Tips For Decorating A Small Living Room
If space in your living room is something that you are lacking, it can still be done with style. When you have a small living space usually you want to do what you can to maximize the area you have as well as keep it aesthetically pleasing. Luckily, decorating a small living room to be big on style can be done with some simple steps that will be expressed within this article.
When maximizing a small space, think simple. A room that has a lot of pieces of furniture and artwork can start to get crowded quickly. At this point, you have a living room that feels, looks, and is small. The trick to maximizing the space that you have is to think simple. Include the necessary items in this room such as a couch, maybe a television, maybe at least one coffee table. Do not overdo it. Furniture comes in all different shapes and sizes. For a small living room, do not get the overstuffed pillows to accent the overstuffed couch. Think simple. A standard couch with seating for three and possibly an accent chair are really enough. No room for the accent chair? Then a couch will have to do.
This is not to say that the walls have to be white and there should be no artwork or other knickknacks on display. If you want to paint your living rooms walls, keep to the brighter side of the color palette. Do not choose dark colors because they will only close the living room in and make it seem smaller. When choosing paintings to display, take your time and choose only a few. The artwork that you choose should also have lighter tones to further enhance the illusion of space while adding a decorative touch to the room.
Again, a cluttered wall will make the room seem smaller. When decorating a small living room, it is best to choose a few items that you really like and display those; likewise with knickknacks. Corner shelves are wonderful for small pieces that you’d like to display. They do not take a lot of room and you can display pieces on them with relatively little trouble. Do not, however, overload these shelves. This will still be clutter. Choose a few pieces that match the current decor and display those.
Usable items can be blended with the decor to enhance it as well as serve a practical purpose. Instead of having three or four remote controls placed randomly throughout the living room, buy a remote caddy in the shape of a boat to enhance the outdoor decor throughout the room. This is only one example, but usable items are often incorporated in decor if you shop in the right places. Craft stores or local craft sales are famous for carrying items that you might not find in the chain stores. Use this to your advantage. Remote control caddies are not all. You can find pitchers that are decorated several different ways that can act as vases for flowers that will enhance your decor among several other things.
A small living room is ripe for creative decorative solutions. They can be decorated to add space, enhance aesthetics, and promote usability. More than any of these, they are a cozy, intimate area in which a family can create strong bonds.
Watch the video related to living room improvement
Learn how to move the furniture to paint your living room and other remodeling tips in thisfree instructional DIY home improvement video. Expert: Grady Johnson Bio: Grady Johnson is a master painter with over twenty five years of painting experience. He has worked in the industrial, new construction, and remodel painting fields. Filmmaker: Grady Johnson
Help answer the question about living room improvement
What can I do to insulate a basement?I'm moving in with a friend who is renting a home. And my living room suite will be placed in a corner of the basement. The basement temperature is about 72 degrees F. I live in southwest Ohio and the average summer/winter temp here is about 85-90/10-25 degrees F. My question is, what can I do to insulate that portion of the basement, to keep heat in during the winter? The basement is unfinished and has no insulation. We’re renting, so there is not much I can do far as home improvement goes.
So far, my friend suggested hanging bed sheets from the ceiling around the living area and to put down a rug for insulation. This may be my only option, but I would like more input. I don’t care if it looks tacky, as long as it doesn’t get terribly cold down there.
Also, I know many will suggest that I don’t move in, but I cannot resist the offer given to me. The monthly rent is only $275 mo., plus utilities.
All suggestions are welcomed!
Thanks
Jason
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Tags: diy, free, home, improvement, instructions, living, painting, remodel, remodeling, room, video
make sure you use light colors, dark ones make the room look smaller. and lighter ones open up the room. i would suggest you put shelves on the walls or get a bed with storage underneath example: http://www.jordans.com/room_facts.asp?item=BZ0-40240-0&room=bedroom&style=all&type=beds&size=&index=42
make sure not to over furnish the room though, it could feel cramped and even smaller, make sure you leave a lot of open space..
hope those help =]
This article offers some advice:
Seating Design: Bigger Isn't Always Better! Tips for a Small Living Area
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/824941/seating_design_bigger_isnt_always_better.html
Hope it helps! Good Luck!
watch the diy channel and other channels have shows all the time about decorating and I love to rearrange what I have all the time
Crowding the entrance, crowds the room.
By simply moving desks, bookshelves, or whatever away from the entrance to give you more space as you enter, gives you a sense of openness. Also, obviously, keep things close to the walls, not out in the middle of the room.
Try putting you desk at the opposite wall of the entrance, and make this the center point, lining the walls to the left and right with whatever other furniture you have, to make an "L" shape. This way nothing is in the middle obstructing the view of the room as well as the walking space. Oh, yeah, take out any items taking up space that you can do without.
Good luck.
The fact that you have so many pictures is awesome. You should dedicate one wall to all your pictures, and either frame them and arrange them in a really funky style or have a bulletin-board type thing to put your pictures on. I would say only use ONE wall for this, because since you have a small room, things can get really cluttered. Same w/ your posters.
As for colour, I would suggest something light, to open the space up, like light pink, yellow, blue… neutral is the key here. If you choose something too dark, it makes the walls kind of "close in" and it looks smaller than it really is. Graffiti is always fun: My closet has "autographs" of all my friends' names that come over, and the dates. They also doodle and stuff, so it looks great. Keep it to one space like your closet or part of a wall though, so your room doesn't look too messy.
As for your love of dance, you could definitely have a dance type theme in your room. If you dance, you can take some of your old dance shoes and put them in a shadow box type thing and hang them on the wall. Or get a really nice set of hooks and hang your shoes up really funkily on your wall. It's a good way to display them, but they might look really bulky if you have too many shoes, so pick your nicest & favourite ones. You could also get dance inspired motifs painted or printed on your wall.
A great idea (and I have this in my room, but a different theme) is to have one wall with printed terms from dance: like certain moves or something. For example, on my wall, I have words on my wall with some definitions (like calm, and zen). It sound weird, but it looks really cool. I got the text printed by some specialists, and it's kind of like wallpaper and you just stick it on your wall. My wall is chock-full of it, and it looks amazing (make sure the text is big though). So you could use dance terms, or like just the names of dance styles that you enjoy. Mine covers one whole wall of my room (like wallpaper) but if that's too much for you, just use a couple words/terms.
GOOD LUCK! I hope this inspires you a little bit. =)
I like light blue or aqua best with dark leather; it's a cool, sophisticated look. Add pillows and throws and art and vases and rugs like these:
Pillows:
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/collection.do?method=get&id=378156&cat=4046016
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/collection.do?method=get&id=91914947&cat=4046016
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/collection.do?method=get&id=378215&cat=4046016
http://www.allmodern.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=INH1212&PiID=2310720&refid=FR81-INH1212_2310720
http://www.allmodern.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=INH1221&PiID=2310737&refid=FR81-INH1221_2310737
http://www.designerlinensoutlet.com/store/product1.asp?SID=1&product_id=112277&ProdName=Nautica+Fairfield+Decorator+Stuffette+Pillow&mcode=bam_br
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/F8178/?sourceid=DFBZRF8178&cm_mmc=BIZR-SH-_-Home%20Decor-_-NA-_-F8178
http://www.bellacor.com/keywordResults.cfm?key=pillows%20aqua&r=1&itemid=389581
http://www.homedecorators.com/detail.php?parentid=58666&aid=bzrt
Rugs:
http://www.ifloor.com/item_427318/area-rugs/828-area-rug/accents-collection/brown-light-blue.html
http://www.onlyarearugs.com/area-rugs/chocolate-&-blue-rugs/dynamicrugsariabrownaqua1102rug.cfm?source=gbase&gbid=Dynamic_Rugs_Aria_Brown_Aqua_1102_Rug
http://www.smartbargains.com/go.sb?pagename=prod&fcloc=product&deptid=62&catid=167&prodid=3078481442&aid=74&program=13244
http://www.kidsrugshop.com/kids-rugs/chocolate-&-blue-rugs/dalynconceptsstripedcp5rugchocolate.cfm?source=gbase&gbid=Dalyn_Concepts_Striped_CP5_Rug___Chocolate
Vases:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208216637&listingid=23936233&dcaid=17902
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208216568&listingid=23936180&dcaid=17902
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208216592&listingid=23935104&dcaid=17902
http://www.homeclick.com/web/catalog/product_detail.aspx?pid=292526&cid=292526CY202622:H:Froogle&CAWELAID=167037715
Lamps:
http://www.target.com/Twist-Table-Lamp-Walnut-28-5/dp/B000PWHWRM/qid=1216068599/ref=br_1_4/601-5169538-7103314?ie=UTF8&node=255032011&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=255032011&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=2
http://www.target.com/Leatherette-Table-Lamp-Square-Shade/dp/B000KE64M4/qid=1216068599/ref=br_1_13/601-5169538-7103314?ie=UTF8&node=255032011&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=255032011&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=2
http://www.target.com/Contemporary-Steel-Table-Lamp-Navajo/dp/B0013LZ53C/qid=1216068717/ref=br_1_1/601-5169538-7103314?ie=UTF8&node=255032011&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=255032011&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=7
Art:
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=2539604&CID=59E83AAE7CFD49CBB3E8793BFC20AC9C&PPID=1&search=1013&f=c&FindID=1013&P=1&PP=3753&sortby=PD&cname=Fine+Art&SearchID=
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=324542&CID=59E83AAE7CFD49CBB3E8793BFC20AC9C&PPID=1&search=1013&f=c&FindID=1013&P=3&PP=3753&sortby=PD&cname=Fine+Art&SearchID=
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=290840&CID=59E83AAE7CFD49CBB3E8793BFC20AC9C&PPID=1&search=1013&f=c&FindID=1013&P=3&PP=3753&sortby=PD&cname=Fine+Art&SearchID=
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=324438&CID=59E83AAE7CFD49CBB3E8793BFC20AC9C&PPID=1&search=1013&f=c&FindID=1013&P=5&PP=3753&sortby=PD&cname=Fine+Art&SearchID=
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=382918&CID=59E83AAE7CFD49CBB3E8793BFC20AC9C&PPID=1&search=1013&f=c&FindID=1013&P=8&PP=3753&sortby=PD&cname=Fine+Art&SearchID=
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=290774&CID=59E83AAE7CFD49CBB3E8793BFC20AC9C&PPID=1&search=1013&f=c&FindID=1013&P=10&PP=3753&sortby=PD&cname=Fine+Art&SearchID=
Hope you like some of my ideas.
I'm neat and hate clutter. It gets on my nerves. I make use of cabinets, folders, organizers and drawers in my main room. In my less public areas, I use stackable slideout drawer plastic bins. If you get the see through type, you can see what's in it at a glance, or use labels.
Helpful tip one: Get one of those desk lamps which has a caddy built into it for post-it notes, index cards, paper clips, pens, pencils, mini-flashlight, permanent markers, etc. Those things really come in handy and keep a desk clear.
Helpful tip two: Make use of your walls or corners and add shelves. A row of books can have their special place, and you can use other books for bookends. This gives a really sharp look to a room and frees up space.
Helpful tip three: Invest in a great cool looking mirror. It gives your mind a feeling of more spaciousness.
Helpful tip four: I have a rule for keeping the clutter from getting on my nerves. If I have stuff and don't know where to put it, it gets put in a large plastic storage bin with a snapon lid. If I find that I don't use those items within the next two months, they go in the dumpster no matter what I paid for them. If I don't use something over two months, I don't need it in my life, and probably never will.
The space seems really open, so I wouldn't go with any dark colors. The cherry floors are perfect- they add the "cozy" feel to the room. I would have never suggested to put pop art into a room that was meant to feel cozy, since there is a lot of color. I would stick with maybe a soft light olive green, or if green doesn't suit you, then a soft beige would be good as well. But I recommend the green first, since it is bright, soft, and warm. With those soft/light olive green walls, I would add a beige couch with some sort of texture (rough, perhaps; but make sure it's still comfortable to sit on). A nice chocolate brown coffee table, with or without a glass center (I'm not being specific about the furniture pieces, just with the colors to use), and to add a nice pop of rich, warm colors into the room, add an area rug in the living room area with assortments of soft reds, browns, beiges, and more. Make sure they complement the wall, however.
For the bedroom, also stick with light. You said the apartment is small, so dark colors will only make the room seem smaller. The best thing to do, would be to continue the same color throughout the whole apartment. That makes it seem bigger, instead of having different sections of different colors. So the color palette I'm suggesting, is basically light olive greens, SOFT deep, rich reds, that complement the walls, beiges, and dark chocolate browns. You can even add accents of black, such as entertainment centers, night stands, etc.
To really make the room seem more cozy, add a soft throw onto the couch (drape it onto one of the arms), add arm chairs, put candles on any available surface (don't overdo it), and add a nice piece of artwork behind the couch. It should have dark, rich colors in it, and I would suggest some type of abstract painting. It does NOT have to include all the colors in the room, since you should always bring in extra colors so the room doesn't seem too matchy matchy.
Add more pieces to the walls, such as shelves, three-dimensional artwork, etc. Also try to add accessories, such as elegant/modern floor lamps, and try to make the room flow to your best ability. If it seems a little too empty, add some sheer curtains to the windows in a dark color.
I hope I helped, and good luck!
Buy a Futon with a good mattress, you can use it as a couch as well as a bed. A stand up dresser takes up less space for items, place a lamp on top. A small refrigerator and micro wave, if allowed so you do not have to eat at the cafeteria all the time. A couple potted plants even article for a homey touch and a few personal items and you should be set for the semester. Just remember in a small space everything has a place.