Your living room is where you will do most of the entertaining in your home, and so you want it to be as warm and as welcoming a space as possible. No matter what, you need to make sure that it is the best it can possibly be. If you are thinking about upgrading your living room in 2021, here are some of the tips you can follow to make it into a room you are truly proud of.
A Place to Entertain, and to Relax
A living room will always have a dual purpose, as it has to act as both a place that you can entertain visitors in, and unwind in at the end of the day. For these reasons, it is important to consider the space that you have carefully. You want to ultimately create somewhere that always feel warm and welcoming.
No matter whether it is your closest friend, an unexpected visitor, or just yourself after a long day at work, your living room should be somewhere that you want to send time in. Upgrading it is a fantastic way to go about creating a real heart to your home.
Decide How Much You Want to Change
When we decide that we want to take on some renovations within our home, our first thoughts are often to complete a full change and makeover everything. However, that is sometimes not practical. A living room is certainly an easier room to update than say a kitchen or a bathroom, but that does not mean that you should immediately jump for changing everything.
You might be able to get away with a few subtle changes that will make the room feel completely like new again. Redoing things does not always mean that you need to undertake a full makeover. Just switching a few things up might help the room to feel completely fresh and new.
Switch Out Your Lighting
One of the first things you can try to make the room feel a little different is to transform the lighting set-up you have within your living room. Are you relying on just the top light? This is going to be harsh and bright, and is not always the best option when creating a cosy atmosphere in your home.
You need to think about lighting the room with soft, low-level lighting as best as you can. Whether this comes from table lamps or floor lamps does not matter. You just need to make sure that you are creating a space that is well-lit, but still soft and warm. Add a touch of excellence to these lamps with luxury lampshades, or choose a light fitting that is also interesting to look at.
Grab New Soft Furnishings
Soft furnishings are perfect for helping us achieve the right level of comfort in our homes. From cushions to curtains to blankets, they really help to make a room feel softer and cosier. They are also some of the easiest goods that we can use to swap out aspects of our rooms to make them feel a little different.
Try to make the base furniture in your living room – like your sofas and armchairs – a neutral colour. This will make it very easy for you to change things up as you need, to help create a space that feels cohesive no matter what time of year it might be. For example, you might have different colours and thickness of blankets depending on the time of year it is. Being able to swap them out as and when the seasons change means that you have a cycle of decorations that will always help your room feel fresh.
Find Clever Storage
Since a living room is the heart of the home, you can frequently find that it attracts junk and mess faster than you would initially like. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are not letting this get out of control. With a little investigation, you should be able to find plenty of options for furniture that allows you to pack away the clutter if you need to.
For example, instead of opting for an open coffee table, why not look into a trunk or some similar box that has storage inside of it? This could prove to be ideal for storing those blankets you have invested in, or some other item that you might need to have close at hand. Here, everything should have its place. If you do not want it out on display, you need to find a place to put it instead.
See What the Charity Shops Have to Offer
If you decide that you do want to switch out some of your furniture, you should think about taking a look at what your local charity or second-furniture shop has on offer. There might be some hidden gems here that you would never have thought to buy yourself – and you will be able to pick them up at a fraction of the cost that it would have been if it was new!
Don’t be afraid to take on a DIY project here too. There are so many amazing pieces of furniture out there that just need the tiniest bit of love and then they would be back to being in great condition. If you feel up for a little furniture restoration, you should definitely think about one of these projects as it could provide you with a wonderful and unique piece for your living room.
Upgrading your living room and making it feel cosier never has to cost an arm and a leg. With careful choices, and a lot of thought, you should be able to create a space that you are happy to both entertain and relax in. Have a look over your current layout, and try to identify some things you would like to upgrade. 2021 is going to be the perfect year for you to get stuck in and start making changes!
Image: Pixabay