So you just moved into a new home, you haven’t unpacked any of your boxes, and you have all manner of chores to get done before your house becomes your home. Your living room, the center of your new home, sits empty. It can be pretty daunting deciding how to decorate your living room. In many ways, your decisions here will dictate the interior design choices for your entire home.
It helps to have a starting point, make one decision, and other choices will come naturally like a domino effect. So to help you out, we have compiled a list of the five most essential pieces of furniture and decorations to get you started designing your new living room. Once you read the list below, you’ll have a good idea of where to get started.
Sofa
The centerpiece of your living room is the sofa. Consequently, it should be the first piece of furniture you decide on. The first thing you’ll have to do is measure your living room space. Available space will help you narrow your choices.
Second, you’ll have to decide if you want a leather or fabric sofa. They are both great options, but one may work better with your lifestyle. Fabric sofas offer more comfort but stain much easier. So if you have messy kids, it might behoove you to choose a leather couch, which is more stylish but more pricey. Check out Club Furniture to get the best deals.
Coffee Table
The coffee table offers style and function. It acts as the hearth of your living room, similar to a fire pit when you go camping. People tend to gather around a central area. The coffee table naturally draws people in, offering them a place to rest their drinks and food and converse with their friends.
End Table
It’s odd that even if they are the only ones sitting on the couch, people tend to gravitate towards the end. Maybe it’s because of the armrest, and perhaps people need to lean on something. Either way, you are going to need end tables, so they have a place to set their drinks.
End tables also serve as a place to place framed photographs and small house plants. They can really help personalize your living room and make it your own. Just make sure you buy coasters.
Recliners Or Accent Chairs
A good living room offers multiple seating options instead of the couch. Accent chairs and recliners offer independent seating for those who don’t like to sit in groups, and gives you another viewing angle to the TV or wherever you want to draw people’s eye to.
From a style standpoint, accent chairs need to match your sofa. They don’t have to be the exact same color, but try to keep them in the same color palette. They should, however, be made from the same material. If you buy a leather couch, you are going to want a leather recliner. Also, consider the shape of the sofa and how it matches your accent chair. A sofa with sharp modern angles should have an accent chair that matches that aesthetic.
Table Lamps
You don’t always want to rely on overhead lighting for your living room. Soft lighting from a table lamp can set the mood for a quiet day in the house or an intimate day entertaining guests. Table lamps also let you get creative with your interior design decisions, as they come in a multitude of styles and sizes. We advise you to invest time in researching lamps and don’t settle on a decision too quickly. Scour the internet for options. Go antiquing with friends to see if you can get inspired.
Area Rug
Area rugs break up the monotony of your home floor. It can be used to visually separate your living room from the rest of your home, and if you choose the right color scheme, create a warm aura to make your living room inviting. Similar to the couch, you will want to measure your available space before purchasing an area rug. As Lebowski said, a rug can really tie a room together, so this should be a design choice you make with care. Often people leave this choice for last, choosing their favorite furniture selection and then using the area rug to make it all work as a whole.
Television
Who are you kidding? You want a television in your living room. It not only serves as a daily device you’ll use but functions as an entertainment system when you have guests over. It is the modern-day fireplace. It’s no wonder virtual fireplaces have become so popular over the holidays, even if no heat comes from the television. If you play a video of a fireplace, people will gather.
Media Stand
This one serves more for function rather than fashion, although many beautiful media stand designs are available online. You are going to need a place to store all your electronic equipment and wires required to run an entertainment unit out of your television. DVD Player, sound system, and video game consoles are just a few. And unfortunately, most electronic devices don’t match your design scheme, so you’ll need a media stand to blend them in seamlessly
Wall Art
Wall art is an often overlooked aspect of interior design. When people enter a new room, wall art is usually the thing that draws their eye first. Wall art can be used as a finishing touch for a room. It can help break up or complement the color scheme of your space. Some people even reverse engineer their color scheme based on a piece of wall art they enjoy. Either way, it should be a top factor in your design process.
Now Go Design Your Living Room
When it comes to making interior design choices, many get stuck in that phase of “paralysis by analysis.” You want your new home to be perfect so badly you don’t know when and where to start. Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll have a good idea of where to start.
