living room Archives - Page 16 of 31

How to use patterned rugs in the living room

Patterned Rug in Living Room with Velvet Sofa

Patterns are all around us, from those we create to those that nature gives us. Using pattern in the home adds detailing and texture, lifting a space to give it character. We’ve long been told that mixing patterns is ‘dangerous’ in terms of interior design but with patterns in fabrics, soft furnishings, wallpaper, bare brick wall and on the floor, just how do you create a cohesive style with patterns? We take a look, setting the patterned rugs in the living room as the main feature.

What fits your style?

If you are adding patterned living room rugs to an already decorated room, you will need to be clear about your style. For example, bold floral tropical prints are very much on trend but maybe don’t sit well in the ultra-industrial styled living room.

The Scandinavian furniture style never goes out of fashion but trends tweak it, adding warm twists. Using pattern rugs is an ideal way of lifting what some find a bare space. A warm abstract grey rug with white patterning slides into space without jarring against the basic principles of this style scheme. It fuses perfectly with an all-white backdrop, and the lighter woods and colours used in this type of scheme.

The geometric rug in this industrial living room sits well with the patterns in the wall under the window and the brickwork too. Paired with the velvet sofa, perfection is not hard to find…

Choose neutral, light tones for guaranteed success

We are considering adding patterned rugs to the living room with the décor in place, something we know many customers do. If you are renovating from scratch, designers suggest starting with the rug colour and bring the rest of the room to the rug.

However, with everything in situ, success in adding pattern comes in the style of pattern fitting with your overall room design but also colour.

Dark background to patterns can make them feel overly oppressive as well as old-fashioned and out of place in some cases. Opting for lighter, neutral tones is a guarantee of success. Imagine a white and sand rug alongside your reclaimed wood coffee table in your industrial style living room, and you can see just how successful it would be.

Be bold

Colour and pattern can lift a room but take care with boldness in both colour AND pattern. Occasionally what can work in a room is a bold colour with a traditional pattern rug, perfect for framing a leather armchair by the fireside or even alongside your leather sofa.

More than one patterned rug in the living room

Can you mix patterns? We often think the rule book says no but rules are meant to be broken…

Choose similar colours and patterns that are also similar such as a traditional pattern or a light coloured palette. A multi-coloured rug, for example, offers many possibilities. The great thing about using different styles of patterned rugs is they define areas and zones but, keeping a sense of cohesion with similar colours or patterns stops the feeling of the room feeling cluttered and disconnected.

Inspirational home decor with textured drinks cabinets

Kingsbridge Reclaimed Wood Cabinet in Living Room

Textured reclaimed wood furniture adds sublime detailing as well as depth to a room. It also shows your interior design credentials simply because incorporating textured furniture requires imagination and courage. Opting for the ‘right’ textured furniture is relatively simple when you know how.

A drinks cabinet is a superb addition to any room. A textured drinks cabinet is beyond fantastic. Its texture and pattern allow it to both stand out and blend in, becoming a focal point around with your soiree with friends will revolve. But what do you keep in a home drink cabinet?

Beauty with pattern and texture

The industrial style is stunning and sells itself and so it’s no wonder that a tall, statuesque oak drinks cabinet is the order of the day, more so when the room has plenty of wall to ceiling height.

With geometric pattern and black steel legs and framework, opt for a wine cabinet that has a presence but is not imposing. Of course, the contents need to be just as wonderful and so why not visit your local antique centre or auction for beautiful glasses? From art deco inspired triangular cocktail glasses with cut-glass stemmed wine glasses, an array of different glasses are perfect for the drinks cabinet.

Industrial glamour

If you love the industrial furniture style but want to add a twist, then look no further. The industrial style with a hint of Hollywood glamour is the perfect fusion, wouldn’t you agree?

The dramatic dark depths of black wood combined with the gold coloured finish of the legwork makes this dark wood drinks cabinet a work of art next to an industrial dining table. A sculptural masterpiece for any room, there are plenty of other pieces in the collection to add balance and symmetry to a space, such as the glamorous industrial coffee table.

Frankly, if there was a wine storage cabinet that demanded to be flanked by a sumptuous velvet armchair (or two), it is this one. But the contents would have to ‘match’ in our eyes. Thus, consider adding all the spirits you possibly can, from the bulbously shaped bottles of liquors to brightly coloured cocktail and mixers.

Scandinavian elegance

The industrial style is always a winner but if you favour a lighter feel to the interior design, then adding textured furniture from our Scandinavian style inspired collections is a great move.

The simplicity of this beautiful light wood drinks cabinet is to be celebrated. But don’t let the ‘simplicity’ fool you. There is detailing to this piece that makes it the perfect drinks cabinet for any room.

The turned legs, the parquet patterning, the streamlined no-handle doors are sophistication at its most elaborate. Imagine opening the doors to reveal a well-stocked home bar, with the latest pre-mixed cocktail drinks, as well as delicate, light glassware and your favourite wine bottle.

To show this piece off, it would work best in a room where everything supports one another, from being flanked by a brown leather sofa and matching armchairs, to an unpretentious side table or two.

Which drinks cabinet suits your interior design style?

How to create a white living room in farmhouse style

Crisp and yet warm. Practical and functional, yet full of comfort and detail. Creating a white or neutral coloured living room with reclaimed wood furniture takes consideration and thought. And yet, with no more than a few simple hints and tips, you can bring this white living room farmhouse style to your home.

Starting with a neutral base is essential and that means choosing a warm white for the walls and ceiling. Opt for one that has a creamier base to it because white paint described as bright will have a blue tinge to it, leaving too clinical a feel in a room that demands comfort. Also, opt for matt paint, leaving the glossy finish to another room for now.

If you are wincing at an all-white 3 seater sofa, there are other solutions. Plenty of white throws that can be laundered or even opt for a grey sofa would work too, especially with a white coffee table. For a farmhouse styled room, tones of brown and tan would lift it thus a three seater sofa in brown Harris Tweed would be a delightful addition.

A rattan armchair or two are a delight in any space – and not just the conservatory – but when it comes to the farmhouse style, this textured and natural material fits right in. Soften the edges with cushions and throws.

Don’t forget the ‘framing’ needed in a room, something that is provided in this all-white living room with the coffee table framing the sofa. Choose one that is not overly large for the room and certainly no bigger than your chosen sofa. Mixing white pained furniture with bare wood is ideal in an all-white landscape and thus our choice of coffee table would work well.

For balance, a side table on either side of the sofa brings the harmony the room needs in the form of detailing but without clutter. Notice how they do this with plants too, creating the corners of a square with those on the side table and then one the wall shelving above.

In fact, the artwork and shelving bring the eye up the wall, giving the room height. As well as wall shelving, you could consider the rustic charms of a ladder bookcase for the same effect.

And underpinning this all is a wood floor – keep it as wood, don’t paint it or it will become too matchy-matchy – but introduce texture with neutral toned flat weave rug.

And finally, add hints of detail sparingly, something that is done with the layers of cushions and throws, but also the brass-coloured lamps. When daylight fades, these lamps will add the warm glow and atmosphere the living room needs.

The lack of colour doesn’t leave the room stark but if you need to add some, then do so sparingly. We love the checked light blue cushion on the rattan armchairs. Even if there is just two, they do the job of bringing a hint of detail.

Is the all-white living room farmhouse style something you can see yourself embracing?

Are dark colours best for sofas?

What would be your choice – a statement colour or the pleasing elegance of light coloured seating? We took to Houzz to ask our followers what they thought and the results were clear…

We Asked, You Answered

We asked which was your preference, light coloured sofas or dark coloured seating. The answer was unequivocal – it was darker coloured sofas. And no wonder, in many ways, because a darker coloured sofa is more practical for a busy household, especially those with children, grandchildren and/or pets running around.

Dark coloured sofas

Darker shades can hide a myriad of sins as well as being a focal point of the room. with the style and size decided, know all you need to do is to choose a colour.

PRACTICAL

In terms of practicality, a combination of a darker shade with a wipeable material is a must for many customers. Thus the brown leather Chesterfield sofa is a fantastic choice. As well as the colour making a style statement, the classic style and shaping of the Chesterfield along with the button detailing also makes it the stand out piece. Whether you choose this piece or the grey Chesterfield sofa, it’s sure to be a stand out piece.

COLOUR OPTION

If you want colour, then deciding on light or dark shading of your colour choice is a big step and critical to the success of the sofa in your home. The Grayson lounge sofa comes in velvet or a bespoke finish, and in a colour of your choice. The beautiful orange shade it a sheer delight but be careful with colour on such a long-term item because a strong colour is difficult to manage when you want to change to colour of walls or flooring.

However, we can’t deny the beauty of this on-trend colour, especially with a tan or brown leather armchair framing it.

HINT – if you want colour but not too sure that a huge three-seater sofa in mustard yellow will be on trend for years to come, why not opt for a coloured armchair or two instead? Much easier to re-use in other rooms – such as a bedroom chair – a coloured fabric armchair is not so much a compromise but a great stylistic choice.

Lighter coloured sofas

In our eyes, there really is something incredibly elegant and dare we say, a brave stylistic choice when it comes to incorporating a light-coloured sofa in the home. It is the epitome of luxury and although neutral in shade and colour, will be the item that draws the most attention.

Combining colour and style is always a winning combination. Very much like the leather Chesterfield sofa mentioned earlier, the cream sofa with the button back detailing and the beautiful dark wood feet is a statement, if ever there was one. Add yet more glamour with the gold coloured trim on the Hanbury cream sofa.

If cream is too light and too neutral for your taste, you can always welcome a grey Chesterfield sofa into your living room. On the border between a dark colour and a neutral shade, this sofa also makes the perfect choice when you want to remain undecided or unsure of which shade to opt for. You can always switch up the look of the room with modern rugs in a variety of colours.

But don’t forget, no matter whether you choose a light or dark coloured sofa, you need to frame it in all its elegance. And that means a reclaimed wood coffee table that is just the right size, maybe a pretty side table or nest of tables and, of course, an armchair that compliments the entire look.

The low down on bookcases

It is a staple addition to the furniture of many a home across the country – and no wonder because the bookcase offers many solutions to storing certain items and not just books. The small bookcase or large bookcase can work in any room in the home, from the entrance hall to the landing, to the bedroom, the living room and beyond.

The traditional bookcase

Half-height or full height, there is a ‘format’ to the styling of the bookcase that many of us see as traditional.

Tall, sturdy and with detailing synonymous with the traditional style, the Chelwood bookcase embodies everything we think of as needing in a bookcase. Showcasing the beauty of reclaimed wood furniture to its full potential, if you are a lover of symmetry, then this open shelved bookcase is simply perfect. It’s closed back gives it definition, something that adds to its grandeur as a piece of must-have furniture.

Bookcase elegance in the bedroom

Storage in the bedroom has followed a certain routine for many years – the wardrobe for hanging clothes, chest of drawers for folded clothes and bedside table for the bedside lamp. Giving a streamlined finish, the ‘closed’ nature of bedroom storage is not to everyone’s taste.

Having items in display adds character and warmth to a bedroom and thus a mix of open shelving for those things you want to see and small closed cabinets for the things you don’t is the perfect combination – which you will find in the elegant industrial bookcase with doors from the Chalfont range.

Streamlined success

Sometimes, you need a bookcase that has height and width. Or, in other words, a bookcase that is big enough to support weighty tomes like ‘war and peace’ along with the statement vase you have and other accessories that give your home style.

If you want a larger bookcase without the feeling of it being larger and cumbersome, then open shelving is the solution.

With no back, the bare frame on show melds with its surroundings, whether that is the lounge, the home office or even the dining room. A slim bookcase, the wood and metal combo of the open display unit from our Colette collection is our largest and yet, it isn’t imposing.

Deceptively simple, open shelving bookcases and units are ideal for those of us who like to cluster items and enjoy being surrounded by harmonious symmetry.

Bringing its own style – the ladder bookcase

Thinking outside the box reinvigorates and when you apply this equation to the bookcase, the resulting is the stunningly stylish ladder bookcase.

It does everything the ‘traditional’ shaped bookcases does – open shelving, stores books and other items, can be a delectable piece of modern furniture – and yet its nonchalant lean gives it an air of being something different.

The Quinton ladder bookcase is a freestanding version of this design. Its lowest shelf is the widest, with the shelves above it reducing in size with each step. Slimline and stylish, this bookcase is ideal for the living room or even the hallway.

This light oak small ladder bookcase also has a nonchalant lean but without obvious support of a frame as its Quinton counterpart. It fills the gap seamlessly between its style and the appeal of any room, whether you have a modern and minimal style or err on the side of the traditional or Scandinavian.

How would you use these bookcases in your home?

How to style the industrial TV stand

Maddox Industrial Reclaimed Wood TV Unit

With these clever styling tips, you can welcome the TV into a room without it taking over. The ‘trick’ is to choose a beautiful industrial TV stand that the eye admires, rather than the TV that sits on it. With other items framing and supporting it, you can create a cosy hub that is perfect for TV viewing, as well as reading, lounging around…

Industrial simplicity

Sometimes, the simpler an item of furniture is, the more complex and beautiful it is – like the Luxe Kensington TV reclaimed wood TV stand, a breathtaking example of industrial style furniture if ever there was one.

Continue the use of ‘natural’ colours and materials with a brown leather sofa in a simple shape, framed with a round nest of tables in the industrial style and underpinned by a beautiful grey rug.

The cohesion between the nest of tables style and the TV brings the room together, with the other items bringing effortless symmetry.

Refined tradition

The beauty of the industrial style is its versatility and how, with small tweaks, a completely different finish can be created. If you are a lover of traditional shapes but like the modern appeal of the industrial style, then these suggestions are perfect.

Retain the air of industrial – wood meets metal – with the elm TV stand from the Maddox Collection.

As in the scene above, bring a sense of cohesion, but not matchy-matchy, with the elm coffee table from the same range.

Alongside the smoothness and warmth of both these pieces, the traditional stylish curves of a traditional styled grey Chesterfield sofa would sit a treat. Or you could opt for brown leather.

But here’s the note that brings something different to this look: finalise the scene with a reclaimed wood sideboard. Choose one that hits all the industrial style furniture notes, but has a melody of tradition about it, perfect we think, for any living room.

Glamour meets industrial

The industrial style is, by a certain breadth of tradition, when black steel meeting rustic, reclaimed wood. But the rulebook is meant to be ripped up and of late, we have seen the shimmer of gold streak through the industrial interior design style.

Gold exudes appeal, glamour and warmth, perfect in so many ways for the living room. Begin your odyssey of fusion glamour with the industrial with the beautiful gold finish TV unit from the Blackbone Collection.

The lush beauty of a velvet sofa is the perfect foil complete with angular, gold legs – just look at its beautiful clean, simple lines! Retain the air of ‘the practical’ to stop it tipping too far over into the glamour style with an understated grey traditional patterned rug, or other living room rugs the ideal partner to the Maddox reclaimed elm wood coffee table.

And so you, there can be another focal point to your living room other than the TV – why not make the TV unit a thing of beauty in its own right with reclaimed wood furniture?

How to declutter the living room

Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table and Brown Leather Sofa

Surprisingly, decluttering is not just about getting rid of stuff from the living room but about creating storage solutions that work for you. We take a look at how to declutter, without going so minimal that your living room looks and feels sparse.

1 De-clutter – reassign or recycle

The first step is to spend some time sorting through everything you have in the living room. De-cluttering can be cathartic for some, especially after the busy festive holiday period but for others, it can be an emotional journey.

Effective decluttering consists of making three ‘piles’ of items – stuff that is staying in the living room, stuff that needs to be reassigned, stuff for recycling.

Don’t bother with a ‘maybe’ pile – be brave!

2 Storage solutions

Now you have decided what items are staying, what are to be reassigned and which items are being recycled, this is what you need to do (in order!):

Recycle the items immediately so you have more space to work
Reassign items to other rooms and locations
Decide the best storage solutions for items remaining

3 Getting storage right

For storage to work, it needs to be easily accessible – the quicker and easier it is to reach for something and put away again, the more likely you are to take this full range of actions.

However, before you rush out and buy ‘storage solutions’, as well as considering what you have to store, you need to consider the space you have to fit it in and whether you want it on display or not.

ABOVE HEAD HEIGHT

Store things about head height that you will only need to reach for on rare occasions. For example, books and pretty accessories work well on the higher levels of a ladder bookshelf, for example.

FLOOR LEVEL

Be careful storing things on the floor as this contributes to the ‘full and cluttered’ look that can befall a room. If the living room is small, keep the floor space as clear as possible, choosing furniture that has a gap between its underside and the floor – in other words on legs! A coffee table with storage could be a great option here.

Things stored at a lower level, for example in a large sideboard, should be items you need to get at occasionally. Closed storage such as a sideboard is also great for ‘hiding’ things away.

THE MIDDLE GROUND

The things you reach for most often should be ‘in the middle’ or hand height for a better description.

Again, it is your own personal preference as to what you want on show or not.

4 Dual purpose furniture

Making the most of the space you have is important when it comes to enjoying a decluttered look and feel to the living room.

There are all kinds of options and many people looking to declutter choose Scandinavian furniture that offers clean lines and a fresh look. A coffee table with storage wouldn’t look out of place against the beautiful brown leather sofa or perfect for framing the leather armchair in your reading nook.

Decluttering is about creating storage solutions for a room, as much as it is about getting rid of things. Are you planning on decluttering the living room after the festive holiday?

Great ways to make your home look bigger

The modern home is getting smaller. Since the 1970s, the average size of the UK home has shrunk by 32%, according to The Guardian. The living room is 7m² smaller today, compared to 24m² back in the decade of flares. Bedrooms are smaller too.

Bijou homes are not sub-standard, because, with clever styling, your compact pad can feel as palatial.

Minimal colour

Paint it all white, opt for Magnolia or even a beautiful grey but the less colour you have splashed across the walls of your home, the bigger it will feel. We know that lighter colours make the most of light – natural and ambient – and so it pays to stay at the lighter end of the colour spectrum.

Lighter shades are not boring – far from it, the beauty achieved in the Scandinavian styled home proves the point – but minimising the number of changes in the shades and colour hues helps to bring cohesion across the home from the front door to the loft.

Consider this when choosing furniture. For example, a light grey sofa would suit any room with a light colour on the wall. Keep furniture light too, such as in the Scandinavian bedroom style with light oak beds, for example.

Minimise shadows

Small windows, furniture blocking the flow of light, walls in the way… you name it, there are many dense obstacles that stop the flow of light through a space. And when that happens, shadows are cast.

Make the most of the natural light that you have. Changing the style of the windows will make a difference and if you have the budget, knocking a wall down to open the space making the downstairs living room and other rooms open plan transforms a space.

Minimising shadows when it comes to ambient light too. A table lamp on a nest of tables in the ‘dark’ corner of a room changes the feel of the space.

Maximise storage

Whether you are working with a bijou bedroom or a compact living room, what instantly closes the space down is when you don’t have enough storage – and that means it becomes cluttered both physically and to the eye.

Choose clever storage solutions such as a wood coffee table with drawers or use a wooden blanket box as a coffee-table-cum-handy-storage unit.

In the bedroom, don’t be tempted to store things of tops of wardrobes as this clutters the eyeline, bringing the ceiling close. Add height to storage such as a tall chest of drawers and again, a wooden blanket box makes a handy seat as well as great for storing linens.

Minimise ‘clutter’

From those cluster of ornaments to huge vases, consider carefully the detailing you add to a room. there is a certain sense of practicality needed about living in a smaller space and that means ditching the idea that you can show horn everything in.

By maximising clever storage in the living room and the bedroom, you can store away things not currently being used but with the change of seasons, you can bring out stored items and put away others.

Maximise small prints

It’s the oldest trick in the book but any print you use in a small space needs to be minimal in size. So ditzy flower prints or barely-there geometric detailing on cushions and throws will work. Keep textures ‘flat’ too, such as a flat weave rug over a deep pile sheepskin rug.

A smaller home is a fact of life and can still be beautifully stylish.

A beautiful console table isn’t just for the hallway

The console table is a piece of furniture that can ‘fit’ any room or space. Its slender dimensions make it the perfect piece for any room, large or small. But it isn’t just for the hallway…

1 Hallway

… although when it comes to a stylish piece of furniture in the entryway of your home, there is no better choice. Make a stylish splash with this dazzling hallway console table because no one said that it has to be an understated piece of reclaimed wood furniture in the hallway. The industrial edge of stainless steel and reclaimed wood meets glam with the high polished finished of the legs offsetting the beautifully rustic table top. Frame it with a suitably rustic industrial mirror or use a larger, oversized wall clock to bring harmony and symmetry to the hallway.

2 Dressing table

Whether you are short on space in the bedroom or not, a slim console table brings more than a stylish note of two to the bedchamber. Effortlessly simple, the appeal of a console table with drawers is obvious. Keep smaller items in order in the two drawers, bringing symmetry and detailing with items on the console top. How about a beautiful lamp alongside a beautifully framed mirror, chosen to be in keeping with the beautifully rustic console table, with a hint of the industrial style with its black, metal legs.

3 TV stand

If ever a narrow console table comes into its own, it is in the living room as a TV stand. You may not want to attach this piece of tech to the wall and make it a centre point of the room, preferring instead a more subtle approach with a stylish TV stand. TVs have, in recent years, undergone a huge design change with the large ‘telly box’ with an equally large, cumbersome TV unit no longer needed in the living room. A lightweight, slimline TV nestling on a narrow console table is the perfect solution, more so if you want your living room to revolve around life and not the TV.

4 Home bar

Many of us these days are enjoying dinner parties and get-togethers, rather than visiting bars and restaurants, as well as hosting a soiree or two ourselves. Serving drinks can be problematic, especially if you have limited space. You could always use a drinks cabinet or sideboard but being larger pieces of furniture, moving them to a new spot can be problematic.

A console table, on the other, is the perfect solution. Relatively lightweight and easy to move, the console table makes for a very glam home bar. And frankly, if you ever needed an excuse to really glam it up with your choice of a console table, then this is the excuse you need.

Say hello to the beautiful combination of black wood and gold-effect framed console table with shelves, ideal as a home bar addition. Perfect for the party season, this is also a console table that continues to remain in big demand throughout the year.

Where do you use your console table?