Designing your dream living room
We love when clients ask us to design their dream living room! Kitchens and bathrooms serve specific functions and bedrooms are more personal, but the living room is a place to come together. Whether you’re having a quiet family night or entertaining a group of friends, you want your room to be comfortable, inviting, and stylish. We decided to highlight some of our favorite designers while giving you a few pro tips for designing your dream living room!
Decide on the overall feel that you want
This is the first and most important step, because it influences all of the design decisions going forward. A great way to approach it is by thinking about your own style, like your fashion preferences and the kind of art you like. Have you always dreamt of a traditional living room with slipper chairs and an antique rug? Or do you prefer a bright, open space with lots of natural light and clean lines like this room by Kati Curtis?
Consider how you’ll use the living room
Deciding how you want to use the space is key to determining furniture placement, seating options, and finishes. Some people prefer to keep it as a gathering spot for adults, so you don’t have to worry about kid-proofing. On the other hand, if you want to host game nights for the whole family, comfy furniture and a great coffee table are musts. Want to create a specific room for playing the piano, listening to music, or relaxing with your favorite books? The living room can be tailored to fit that too! We’d love to spend quiet, cozy days next to the fireplace in this room by Bria Hammel Interiors.
Find your focal point
In our opinion, a focal point is an absolute must. Having a feature that draws the eye immediately and says “wow!” is the cherry on top of the design sundae. This can be whatever you want – a fabulous art installation, a really cool fireplace, or a bold chandelier like this one in Suzanne Kasler’s living room. It pops against the soft blue circle that anchors it on the ceiling!
Create continuity through colors and textures
While we don’t advise a matchy color scheme or covering everything in the exact same fabric, working with a cohesive color palette is key. Choose one or two elements that you want to use for continuity, like an accent color, textures, or silhouettes. We love how Barbara Barry used soft shades of green to create a harmonious, sophisticated space.
Header image: Center City Philadelphia living room by Glenna Stone Interior Design; Photo by Rebecca McAlpin
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!
