All of us would love to be top designers in our own right. But actually coming up with original ideas is more challenging than you might think. Being creative isn’t easy.
But, thanks to the internet, that doesn’t matter. Today, you can find a host of ideas from the top designers online. And nothing is stopping you from pinching them for yourself. So why not?
In this post, we take a look at some top living room concepts you’ll want to implement in your own home.
Textured Neutral
Neutral colour schemes are popular in today’s contemporary and modern interiors. They provide owners with flexibility, allowing them to mix and match their furniture without having to pay too much attention to their decor. But, unfortunately, neutral can be a little boring. That’s why designers are increasingly playing around with the concept.
One idea is to add patterns to the mix. Here you start with neutral base colours – like beige, white, and cream – and then you add patterned elements, such as wallpaper, cushions, and even weaved baskets. These alterations help the room to appear more welcoming while retaining its neutral roots.
Luxury Accents
Here’s another pro-tip you can steal directly from designers: luxury accents. A luxury accent is just an element in the room that helps to take it up a notch. It could be something as simple as a gold-leaf mirror to a full marble coffee table.
What’s great about luxury materials is that you hardly need any of them to create a luxe feel in your home. Just a single statement piece on a neutral background can utterly transform the feel of a room and act as a focal point.
If you want to make the room feel more luxurious, then the sensation underfoot is critical. Designers, therefore, always lay down Scandi or cowhide rugs to keep the room feeling plush, snug, and cosy.
Add Sectional Sofas
There’s something intrinsically artistic about sectional sofas. These beautiful chairs seem to wrap around your living space, offering massive seating capacity in a small footprint. Virtually none of your square footage goes to waste.
When choosing a sectional sofa, go for something with lighter materials. This way, you can lift the feel of the room and give it a lighter atmosphere. There’s no need to go heavy.
Switch things up with loose sofa covers
Staying on sofas for a moment, sofa covers provide an easy way to fluidly change the style of your interiors in keeping with the seasons – a favourite trick of experienced interior designers. They’re available in a wide range of colours and styles, from lighter and airier tones (ideal for Spring and Summer) to darker and richer shades (the perfect fit for Autumn and Winter).
As one of the key focal points of your space, your sofa has a particularly strong influence on the feel of overall space, so you might be surprised at the effects this simple change can achieve.
Mix White Walls With Dark Furniture
Top designers love incorporating contrast in their designs. And one of the ways they do that is by pairing dark furniture with light or white walls.
The effect is profound. The room looks both smart and moody, and as though you put a lot of effort into planning how it would look. Add a few pieces of art and plants here and there and you soon wind up with a stunning-looking space.
Mix California With Scandi
Regular people wouldn’t think of mixing California’s style with uniquely Scandinavian interior themes, but top designers do. The idea here is to combine the relaxed minimalism of Nordic interiors with the pale vibes of a San Francisco apartment. The net effect is a tranquil setting you can use for pleasant conversation.
Play With Scale
Another thing that designers love to do is play with scale. They have no problem pairing a massive painting with a regularly-sized footstool or an enormous free-standing lamp with a small chair.
The purpose of doing this is part functional, and part art. Switching up the relative sizes of objects in a room creates visual interest and keeps things flowing. It can also help to compensate for certain items, such as the sofa, which might be out of proportion.
Use Plants Instead of Knickknacks
Next time you browse through an interior magazine, take a look at the number of photos with plants in them. When you’re just flipping through casually, you don’t always notice this detail. But when you look for it more carefully, you see that it is everywhere.
Plants have a way of elevating your living room like nothing else. They work so much better than lamps, vases, or practically anything else you could install. The greenery adds an immediate sense of relaxation and gives the room purpose.
Use Your Corners
As a group, we tend to neglect the corners of our living rooms. But filling them can help to massively enhance the visual effect. For instance, if you have a nook, always fill the space and orientate the room around it. Add things like bookshelves, reading lights, and even gallery walls if you have space. And don’t forget to dress your sofa in a nice, thick rug.