yourself too deeply entrenched in a huge project. You never know, a few simple things might bring out the design that you are looking for better than a total reconstruction.

The bottom line with home decorating should never be about immersing yourself in huge projects. Take things one step at a time. You may decide on new flooring that is enough to give the room the look that you are after. Your living room redesign can be a work in progress. By not getting too deep in at the beginning you allow yourself to try some smaller things, get the opinion of guests and then go further if you think you need to. Remember the most important person to please is yourself when it comes to home design. So pass on the stressful renovations and focus on taking it one step at a time.

Staying Comfortable

One of the big design mistakes that people make when going for a more modern approach is to sacrifice comfort for style. There is no need to get this drastic. Keep comfort as a main priority. Think about how much time you spend on your couch before you jump into any purchase. Think soft, clean, and comfortable. The sofa is one piece of furniture that you don’t want to skimp on. For smaller, more cramped living rooms, a two-seat couch or love-seat may be the right way to go. No matter if you go for a sectional or a love-seat, buy for comfort and looks.

Modern Designs

Keeping comfort squarely in mind, consider style. Modern designs should feature cool, attractive patterns and clean, pleasing lines. Stay with a neutral colour. Many people gravitate toward floral designs or pastel colours for couch choices. You are trying to develop a look that screams functionality and comfort.

Think Leather

Leather furniture is the one holdover from classic designs that still works well in modern designs. Leather is a classic for sofas; easy to clean, comfortable and tame colours make leather a good choice nearly every time. It is more expensive, but since your sofa is the focal point of your living room, spend the extra money to make it great.

A deep, dark leather couch is the perfect start to a modern living room design. You don’t have to go with leather for every piece of furniture, just work from the sofa colour and develop a pleasing, somewhat neutral colour scheme. Dark colours are especially attractive and tend to make people feel more relaxed and at home. Comfort and clean lines along with functionality makes a leather couch the perfect start for your modern living room redesign.

1. Take time to think about what you really want. Don’t rush into your redesign. A good suggestion is to walk out of your house, clear your mind, and then walk into the living room. Think about how you feel and write it down. Now think about how you want the room to make you feel and write that down.
2. Compare your two lists. Find the things on your list that bother you the most. For instance, if you think the room makes you feel dreary and dull, and on your other list you find that you want the room to make you feel lively and energized, you have a good starting point.
3. Move things around. A quick furniture shuffle can do wonders to put you into a more creative mindset. Start with a few smaller items, and build your way up to moving everything else. You can get some great ideas for things you need to get, or get rid of, by simply moving some things around.
4. Get some new cushions and throws for your couch and chairs. You can add a quick splash of colour and style by throwing some colourful new pillows and throws on your furniture. You may not even want to get new furniture if you see how these things can liven up what you already have.
5. Make your living room redesign a work in progress. Living rooms are typically one of the largest rooms in the house. Don’t feel overwhelmed by how much there is to do. Choose one thing to work on from the list you made and zero in on that for the next few months. You may find that by the time you finish just one thing off your list, you have a whole new feel to your living room.

Take time to think about how you feel about the design of your living room as you go through this process. You may take a wrong turn that makes you like the room less than when you started; that’s OK. The beauty of breaking up your designing efforts like this is that you can always change courses and bring new ideas into the mix. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll accomplish and how you’ll feel about the room in just a few weeks.

When you mention adding some contrast to a room, many people simply think of colours. Adding colour is a great place to start to liven up a room that uses mostly neutral tones, and can be a great way to add some energy. However, contrast does not begin and end with just colours.

Contrasting Textures

Even if you use the same colour scheme throughout a room, taking some time to create tension with different textures can do a lot to make a room really stand out. For instance, if a room has a lot of light coloured wood furniture, adding a sleek metallic coffee table or end tables can really set the room ablaze with energy. Think about the textures that dominate a particular room and how you can mix in something new to really make a dramatic statement.

Add Something Interesting

Placing something that is seemingly out of place with your design theme can make a room more interesting. It doesn’t have to be something huge, but just enough to draw some attention. For rooms that are designed around a country theme, the addition of a post-modern piece of sculpture or art can really jazz things up. The idea is not to go overboard, but to merely break up the routine a bit.

When using contrast in colours, textures or design elements of any kind, you want to retain the comfort of a room while adding something that deviates from the norm. The idea is not to make the room overbearing, but to give it a personality all its own. Experiment by starting with some smaller things to add some contrast to your room before you move up to larger-scale changes.

Creating Uniqueness

Most living spaces are typically known as; the living room, family room, lounge, sitting room or den.  Some choose to furnish their spaces for the sole purpose of catering to others, and some prefer to have their living space completely off limits.  Alternative approaches to furnishing your living space can include having a vision or theme, enabling the freedom to express some inner creativity.

Consider renaming your space to something new such as; “the drama room” for a theatre type atmosphere, or “the retreat lounge” if creating a serene and relaxing oasis.  If you are planning on hosting a wide selection of events within your living space, the “Jamboree Hub” might be appropriate. Whatever the choice, a new title for your space will help bring your vision to life as you create an environment filled with unique qualities.

Clearing the Clutter

If your current space has you feeling haunted or unimpressed, it may be due to some visual clutter disturbances or serious dust issues.  It might even be the spooky inherited furniture carrying negative memories within its tattered floral or checkered patterns.  You should feel happy and delighted when entering your living space, so if the room is filled with furnishings that feel wrong or do not seem to fit well with your new theme, these items should be relocated, cleared out, returned, sold, or left on the side of the road for collection.  Trusting your instincts will certainly help with the de-cluttering process, as even Grandma’s old sofa could become the next founding inspiration of a glamorous furnishing theme.  Some existing furniture may have just the right shape or potential essence that fits well into your theme. If you want to simply change the color or texture of the fabric, consider having the pieces altered or reupholstered.

After you have made your decisions and the clutter is cleared, you can fill your space with fresh items to liven up your living space.

Selecting Furniture

Select well-made durable furniture to create a safer environment and choose appropriate fabrics according to comfort level and stain resistance. Seating area furniture makes good focal points within a living space. The larger pieces and accents such as tables, ottomans or lighting fixtures can be easily added; unless of course you are planning to create a desert theme, needing only rocks for seating areas as you sit around the big palm tree that has become your main focal point.

Selecting appropriate colors and textures of furniture also add life to your theme. Having cool toned and eco-friendly furniture for a natural theme, or bright coloured furniture with slick leathery textures fill the room with drama.

There are many places to find unique and interesting furniture, you may even find that special something after your neighbour has cleared their clutter away, leaving behind some unique pieces that you have been longing for and know just what to do with…