Ideas & Inspiration:

Lovely Living Rooms!

The living room is the heart of the home, the place to chill out in front of the TV, snuggle up and read a book, relax with a cuppa and enjoy special times with family and friends. These days, many of us are space challenged and so the living room has to work hard. Multi-purpose furniture that doubles as storage, or screens that can segment rooms into different zones are great options for small spaces. You don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve a new look – here are some tips to help you create your own lovely living room without breaking the bank:

1. Budget time – set your budget at the outset. This will help steer you in the right direction when it’s time to shop. If you can afford a total makeover, then opt for the larger furniture items and work down from there. If your budget is small, you can still achieve a fresh new look with some fabulous new accessories. 2. Stylearama – take time to work out the overall look you want to achieve. Read through some glossy magazines and create a ‘mood board’. You will see your own style emerging and this gives you a great place to start. 3. Fact Gather – before you hit the shops, it pays to go online to research the type of products that fit your style. Create your ‘wish list’ of websites, products and prices and save everything into one place for quick and easy viewing. From here you can pick and choose the items you want whilst sticking to your budget. It might be that you decide to spend more on the sofa that you love and forgo other items for the time being. Don’t forget to have fun and play around with concepts, products and styles to get the look you want. This is the enjoyable part! 4. Measure Up – if you do decide to purchase a sofa or a large piece of furniture such as an entertainment unit, buffet or storage cabinets, then make sure you measure up first. Also consider accessibility to ensure that your purchases can be delivered and installed with ease. If you live in a small apartment, you may prefer to opt for a sofa bed or lounge with chaise that can be used for overnight guests. 5. Get Shopping – once you have honed down your ‘wish list’ then it’s time to get shopping. These days, many furniture and homewares can be bought online, saving precious time. 6. Accessorise – pull your new look lounge-room together with co-ordinating accessories. Table lamps, floor lamps, cushions, mirrors, rugs, artwork and throws can help put the finishing flourish on your lounge-room look and stamp your own personality and style. 7. Chillax – Take the time to sit back and relax and enjoy your lovely new look lounge-room.