It’s an expression of your personality, on display to all visitors - and it makes both the first, and the last, impression. It’s also where family members congregate to lounge around, to watch television, to read or simply for a relaxed chat. Designing this space correctly is crucial.

FURNITURE: Consider the focal point and arrange the rest of your furniture around it. If you have an imposing statue, for instance, or a grand piano, let this be the center of attention, and set the other furniture around it. It’s important to consider traffic in the area; does the arrangement allow free movement and give an uncluttered look? Try off-square angles, for a warmer and more casual look. Also, instead of having your sofa touch the wall, you could consider placing it a foot or so away and install a plant or a lamp. To create a “lived-in” aura for your living area, position small furniture in the room. This can be a small bench, or a low sofa table. Place magazines, journals and newspapers under the table. Placing flower vases, baskets and small plants on your table also creates beauty and livens up the room.

For people who have space and want to make a statement, a 12-ft running sofa in artificial leather and off-white will get your guests talking. There is a growing preference for antique furniture used in consonance with contemporary furniture - for instance, a straight-line sofa set with an ornate center table. Today, furniture suitable for different segments of society is available.

COLOURS: Do you want your hall to be a vibrant, or a restful, space? Colours can intimidate, invite or irritate. Green is a relaxing colour and there are several shades to choose from. At the other end of the spectrum, there are people who like orange and red on their walls. Choose a shade that goes with your personality, and ensure your carpets and furniture are well-coordinated. Of course, for the most classic, elegant look, creams and whites always work best, providing the perfect canvas for experimentation with upholstery and furniture.

MIRRORS: If your room is small, particularly, mirrors can add space and depth.

LIGHTING: This can really create or affect the mood in your living room. Don’t go in for harsh tube-lights in your living room; they may seem more practical, but do not do anything to bring in a soothing atmosphere. Try focus lighting for items like artifacts and paintings.

WORKING WITH A BUDGET: If your budget is low - say, about a lakh for the living room, opt for basic, minimalistic furniture - cane sofas can also be truly elegant. Colourful mosaics or simple kotah or Jaisalmer stone slabs should be used for flooring to give warmth. Rugs or colourful chatais or durries can be dramatic. Use earthy cottons for upholstery so that stains aren’t too visible, and stack colourful cushions around to make your space welcoming. Carry the terracotta theme further with pots and other artifacts. Straight lines, with minimum maintenance and materials are quick to work. Try ceramic or vitrified tiles in an economical range. For the walls, velvet touch emulsion paint can be used.

Instead of opting for expensive materials like marble, play with colour and texture. Avoid false ceilings since they can be expensive and will need maintenance. Of course, if you have a high budget, there is nothing like Italian marble and expensive artifacts to make your living room special.

Find out more about this in http://www.mumbaiproperties.info

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Is your living room a place for show, only used when you’re entertaining? Living rooms, as their name suggests, should not only reflect who you are to the outside world, but they should also be lived in. Here are some suggestions for making your living room warm and inviting for guests as well as functional and comfortable for family members.

If your living room is large, divide it into smaller areas through the positioning of furniture. You want the “conversation pit” to be cozy a couch and loveseat and a couple of chairs around a large cocktail table will seat many people, yet they’ll all be able to hear what the others are saying. A great place for family meetings as well as for entertaining. Make sure all seats are within reach of a table someplace to set down those drinks and chips!

Face the couch to an architectural focal point, such as a fireplace or a large window that looks out to your garden or the city lights. If you don’t have an architectural element to work with, create one by hanging large pictures or a mural on a wall. This allows people to admire the art and it’s safer than hanging anything heavy right above the seating (especially in areas prone to earthquakes!). Hang cloth wall hangings or small pictures on the wall behind the couch. Don’t, however, hang a mirror where people will see their reflection all the time. Not everyone is thrilled by his or her image.

If you divide your living room in two or three seating and/or dining areas, use rugs to define the conversation grouping, another under the dining table, and another to set off a place to exhibit the Buddha you brought back from Thailand or a wall of bookcases that not only hold your books but also display your collection of antique toys or Bennington pottery. Area rugs work well over waxed hardwood floors or neutral, wall-to-wall Berber-style carpeting.

A decorative room divider, such as Japanese shoji screens, can be used to separate a large room into a living room and a TV room. In a smaller place, face the couch to a wall unit that holds the television it’s sure to become a favorite gathering spot for the family.

The days of covering the “good” living room furniture with plastic are over! Leather or the new microfiber fabrics are easy to clean, look great, and can survive guests, kids, and pets. If the furniture is in neutral colors, add colorful decorative pillows. Remember to keep a few throw blankets around to stay cozy on cool nights.

If your living room walls are painted in light neutral shades, you’ll be able to change the furniture and decorative touches easily. Other ways to change the look of your living room are by adding tall plants or a silk tree, a permanent flower arrangement in a basket or tall vase, or even a fountain and small pond in a large enough space.

Don’t forget about lighting! Floor lamps, especially in dark corners, can brighten large areas, while table lamps can provide good light for your favorite reading/knitting chair. An arrangement of candles on the mantelpiece or a table adds ambiance to your living room. Now go ahead, live in your living room!

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at
http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=LivingRoom

PARVATI MARKUS is a writer/editor with a Masters in Creative Writing from Antioch. She works with The Kabbalah Centre and freelances on non-fiction books and articles. As a recent arrival in L.A. Parvati is completing her “residency requirement” by writing a screenplay.

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Above all else, the furniture in the living-room should make it livable. It should be grouped so that it offers centers of interest, convenience and comfort. Look for upholstered seating with homespun-type fabric, or toss a pieced quilt over plain fabric or leather. An old rocker is a great addition.

By the time you are ready to choose the furniture for the living room, the walls and floor coverings should be in place so that the choice of furniture will be merely the selection of the best out of several possibilities. Of course, the quality, shape and color of furniture varies, and the quantity will as well.

Can one imagine a more livable living-room than one with a large, soft sofa in front of a fireplace, behind it a long table filled with books, while holding a lamp at either end. Or else, at the end of the sofa, a small table for the reading lamp and on either side a pair of comfortable chairs?

The main essentials are a comfortable sofa, a table large enough to hold books, magazines and lamps, and at least two comfortable, upholstered chairs and a smaller table.

While at the other end or side of the room, a pair of book-cases, cabinets or a credence. These balance the fireplace, since they are placed against the wall and have a corresponding shelf, cornice or mantel line.

In developing the original simple formula there may be added a chaise, a good-size table, another large chair, and another small table

Remember that it is always better to leave a space empty than to have it occupied by a badly placed piece of furniture. Good furniture needs space to be seen to its advantage.

If there is a large array of furniture in the living-room, keep the carpet, and furniture upholstery all to one tone.

Mantel accessories may be applied to the other shelves and the tables in the room. Keep them free from dust-collecting, trivial things, while creating a sense of order and cleanliness.

Balance is maintained by using objects in pairs a pair of vases, candlesticks, bowls, or jars. Placed at either end of the mantel, they should be higher than the intervening objects, to form a sweeping curve. Also they help to frame in the over-mantel picture or mirror.

In fitting furniture to its architectural background there are 3 things to consider

contour and proportion
design and decorative detail
color of wood.

The first two points are obviously necessary; it is in the last that the furnishing of many rooms fails. Oak and mahogany do not mix amicably; one does not set off the other because there is not sufficient contrast, nor are they closely enough allied to harmonize. On the other hand, black ebony and yellowish burr walnut, such as is used in inlaying seaweed pattern in oak, are examples of harmony gained.

Lisa French

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