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Casual Living Room Design Tips

When creating a design for your living room, keep in mind how the living room will be used. A living room with surround sound, for example, will require a particular design in order to get the full effect of that sound. Whether there is surround sound or no sound, a living room should be a room that creates a relaxing atmosphere in which one can read quietly, visit with friends, or any number of things in a comfortable manner.

Consideration of furniture is important. A casual living room will not have stiff furniture that provides no comfort when sitting. That type of furniture should be reserved for waiting rooms at a doctor's office or school rooms. A comfortable living room's couches and chairs will be made out of soft, perhaps plush fabrics that invite a person to relax on them. Their comfort will be further enhanced by soft, plush pillows of the same fabric. Some will even add pillows that contrast with the colors of the couches or chairs. This furniture is something that can be relaxed and socialized on in complete comfort.

Flooring is another important consideration for this room. Hardwood floors are very popular right now, yet they do not have to be the only choice. Hardwood is pretty and easy to clean, yet it's cold. If your home is often cold and you're looking for economical ways to keep it warmer, carpeting is one way to do that. Carpeting will hold the heat in the room better than hardwood flooring which will make the room warmer longer. This will in turn use your furnace less and your money will be saved. However, if you have allergies to dust or other airborne particles, carpeting may not be a good choice. No matter how often you vacuum, it can be very difficult to get those allergens out of the air. For this type of person, a hardwood floor would probably be the better choice because there will be less fibers in the room to hold in those allergens.

Television and sound system would also be a consideration into your design. If your television is large, it will take a large portion of area in the living room. Alternately, if it is small it won't take up as much room. Either way, the seating and sound should be surrounding the viewing area at a reasonable distance for both sight and sound. If you have surround sound, you have the advantage of bringing the sound to the seating area. Otherwise, the seating should surround the television at a distance that makes listening happen easily.














Living Room Painting

Painting living room is the starting point for living room remodeling. First, choose a living room color scheme and choose paint colors for walls, doors, trims, accessories and accents. Living room paint colors should be chosen based on the largest piece of furniture that dominates the room, the focal point of the room, the size of the room, the height of its ceiling, the amount of light that it gets, the uses the room will be put to and most importantly, the feel you want in your room. Once the living room paint colors are decided, pay attention to the living room paint finishes. Paint finish can also alter the feel of your living room.

Flat or matte paint finish with no shine is best for walls that have minor surface imperfections. These days they have good stain resistance too. Eggshell or velvet finishes with a soft glow are best for living room walls and look elegant and sophisticated. They are easier to clean too. Satin or semi-gloss paint finishes are best for doors and trims and highlighting architectural details. You may also use gloss finish for door, trims and specialty areas according to your choice. The sheen of the walls and the smoothness of the texture in semi-gloss and gloss paints make them easy to clean and scrub. For families with small children, you may want to use washable wall paints that are very easy to wipe and clean.

For living room walls, it is best to use latex or water based paint that dries up quickly and can be washed using soap and water but it is better to use oil-based alkyd paint for doors and windows as it penetrated wood better does not stick when the doors and windows are shut for longer periods of time, especially during winters. To calculate the amount of paint you will need for you living room, measure the perimeter of the living room walls by adding up their widths and the multiply it with the height of wall from floor to ceiling. Subtract the area of open areas from it such as doors, windows and archways to known the wall area that needs to be painted. Some paint types and colors may need more than one coat so take the number of coats you need to cover the walls into account too. Usually, a gallon of flat paint color covers 400 square feet but you may take paint manufacturer's instructions as your guideline.

The entrance foyer, family room and the living room are heavy traffic areas and are the first places of your house that is seen by your guests. Hence, they define the first impression about you and your personality in your guest's mind. Experiment with colors and patterns to create a stylish and great looking living room to make the right statement. Make sure that you maintain the harmony and visual flow and take into account the rooms visible from your living room. If you practically live in your living room, you may prefer to have glazed, marbleized or textured walls as they do not look dirty or show up finger marks so easily. This can be easily achieved using faux painting techniques that are so popular as living room painting ideas these days.

Living Room Furniture

Living room furniture represents personality of the owner of the house. Living room furniture set normally consists of sofas, coffee table, futon chairs, home theater system and perhaps display cabinets and dressers. Other living room furniture pieces include side tables, futon beds, bean bags and bean chairs among many other things. The big furniture of the living room and living room furniture sets are not always affordable and setting up a budget is very important, if your pocket is something you need to think about. Know the exact measurement of the living room and then decide on the size of sofa and other pieces of living room furniture that you should buy.

While large living rooms may be able to accommodate a corner sofa too, smaller living rooms do well with one sofa with tall plants, floor lamps and decorative stands on either side. Buy furniture pieces that match with each other and stick to the color scheme of the living room. You may want to match the color of living room walls with the color of your living room furniture to create a uniform harmonious look in your living room. When you buy expensive pieces of furniture such as leather sofas and teakwood tables, be sure to check for warranty period offers. A clearance sale may offer you some of the best deals. Lighting can give a new look to your living room furniture, so pay attention to it.

Infuse new life to a corner of your living room by placing decorative plants in beautiful stands. People on a tight budget looking for cheap and affordable living room furniture may want to explore the option of buying secondhand furniture. People often sell their furniture while redecorating their living rooms and the first place to try is to go to look for cheap living room furniture is a secondhand shop. These shops can offer some very good deals for first time buyers, college students and people who are renting. Consignment shops that buy single pieces of used furniture from private owners may also offer you unique pieces that you may love.

The furniture here is cheap and as generally, furniture is not being produced and bought off the previous users of the furniture, chances are that there are no or few chances of duplicate furniture designs that can be bought from here. You may ask the manager of these shops to keep you updated or inform you when he gets a furniture piece that matches your requirement. Sometimes secondhand furniture may not look appealing but a little restoration and refurbishing can make it look attractive and as good as new. You can paint the old furniture or add new upholstery to it to change the look of your living room furniture and match it with your living room walls or color scheme.

Feng Shui Tips for Living Room

>> The main living area should be on the ground floor, not upstairs, and should not be viewable from the main doorway.

>> Feng shui states that the living room should be in the south side of the home or should face south. West is another option but it should have a pleasant view.

>> Ideally, there should be a foyer or entrance hall, which is attractively decorated and the first thing people see upon entering the house, with common rooms close by and private rooms farther away.

>>Homeowners can counter negative energy by placing a healthy plant in a large pot near the doorway; but any dead leaves should be removed immediately since dying leaves are considered a bad omen.

>>Many living rooms are adjacent to kitchens or dining rooms and in these cases it is best to have a visual barrier placed between them with the help of a screen or large plants. If you have doors in between, try to keep them closed.

>>The most important point in the main living area is Wealth, which is located in the left-hand corner when one is entering the room. According to the principles of feng shui, a door or doorway located beneath this point will result in the gradual loss of financial prosperity.

>>The main living area should be warm, inviting, and comfortable.It’s far better to have a few items on display than a great many items, so if homeowners have an extensive collection, they should rotate the items on display.

>>Place an especially appealing work of art, a large healthy floor plant, or perhaps even the television in the Money point of the room.

>>Although a fireplace is desirable, especially if it is located in the Power point, do not hang a mirror over the fireplace since it impedes the flow of Chi. Opt for a painting instead or perhaps a tapestry, wreath, or some other artwork.

>>An important thing to evaluate is the chairs and couches position.The couch and chairs should not be placed so that people sitting on them will be looking directly out the front door, nor should the furnishings be positioned with their backs to either the front door or a window.Instead, position the couch and chairs with their backs to a wall, although this does not mean they must be flat against a wall.

>>The furniture should be arranged so as to allow for easy movement throughout the room, not in such a way that it creates obstacles that people must maneuver around in order to traverse the room.

>>If a house has exposed beams, homeowners should not place a couch directly under a beam because this will put undue pressure on the family’s main breadwinner.

>>For promoting the flow of Chi, flat ceilings are best. If you have a sloped ceiling or exposed beams, then you should use Wind chimes or bamboo flutes as a remedy.

>>The shape of your living room should be square or rectangular. The furniture in the living room should be placed so as to break opposing straight lines and this will allow Chi to flow gently through the room.Alcoves and dead areas can be broken up with the placing of plants, fish tanks, or large items of furniture.

This penthouse apartment sits atop South Yarra’s development and features amazing views of Melburne’s busy city skyline. Its interior is designed by Robert Mills Architects as light and airy as possible to highlight owner’s extensive furniture and art collection.

The white surfaces and limestone floors can be found across the whole apartment, including all living, bedroom and bathroom areas. Most of storage spaces are built-in so they also don’t spoil the look and airiness of the interior. The apartment also features the rooftop garden, designed by Jack Merlo, that also features amazing views of the area.