Your living room is the one room in the house that needs to fulfil very different functions. You want a room that you can comfortably entertain your friends in, but conversely, you want a room that allows you to kick back and relax in comfort after a hard day’s work; it also has to be functional and stylish at the same time. That’s a tall order, and your living room has to appeal to you on many different levels. Here are 5 tips to help you achieve the look you crave without breaking the bank.
Get inspired
You don’t need to dip into your purse and buy interior design magazines to get inspiration for your living room transformation. Get online. You will be able to sneak peek into other people’s living rooms to get an idea of what you like, and just as importantly, what you don’t. For luxury, Cayman Islands real estate for sale is the ideal starting point to see just how the other half live and to see how their interior designers have styled the homes. You can bet your bottom dollar that only the best will have been hired for the job. Print off any images that you like, and use them for reference.
Paint
A fresh lick of paint can do wonders to brighten a room. Revert to your printed pictures for color combinations. Paint is an affordable and effective way to transform your room. Update tired furniture, and be brave: use a color accent from your favorite piece of art that will be hung in the room and apply it to a piece of furniture to turn it into a statement. Refresh tired wooden floors and any architectural features. Do not ignore the ceiling. You can add height to your room by having a lighter tone on it.
Declutter
You need to strip out your living room and be ruthless as to what stays and what goes. By getting rid of excess clutter, you are immediately changing the status quo. Your tastes change as the years go by, and what may have been a cutesy ornament twenty years ago may now very well look dated.
Review
Just because you have always had your sofa against that wall, does not mean that is the best position for it. Have a friend help you move the furniture around to see where the best fit is. You may be surprised how moving a cabinet away from being near the window makes the room so much lighter.
Textiles
Your choice of textiles can add a real sense of luxury, but at an affordable price. You don’t need curtains that cost the earth, but your pillows are your opportunity to showcase opulence. Pillows are relatively easy to make yourself, so choose fabrics such as velvet or silk that exude luxury. Use the expensive fabric for only one side of the pillow, the other side can be faux silk and can either contrast in color or complement. This is where you can show your personal style.
