How to Design A Living Room That’s Stylish and Comfortable
Your living room is a space where you relax and unwind, chill as a family or entertain friends. So, understanding how to design a living room that unites both style and comfort is essential.
Berkeley Group, alongside an interior designer, share top tips for creating a living area that seamlessly combines form and function. Discover advice from the experts and learn how to design a living room that’s perfect for you.
Five Tips on Designing a Living Room
1. Make the Most of Your Space
Living rooms can often be multi-purpose, particularly when they’re an open plan kitchen, dining and living room. As such, they may need to be used as a place to work and study as well as relax and eat. It’s important to bear this in mind when planning your space.
“Multi-purpose furniture is key here. For example, desks that turn into coffee tables and have space to hide away your laptop.”
- Susan White, Founder and Managing Director at Phoenix Interior Design
Texture and light can also be utilised to zone your space.
“Lighting is a great asset in defining different areas. Whether that be feature lighting over a dining table or a floor lamp next to the sofa, this helps zone the spaces as you use them throughout the day. Rugs are a great option in creating a defined area within a large space and they instantly create character and warmth.”
- Sophie Fuller, Interior Design Manager at Berkeley Group
2. Choose Your Sofa Carefully
The key piece in most living rooms is the sofa. Take your time to carefully consider which colours and styles you like. And don’t forget it needs to fit through your front door!
When it comes to materials, fabrics like cotton and wool blends are the most durable and come with stain protection treatments. This makes them perfect for messy little hands. Another alternative is leather. Leather can make a gorgeous statement and is also durable–the more scuffed up it gets, the more character it has.
“You’re going to spend a lot of time on your sofa, so it’s best to go out and try a few to see what sort of comfort you need.
If you’re tall, think about the depth of the sofa when you sit back into it. If you have a big family you might consider corner sofas which are very popular as they can seat a few people.”
- Susan White, Founder and Managing Director at Phoenix Interior Design
3. Consider Where You Place Your Television
The first thing most of us do when we collapse onto the sofa is pick up the remote. We spend approximately 3.5 hours a day watching television –over 78,000 hours of the average person’s lifetime–so, take time to carefully choose which television you buy and where you place it.
While the children may want a home cinema experience, the best way to find the right size television for your home is to measure how far it sits from your sofa. If you’ll be watching from less than one-and-a-half metres away, you’ll need nothing over 32 inches. Whereas if you’re over three metres from the screen, you can opt for a television over 56 inches.
As a general rule, you want to place the TV in the darkest corner of the room. If you want it as a key feature, you could use a wall mount bracket to attach it directly to the walls. This can make the TV a focal point in the room. Alternatively, you could place it on a table or within a set of storage shelves.
4. Get Creative With Storage Solutions
Books, vases and plants on display add charm to a room. From showing off vintage vinyl to stashing away toys, most of us will need a good amount of storage in our living rooms. And it’s also a great way of adding some personality.
“If the budget can stretch, bespoke storage is always wonderful at creating a focal point. In living rooms, this is fantastic for display as well as practicality. Shelving with books, photos, vases and meaningful objects really adds charm. It also aids in discreetly hiding the TV cables.”
- Sophie Fuller, Interior Design Manager at Berkeley Group
Ottomans are very handy here too and come in all kinds of materials, colours and patterns. Get one with a plush, velvet padding and you’ve also got the perfect footstool.
5. Be Bold With Your Design
The living room is your opportunity to be brave with design.
“I like to start by selecting a few key pieces that form the basis for the space, whether that’s an amazing piece of art or rug, and then start the design from the colours or textures within this.
If this is daunting, start with neutral finishes on large expensive items like sofas and curtains, then add a pop of colour using cushions, accessories and artwork which can all be changed quickly and easily.”
- Sophie Fuller, Interior Design Manager at Berkeley Group
“Living rooms are a real expression of the family living in them. Use yours as a place to showcase special or sentimental items — this way you get to experience the joy of seeing them everyday.”
- Susan White, Founder and Managing Director at Phoenix Interior Design
Discover Your Dream Property With Berkeley Group
Designing a living room is a great way to make a house feel like a home. Creating your dream living room means you’ll always have somewhere to go to relax and unwind.
If you’re feeling inspired by these tips on how to design a living room, why not explore our new homes for sale or read our guide on how to style a new-build home?
Find out more about Berkeley Group or get in touch for more information.