More often than not, the living room is the most elaborately designed interior in the entire residence. Its bigger cousin, the hotel lounge, is equally grand in design and layout. The reason is its historical use. Originally called the drawing room in the Victorian era and salon during the turn of the century, its main purpose was to receive guests. They were then escorted to the rooms and asked to sit and wait for the host to receive them properly.
By the late Victorian era, it had become a custom for recently departed relatives to have a private portion of the room to themselves while the rest of the living were placed in the drawing room. It then became known as the living room because that was where living relatives mingled and socialized.
Presently, the living rooms have more pieces of furniture than any other area in the house. It also doubles as a family room and entertainment room since the living room is where family members gather to watch movies or spend time together. In smaller areas such as apartments, it is also possible to convert living rooms to bedrooms by just rearranging pieces and easily convertible furniture items.
In most cases, due to it being the first room guests are introduced to, the living room provides a subtle way of expressing the psychology and personality of the homeowners. For example, a living room with lots of wood and stone indicates that the owner has an affinity with natural elements and has a down to earth and well-grounded personality. On the other hand, if the living room has copper and marble elements, it slightly indicates that the owner has an affinity for subtle, but elegant elements and is likely to be a more refined individual.
With so many design themes emerging, the flow of living room ideas is quite abundant, especially in the modern living environments. So here are a few living room ideas that have made their way to high end publications and are quite easy to create.
Minimal Living Room
The most adaptable of all the living room ideas, its principle relies mostly on the concept of โless is moreโ with eye catching pieces being either the furniture or the accessories. To create the minimalist living, consider using neutral colors, like cream, brown, white, black and grey. Use integrated cabinets and floating shelves for storage and display.
For the eye catching piece, use a statement chair like a red upholstered armchair or an abstract painting like Pollock or Duchamp. The idea is to make the area less cluttered, but look as modern and elegant as possible.
Shabby Chic
When people hear the words โshabby chicโ, this means utilizing items associated with country themes, such as pastel painted wood, white painted porcelains, lace and anything vintage. Most of the Shabby Chic living room ideas revolve around the vintage cottage and Provencal French look. To achieve this look, use pastel or soft colors, like creams, pinks, blues and mints. Since the colors of the year are โRose Quartzโ and โSerenity Blueโ, this theme can easily be employed in the walls, furniture and accessories. Consider using wooden furniture like white Windsor three seaters or fully upholstered sofas with pastel or chintz prints.
Another interesting idea is to distress existing cabinets and tables to resemble a chipped paint look about. The point of shabby chic is to produce a more vintage feel. For the accessories, have either crochet lace on the tables or curtains, flower arrangements on the tables or buffets, vintage clocks and baroque carved frames for photos and such. For unique storages, consider using small woven baskets for candles and flowers and bigger baskets for magazines and books. Shabby chicโs overall feel is that of a delicate and feminine homemaker.
Contemporary Living Room
This is the most used theme in many homes. Although it is compared to minimalist living, what makes it contemporary is its use of modern and traditional elements. The contemporary living room ideas are based on the concept that you can still incorporate anything, which is already outdated with something new. This is true for people who have an affinity for something they grew up with and oftentimes prefer using it in modern times.
Contemporary color schemes include natural colors like brown and cream and are paired with select colors like blues, reds, greens and yellows. Use the classic sofa and armchair arrangement, but with slight modifications. Make use of popular staples like the sofa with armrests, the tall standing lamp and the coffee table. Incorporate classic and traditional pieces like a piano or native art. The whole point of contemporary living is to blend the old with the new.
ย
ย
Industrial Living Room
This is the current trend. Industrial living room ideas revolve around the principle of employing functional and industrial elements seen in factories and offices. It also makes use of straight lines in geodesic designs and has the scheme, stationery movement. This means that although the pieces are stationary and somewhat streamlined, there is the sense of movement as most of the elements seem to go in various directions.
To use this current trend, consider using copper and rose gold tones. You can see them accessories, such as jars and lamps. Use furniture made out of wood palettes. Since palettes are basically scrap pieces of wood joined together, they give that sense of movement. Make use of brick walls as the overall living room treatment since brick walls are associated with factories and progressive thinking individuals.
Danish furniture is highly recommended, but if you are constrained by your budget, you can use simple upholstered sofa sets and accessorize them with either newsprint printed pillows or pair them with wire constructed chairs.
There are a lot of living room ideas sprouting here and there. The only limitation is the ingenuity of the homeowner and the emotion they wish the room to project. Ultimately, the goal of the living room is to welcome and receive guests.