01.10.2019
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The living room is the center of communication, the place where people spend most of their time, where they invite friends and acquaintances, this means that the design of the living room should be cozy and welcoming. To do this, you should carefully consider every detail and, first of all, the furniture. It should not only provide comfort, but also set the stylistic direction for the entire interior.
As a rule, a medium-sized living room has upholstered furniture: a sofa with armchairs, as well as a coffee table and a stand for TVs and equipment. If space allows, they try to install a multifunctional cabinet or wall with space for equipment.
Correctly determine what is required from the furniture. She must:
- everyone who lives here likes it;
- be cozy, comfortable to use;
- be functional, that is, fully perform its tasks.
If you focus only on style and design, and not on convenience, being in such a living room for a long time will be difficult and unpleasant.
And if you choose a furniture set based only on its appearance, you may lose out on practicality.
Living room Magnum
Choosing a style
The style should be decided first; the choice will depend on it. Before arranging your living room, it is advisable to study the advice of experts and look at professional design photographs.
If the living room is small, it is recommended to take a closer look at modern, minimalism, and hi-tech. They use a small number of pieces of furniture to ensure full functionality. They do not clutter up the space, which is very important for a small room.
Design determines the choice of furniture
Before arranging furniture in a rectangular living room and even starting to plan it, you should decide on a style. After all, the design direction you choose will affect not only the colors and shape of the furniture, but also its quantity and location.
Some styles are only appropriate in large rooms:
- Classic style. It is characterized by massive furniture, often with carved decorations and other decorations, and the grouping of interior items around compositional centers.
- Loft style - “industrial” textures (brick, cement, metal), a lot of space, large pieces of furniture.
If the room does not exceed 15 m² in area and has standard ceilings, it is better to choose a different style, for example, Provence instead of classic and hi-tech or minimalism instead of loft.
Provence is a cozy style based on typical interiors of the French province. Wooden furniture, often with surface decoration in the form of patina or craquelure (small decorative cracks). Abundance of textiles with ruffles and lace; figurines, painted dishes; floral embroideries and prints. Soft armchairs, poufs, glazed bookcases and decorative shelves will fit well into a living room of this style.
High-tech is a “technological” style, which is characterized by strict functionality and simple geometric shapes. This living room is suitable for those who do not like souvenirs, but approve of technological progress. A large TV, a video projector, a game console with a collection of discs, a large corner sofa - all this would be appropriate in such an interior. Minimalism is in many ways similar in appearance to hi-tech, but is distinguished by even greater laconicism of its forms and palette. For both styles, an abundance of air and light is important, so it is better to avoid bulky cabinets and additional chairs.
If you are a lover of bright colors, take a closer look at the Mediterranean style or the eclectic interior, which combines several styles, eras and colors.
Studio Magnum
We take into account the size and shape
Before purchasing, you need to measure the room. Even if a large table or sofa fits into the room, it will take up too much usable space. If you plan that many people will gather in the living room, there is no need to significantly increase the size of the sofa; you can arrange additional seats in it: armchairs, ottomans. An oval table instead of a rectangular one will save the situation. With the same dimensions, it will fit more harmoniously into the space and the corners will not interfere. The shape of the room is no less important. Somewhere you will need to save space, and somewhere, on the contrary, you will need to deal with unfilled space. The approach to choosing furniture will be different. If the living room is small, it would be appropriate to place a sofa there without armrests, on which you can sit on either side. For rooms with complex shapes, for example with additional corners or a bay window, it is more convenient to replace the sofa with several armchairs.
Living room shared with another room
Most often, the design of a living room combined with a kitchen is chosen for guest houses or small spaces. Why? There are two good reasons for this: convenience of serving guests and saving space. Removing the wall between the kitchen and living room creates an open passage between these areas, allowing for unobstructed carrying of treats and easier access to appliances.
In place of the removed wall, there are several options for organizing the space:
- Block the passage completely or partially with a glass partition.
- Leave a partition with a window for “serving treats” and an enlarged passage.
- Decorate an empty space with an arch.
- Leave the space empty by separating the kitchen and living room areas with different flooring.
In the first option, in addition to glass, you can use other materials: metal, artificial greenery, plaster, brick and other decorations.
The only drawback of this space saving is the free circulation of air. When cooking, the aromas of food will be fragrant in the living room. For those who have a small apartment, the optimal solution would be a powerful hood. In country houses, this problem is solved by having a large number of windows and good ventilation.
Choosing upholstered furniture
The traditional set is a sofa and armchairs. If you plan to use the sofa as an additional place to sleep, you should choose a reliable folding mechanism. If the sofa is needed only for sitting, this function will be superfluous.
Upholstery materials are very important. Leather looks great, but it’s not appropriate everywhere. Velor requires special care.
The chairs can be replaced with a second two-seater sofa and placed perpendicular to the first. It is convenient to use a modular sofa consisting of 3-4 autonomous sections.
If you have a lot of space in your living room, you can place the upholstered furniture in the center, making sure that the back is neat and attractive.
Black and white interior: possible options for the living room
Years of renovation go by, but what always remains in fashion is the black and white interior of the living room. The design of the room in this color contrast allows you to use such interior styles as:
- modern;
- neoclassicism;
- art deco;
- minimalism, etc.
The surprising thing is that in such a range you can create both a modern and classic living room design. If white predominates in a black and white interior, the room seems larger.
Cabinets, racks, walls
Not a single living room can do without these items, because to maintain order you need to have a place to store things. But what is better to put in the living room? Not so long ago, the most common option was the wall. Today it is also used quite often, but modern walls are strikingly different from the “classic” ones - they are smaller, more elegant and lighter. The shelves are spacious and original, and their open shelves do not visually reduce the size of the room. Modular furniture is a good solution in the living room. A set of small shelves and bedside tables in the same style will create an elegant and functional interior. In a small living room, shelving with glass and mirror surfaces will look organic.
Living room interior with mirrors
Mirrors in the living room interior, in addition to their aesthetics, also have practical significance. First of all, installing a mirror wall creates a visual enlargement of the room. If you install a mirror decoration opposite a window or use artificial lighting, you will get the effect of a voluminous and illuminated room. By directing mirrors to other parts of the room, you can get an “endless” corridor or an increased amount of furniture.
Another option for using mirrors in the interior is purely decorative, where the mirrors are in different frames and hang on the wall like paintings. This option is liked by those who do not want to come into frequent contact with the mirror surface, but want to get a partial effect of additional lighting and reflection.
Besides being beautiful, some people like mirrored installations for the added sense of security. In an apartment with small children, you can watch them from different angles.
Do you need a coffee table?
Interior designers say that when deciding how to arrange a living room, it is hardly possible to do without a coffee table. It is useful not only for laying out all sorts of necessary but small items on it, such as a remote control, newspapers, magazines, but also for organizing tea drinking in the living room.
The average height of the table is 50 cm, the remaining dimensions, shape, and material are determined only by the tastes of the owners.
If the living room is decorated in a modern style, an oval or round table would be a good solution. Furniture manufacturers today offer many original options; they easily become a bright accent in the room.
Living Room Country
Living room with fireplace: tips and practice
The traditional place for a fireplace is the living room. A fireplace not only decorates the room, but also creates an additional source of heat. You don't have to use a real fire to experience the true romance it exudes in your home. In some homes or regions (like Paris, for example), you may be faced with a ban on the use of open fire sources in residential areas.
Gas fireplace in living room
In order not to deprive yourself of such beauty and pleasure, there are several types of fireplaces, each of which has its own distinctive advantages:
- Electric fireplace. The beauty of it is that it is safe and leaves no waste. The house will always be beautiful, warm and clean. Regularly care for it and do checks; no cleaning is necessary.
- False fireplace. Its appearance completely repeats its original source, there is even the possibility of putting real firewood inside. The only difference from the present is that you cannot set them on fire, since there is no chimney. However, resourceful people have come up with several ways to turn a false fireplace into an almost natural one. If you place candles behind real firewood, the smell and light of fire will appear. An installed photo frame with flames will also create a realistic picture.
- The biofireplace runs on combustible fuel. Its use eliminates waste such as ash, coals and ashes, but the fire and heat are real.
- Gas fireplace. Instead of a chimney, it is enough to install a gas supply pipe and comply with all fire safety rules.
- A traditional real fireplace with a chimney and wood is a pleasure for true connoisseurs of comfort. The fireplace requires regular maintenance, and the house requires constant monitoring and cleaning.
Also, all fireplaces vary in appearance: corner, built-in, U-shaped, island.
Living room with electric fireplace
What is special about a living room design with a fireplace? The answer is simple. Of course, this is the creation of a special atmosphere. If there is a fireplace in the living room, a favorite gathering place for all household members automatically appears. In addition, this is one of the most original interior details. Modern capabilities make it possible to create the most realistic imitation of a fireplace, even in an apartment building. If you create a fireplace extension solely as a decorative element, you can use a minimum of effort and get an incredible effect. You can lay out the fireplace extension either from plasterboard or brick, and fill the internal cavity with decor (real firewood, antique books, candles, candelabra, etc.)
TV and other furniture
In 95% of living rooms there is a TV, however, more and more often it is placed on the wall to save free space; flat screens greatly contribute to this. If the TV is installed on a cabinet, the main condition will be that it matches the size of the TV. And the material of the cabinet can be anything, as long as it fits into the chosen style. A convenient and practical addition is wheels that allow you to slightly move or rotate the cabinet.
If the living room is combined with a dining room, and there are more and more such layout options, you cannot do without a table. When space allows, it is more convenient to place an oval or round table: it is convenient and safe. A practical option is a transformer that serves as a table only when required, and when not needed, can be assembled to the size of a small bedside table.
An interesting solution is to equip the living room with a bar counter. It will not only fulfill its main function without taking up additional space, but will also help zone the room. An additional advantage of this solution is the presence of additional folding tabletops.
What living room furniture to choose?
When starting to arrange, and even more so when choosing furniture for living rooms, you will be faced with the following dilemma: on the one hand, this is a family recreation area, and on the other, an area for receiving guests or friendly gatherings.
If all the other rooms in the house (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc.) are more intimate spaces, then living rooms are kind of your presentation center. It is by the living room that the taste, lifestyle, preferences and level of income of the owner will be judged. Living rooms are open rooms and represent the face of the home. This may include unfamiliar people or complete strangers, so it is very important to arrange such a “business card” at home as respectably as possible.
There are a great many options for decorating a living room, although there may not be any mandatory interior elements as such. In the living room space, you can realize the most daring ideas, carry out the most, at first glance, crazy design experiments, starting with the choice of wallpaper or the color of painting the walls and adding living room furniture and lighting. Here, the design can be dominated by both upholstered furniture and dining room furniture; the living room can be lined with bookcases around the perimeter or, on the contrary, be practically empty and represent a dance space. The options are endless and limited only by the owner’s imagination.
More recently, a standard set of furniture for living rooms included a sofa, a pair of soft armchairs, a coffee table (usually between them), a wall unit, a TV stand and a couple of additional elements like an ottoman or a floor lamp.
Such living room furniture, of course, can be convenient and comfortable, but it is quite difficult to call it original. Fortunately, now, with the help of designers, you can not only create a completely new space from an existing living room, but also select furniture for your home that matches your intended style, arrange it properly, emphasize or dim attention on its individual elements using sconces, floor lamps, spotlights or built-in lamps.
When choosing upholstered furniture for living rooms, pay sufficient attention to its upholstery. Leather upholstery looks, of course, more solid and more expensive than fabric, and it lasts several times longer, but fabric upholstery is more versatile in color, and in addition, fabric covers (replaceable, with Velcro) can be changed independently and transformed depending on your mood interior.
But upholstered furniture alone for living rooms will, of course, not be enough. If you are going to invite guests and celebrate holidays or celebrate family birthdays and other significant dates, then dining room furniture - dining table, chairs, etc. will come in handy. For a buffet table, home furniture such as coffee or serving tables that can accommodate light drinks and snacks is quite suitable. It is worth considering that serving tables are more spacious and mobile, unlike coffee tables, therefore, if buffets are not uncommon in your home, it is better to lean towards buying a serving table. Well, if you are going to celebrate the holiday thoroughly and want to amaze your guests with your culinary skills, then you simply cannot do without dining room furniture.
Furniture for living rooms in the cabinet version is very convenient and functional - shelving, bookcases, sideboards, etc., made both from solid wood of various species and from their artificial substitutes, such as chipboard or MDF.
Furniture made from solid wood belongs to the category of luxury furniture and has a considerable cost, but will become the pearl of any interior. Natural warm colors, natural wood texture and amazing fiber patterns will give the living room a unique atmosphere of coziness and comfort. Solid wood furniture has high performance qualities and can last for decades. Even garden furniture is made from solid wood, the operating conditions of which, to put it mildly, leave much to be desired. The scorching sun, heavy rains, and daily temperature changes can quickly damage garden furniture. But not furniture made from solid wood. Solid wood furniture is reliable in any operating conditions, be it the comfortable conditions of a residential building or “extreme” conditions in the country.
But if you like to rearrange furniture frequently, then cabinet furniture for living rooms is more suitable.
By combining color combinations of living room furniture with the rest of the interior, you can achieve interesting visual effects. For example, a combination of living room furniture made of stained oak and white walls, light shades of mahogany on a blue or greenish background, furniture made of light wood with dark achromatic surfaces looks good.
Another important point when decorating a living room is the correct placement of light sources. After all, it is the light that allows you to highlight certain areas of the living room, drawing attention to them, be it a picture above the fireplace or a cozy soft corner.
Any living room must have a central element that attracts people, attention, and even interior items. Such a center can be a fireplace or an aquarium, around which living room furniture is grouped - sofas, armchairs, ottomans, cushions for sitting on the floor, a soft podium, etc.
If the living room has a distinctive architectural feature, such as a large niche with an arch, a bay window, or a wall-to-wall window, then with the right furniture and its skillful arrangement you can play up this feature. For example, upholstered furniture can be placed near the window, and the entire interior can be built so that the window and the view from it become the central part of the living room.
<Furniture of Slovenia> offers customers various sets of furniture for living rooms and other furniture for the home. By visiting our showrooms, you can choose the furniture of your dreams and decorate your living room not only in accordance with your aesthetic tastes, but also in such a way that it reflects your character.
With our help, you can decorate your living room with massive monumental solid wood furniture or light sofas and ottomans, the main thing is that the living room is original, aesthetic and unites all the elements of the interior, fitting harmoniously into it. Style, taste and comfort - these are the main criteria by which living room furniture is selected.
By visiting our showrooms, you can choose not only living room furniture, dining room furniture and other home furniture. To your attention - furniture for a summer house, bedrooms and offices, children's rooms and libraries and other furniture for every taste and budget.
Furniture color
Traditionally, upholstered furniture is chosen in muted, soft colors. However, the color of the furniture can be any, the main thing is that the color scheme matches the style and purpose. In a small living room, light colors look more appropriate; they somewhat expand the room visually. There are no restrictions for a spacious room; you can choose any shades, including rich and bright ones.
It should be taken into account that many styles are strictly related to color schemes. Thus, Provence is not characterized by dark tones; preference should be given to light pastel shades. If you choose a Scandinavian style, preference should be given to white and blue colors.
Minimalism is characterized by clean and bright shades.
Contrasting solutions, for example black and white, look impressive, but on a white background all the dirt will be very noticeable, so you need to be prepared to spend more time and effort on cleaning.
If you plan to use the living room as a multifunctional room, then the ideal option is neutral tones. To prevent this color scheme from seeming boring, you can add bright accessories to the interior, for example, rugs or sofa cushions.
Wallpaper for the hall
A variety of wallpaper choices in texture and color makes it possible to create an original atmosphere in any room in any style. When choosing wallpaper for the room, you need to take into account the stylistic direction and general idea of the design, the amount of light, dimensions and design. If the furniture is dark, wallpaper in this case should be purchased at least a couple of shades lighter. At the same time, a large drawing would not be appropriate, but a color accent to match the furniture is just right! If the upholstery of the furniture is bright, the wallpaper should mute the richness of the shade of the furniture. When choosing a contrasting room style, wallpaper can enhance the brightness of the material. If the furniture is multi-colored, the most suitable option would be discreet wallpaper in a neutral palette with no pattern. They should only emphasize each of the shades of the furniture. If the furniture is of two colors, the most suitable wallpaper for the hall will be neutral options, combined with the furniture facade.
Whatever design decision the owner makes, the main thing is to remember the goal - a harmonious combination of functionality and beauty!
