Give your living room a lived-in look.

The living room is not just a place where you receive guests, but also a room that speaks volumes about you. Your thoughts and identity are communicated through this zone of your house.

To create your own living room’s identity, keep stylish relaxation in mind, with an emphasis on lazy lounging areas for friends. The look has to be cushy and curvy rather than purely linear. Standalone armchairs or day-beds could make a grand statement alongside typical living room elements. Most importantly, when it comes to your living space, think beyond yesterday’s constraints and realise your fantasies.

Design

The main shift affecting living room layout stems from the idea of making a statement with highly individual pieces that are not locked into a set position. The trend is to have a living room that is more open. The current thinking is to maximise living room volume with high ceilings and to open up the space. There may be two living areas — a formal lounge and a separate, informal family room with the entertainment systems. On the other hand, some apartments probably have one multi-functional space with living room stretching into the dining. If the space is confined, the hi-fi entertainment equipment could be incorporated within the living space and a small console or a modern L-shaped sofa group could be used to partition the space instead of a full-height barrier. You may use a mirrored wall or a large mirror to reflect space and move light around.

Seating

Sofa, armchair and day-bed trends include extra-large, curvaceous pieces rather than linear shapes, with warm textures and colours. Of course, geometric or space-style seating is still around, but it is wonderfully comfortable — a change from the early days of minimalism. Using one imposing piece of furniture as the main element is also a big trend.

Accessories

Apart from seating arrangements, you might use an oversized ottoman instead of a central coffee table these days. Kick your feet up and put your coffee mug and newspaper on it. It’s large enough to handle all tasks. However, one can’t escape the glory of having a gorgeous centre table finished in deeply-grained veneer or solid wood. Orient-inspired low tables in wood that can be easily reached from floor cushions are in vogue. Leather or acrylic side tables are also trendy options. No longer do people opt for large, space-occupying entertainment units. If the LCD and hi-fi become part of the walls, their accessories or related products have become new objects to dress a living room. For accessorising, seat cushions are intriguingly patterned in monochrome prints, retro circles or squares and modern flower prints. Throws include check wool, vivid cashmere and even those with bead, suede, velvet or velour trims.

Walls and drapes

Walls are now privy to a variety of treatments. To maximise the space in a smaller area, you should keep the colours light, to reflect as much light as possible. For walls in general, options include stylish wall coverings or wood veneer, or maybe even some stone cladding. The range of wall coverings available are immense. There are textured papers, sculpted or even steel- and timber-like wall coverings. Metallic or silver leafing on wall coverings is also in vogue. It’s very fashionable to have one feature wall in a bold solid colour or a retro wallpaper pattern. Paisley prints are also very ‘in’ at the moment.
There are also amazing curtain options today. Malleable metals with attached fabric pieces or curtains in one colour fronted by a gorgeous white sheer are in fashion. The fabrics, even synthetic ones, offer fabulous textures and patterns and even layers. Taffetas or chenille provide a soft feel and silky lustre. However, linen is probably the most beautiful natural fabric for curtains or blinds.

Lighting

The soft glow in the living room creates a calm space and can highlight a feature wall. You could make a statement with lamps as you would with a sofa or a chaise. For feature lighting, there are gorgeous Murano glass lamps or ultra-modern chandeliers, slinky tubes and minimalist table lamps. Bold and transparent cube lights or even subtle scrunched paper floor lamps in different shapes are good options. Good lighting can make all the difference to a room.


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