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4 Steps to Living Room Design

The living room is the heart of your home. It's where the whole family gets to spend time together, entertain, talk, or simply relax. Living room design can affect the whole atmosphere of the home, family dynamics, and even the hospitality experience. The challenge in designing a living room is to make sure strong design elements don't overwhelm the space, while keeping the space comfortable for everyone.

Do you love to entertain guests? Do you have a sophisticated surround sound system? Do you have young children? Before you start buying furniture for your new living room, it is essential to consider the needs of your household, your regular activities, and which elements you must have other than a place to sit. If you have purchased an apartment from Africa Israel, you should know that a 2-bedroom apartment has a 3.8 m2 living room; 3-bedroom apartments have a 4 m2 living room; and 4-bedroom apartments have a 4.2 m2 living room. The size of the living room will allow you flexibility in planning a cozy space that meets all your needs. Here are four steps to designing the ideal living room for you:

Step 1: Choose a Design Style

Now is the time to make your personal statement. It's important to choose one design style and stick to it. So – what's your design style?

• Modernist: A minimalist design, with lots of space between the furniture, characterized by straight lines and neutral colors. Nickel or stainless steel furnishings work really well with this design. This style is suitable for highly organized people who prefer a streamlined design without any unnecessary elements.
• Rustic: Emphasizing comfort and utilizing natural materials like wood and stone, the color scheme is fairly dark with some warmer colors used for curtains, pillows, carpets, and more.
• Classic: This style combines antique furniture with a rich color palette and many decorative items, and has a luxurious, meticulous appearance. Suitable for people with a traditional aesthetic, this style is perfect for anyone who doesn't follow the changing fashion trends.
• Retro: Retro typically draws on design elements from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The colorful and cheerful design style is perfectly suited for nostalgic people.

Step 2: Choose the Color Palette

First, choose the dominant color for the room; ideally it should be neutral, like cream, beige, or pale gray. Then, you can add 2-3 complementary colors to make the room more interesting and inviting.

Need help choosing the right colors?

• If you would like to have a calming and airy feel, choose a bright dominant color and add cool complimentary colors, like blue, purple, and green.
• For a more intimate space, use a warmer color palette – oranges, reds, and yellows – as the complementary colors.
• Of course, you can also go bold with strong complementary colors that are very prominent. For example, a maroon feature wall paired with a turquoise sofa.

Step 3: Choosing Furniture

Figure out the best seating and storage arrangements for your family's needs before you start selecting secondary furniture. Here are a few helpful tips:

• Match the size of the furniture to the size of the space: the sofa might look impressive in the store, but that won't help you if it doesn't fit in the designated spot. Take detailed measurements of the entire space and plan accordingly.
• Choose one unique piece of furniture. If you decide to go for a statement piece, make sure the surrounding items are more subdued so it doesn't overwhelm the room.
• Aim for high functionality. The living room will be used by everyone and should be comfortable for your entire family. If you love to host events and parties, you should include enough space for guests. Pick durable furniture pieces that will fit their intended use; for example, a coffee table that won't warp from mugs of hot coffee.
• Do you have a home entertainment system? Decide where you want the speakers, amplifier, cable box, and television screen to go before you purchase the furniture.
• If you have pets or small children, you should purchase easy-to-clean furniture for the inevitable stains.

Step 4: Choose Your Decorative Items

When your living room is painted and the big furniture pieces are in place, it's time to decorate! Decorations should highlight and complement the rest of the space; it's very trendy today to have a collage of family photos, but you can display them however you like. Or you can choose an original piece of artwork - don't be afraid to get creative.