Interior - Living Room

If your living room doesn't reflect your lifestyle, you can still give it some personality without risking sticky-kid-fingers or man-vs.-coaster disasters. Having a cozy living area is like having a beautiful silk pillow. It's mostly for show, but that doesn't keep it from being soft and inviting. If your main salon doesn't have near the appeal of a really cozy blanket, there are some things you can do to put out the welcome mat and wrap your arms around your family and your guests.

Let There Be Light
Create a brighter space in your small living room via lighting. Both natural and artificial lighting can be employed to achieve the desired effect. Allow natural lighting to come in through the windows to brighten the space. Don't keep them covered. Employing sheer or semi-sheer drapery panels is one good solution to allowing natural light in.

Everything Goes Up
Design your living room to keep the eye drawn upward. This means employing the use of vertical lines wherever possible. Bookshelves should have a vertical hierarchy. Floor-to-ceiling shelving not only holds more, it also maintains the up and down sight line you want to maintain.

Use Colour to Change Create Ambiance
Keep the colour palette of your living room light to open up the space. Employing light colours on ceilings and walls will achieve the desired effect of giving it a bigger feel. Don't go for dark colours throughout a large area of the room as it will make the space feel too enclosed. If you want to create a cozy feel in a nook or part of the room, darker colors can work to create a feeling of intimacy.

Keep It Simple
Keep the furniture pieces and floors simple to keep it visually clutter-free. Tables, chairs and other furnishings atop slim, elevated legs will help open up a space. Avoid heavy furniture pieces with skirts that would block the perception of openness in the room.

Organize It All
Create storage spaces for everything that goes into the living room. Baskets can hold magazines to be read. A wall lined with a floor to ceiling bookshelf with some cabinets can keep all your books and other items in one place. Storage boxes can help organize small, loose items that would otherwise add to a busy appearance in a small living room.

Make It a Point to Maintain
Keep clutter out of the living room by getting rid of anything you don't need on a regular basis. Spend about 15 minutes a day picking up and getting rid of items you don't use rather than saving the task for a weekend when you feel overwhelmed.