Mike Poole Decorators

Update Living Room Finishes

If you're looking for living room decorations and changes that won't cost a lot yet, aren't boring and are refreshing, you can do precisely that with some speedy furnishing makeovers and design swaps. 

Updating your coffee table, corner sofa, end tables, open shelving, and more can prove inexpensive while still being effective.

Even rearranging furniture, attempting extra seating and rethinking the space can change the overall aesthetic without you having to buy anything new.

Changing your living room feel, whether you are experimenting with an open plan, changing room storage or bookshelves, can be done for very little money. 

Sometimes your décor will find the perfect spot, and when you best utilise storage, the room can feel airy, and all furniture makes sense. 

Make a Small Room Feel More Spacious

Many homeowners find their small living rooms difficult to place furniture around while maintaining a welcoming personality. 

When a room lacks natural light, it can be hard to transform the space into the created, airy living room you desire. While you can do things, such as keeping the room minimal with white walls and wood panelling, many of us want living room furniture that is more aesthetic and makes small spaces more liveable.

The most important thing you can do is ensure that all colour and paint choices are balanced, completing your room and not cluttering it. 

If your colour patterns are consistent through your furniture, it will give the space a collected look and can make the room feel much more spacious. Some choose to move to bold colours that aren't featured in other rooms, perhaps experimenting with natural textures.  

Add More Light

While a lot of the lighting plans will be made during the design scheme phase of a building, it can sometimes become an afterthought, but there is still much you can do to add more light to a living room. 

Installing skylights, spotlights, floor lamps, and chandeliers are all popular options, but understanding the balance of good lighting is vital.

Natural light will always provide a softer, less harsh setting, but you can top that off with task lighting. An example of task lighting is an adjustable lamp or desk lamp, which can be dotted around the room and match the colour scheme and style. 

These are ideal for those that double up their living room as a workspace.

The colour light you have in your living room can also make a difference, as you should begin to consider if you need a warmer white bulb or something colder and blue. 

Depending on your furniture and colour choices, certain bulb temperatures may be more fitting to kitchens or open-plan spaces. Anything you can do to make the room more bright will benefit the area overall. 

Update a Formal Living Room

The term 'formal living room' has been on the rise over the coming years, with people opting for a mature setting. 

This doesn't have to be as dull as you're imagining, and you can use some imagination to prevent chairs, sofas and tables from looking like they've come from a television set. 

While having a collected look in your living room may sound like a good idea, having some change of textures, styles and colours will help you create a homely look that is unique to you.

Many people have associated formality with discomfort also, due to uncosy cushions, hard sofas and more, but formal living rooms don't have to be this way. There is a great selection of furniture that can transform a room all to budget. 

For example, mixing materials and ensuring the upholstery you have in your front room can prevent it from feeling stale and provide a comfortable environment while prioritising entertainment purposes and functions.

Living Room Colour Change

Living room furniture can be expensive, and many home decor ideas that you read consist of investing in a coffered ceiling, faux fireplace or other forms of major makeover. 

If you're looking for a more cost-effective design operation for your living room, then investing in paint is easier and cheaper.

Painting a wall and creating an accent wall is becoming more popular and can rejuvenate an old and tired-looking room.

You can easily buy coloured pillows, furniture and rugs to complete a space's look and update your colour scheme in the living room. 

Monochromatic colours and living rooms are rising in popularity also, with minimalism and feng shui providing homeowners with a chance to create a balanced and harmonising environment. 

Add More Storage

Living room storage ideas can be seen in plenty across the internet, as more homeowners find themselves dealing with the overflow of books, toys, clothes and other items in their living rooms. 

Investing in storage options and organisational units can save you a lot of time and money when redesigning your home.

As many living rooms are focused around the TV, you can organise cables, gaming consoles and other technologies with an entertainment centre. These can come in a range of colours and sizes, complimenting your room style and colour scheme. 

Cheaper alternatives are seeing people buying dressers and cabinets, repurposing them for their entertainment centre purposes. 

You can buy upcycled and recycled furniture for various uses, with coffee tables with drawers, nesting coffee tables and nesting end tables all offering practical, aesthetic and cost-effective solutions to home interior design. 

Wallpaper

A wallpapered room may seem like a cop-out, but you can significantly benefit the style of a room with the right wallpaper choice. 

Well-designed wallpaper can become a focal point that isn't offensive, complimenting the surrounding area. 

You can experiment with different natural textures, creating a marble look, for instance. 

Bookcases/Bookshelves

There is sometimes nothing better than an organised bookshelf in a front room. 

You can customise different shelves on the bookcase with ornaments, plants and, of course, books. 

This creates a space that feels alive while not being cluttered and busy. 

Gallery Wall

There's nothing wrong with having multiple sized art pieces and photographs on your wall, as you can experiment with frame types and sizes also. 

This can create a vibrant and eclectic atmosphere, especially when combined with an accent wall.

Hanging Plants

Plants in your living room will bring life and a colour splash of green to the space. 

If you choose to have hanging plants across your bare wall, you will notice a significant improvement in the atmosphere and attitude in the room. 

Make Living Room Ceilings Look Higher

With many older properties having low ceilings, you can create a small living room environment that leaves little space to explore. However, this doesn't mean that your options are limited, as there are things you can do to make the living room ceilings look taller and higher.

Painting the ceiling or putting colour on the ceiling will achieve a uniform, stretched look along your walls. When you colour match the walls and paint a quarter of the way down, the result can be aesthetically pleasing. Painted walls and ceilings can also bring more character to a room than prior, which can help with the lower ceiling con.

Mixing Patterns

Your interior design plans at your home don't have to conform to one pattern or style. Mixing patterns in a singular room requires skill and experience, as it can have disastrous effects for the beginner.

You may feel inclined to fill the room with as many patterns as possible, but leaving space for them to breathe is incredibly vital. 

Floral sofas may require plain cushions. Otherwise, it all becomes rather garish. Simple rug designs can do a lot for a room, creating a different pattern among the furniture. That is a recommended starting point for people new to interior design.