If you're like most people, you and your family spend most of your time at home in the living room. That's where you have the couch and chairs, the television and entertainment center, the bookcases and the ornaments. It's the living room, therefore, that can be the most difficult room to decorate.
The essential item to remember when doing any kind of decorating is to have each room as livable as possible. If you have a lot of young children you won't want a lot of breakable bric-a-brac in your living room. No matter how many times you impress upon them not to touch, there's always a chance that they will touch, and break, your breakables. That's one reason why the contemporary style of home decorating advocates having only a very few accessories placed around the room.
Another reason for having only a few accessories - from flower vases to statuettes to decorative cups or plates - is simply that the contemporary design style advocates minimalism. An absence of clutter. Not only does this make it easier to keep the room clean - no need to dust all your dust-collecting knick knacks - but it also makes the room look neater.
What is the focal point of the room? For most people, that's usually the entertainment center - complete with large-screen TV, DVD player, CD player, and storage areas for DVDs and VHS tapes. However, contemporary design doesn't insist that you have an entertainment center - so if you're not into television don't worry about it!
The principle behind decorating a room is to center everything around a focal point - whether that's the entertainment center, a fireplace, or a lovely sofa. Of course in the living room you may well have a fireplace and an entertainment center, in which case you'd probably choose the entertainment center as the focal point.
Around the entertainment center you'll have furniture. The traditional couch and two armchairs...and if you entertain a great deal perhaps another chair or two. But if you don't entertain, don't bother to get those extra chairs! They just add clutter. So does having three or four decorative pillows for each chair as well as for the couch. Simplicity is the watchword, let each piece of furniture speak for itself, don't try to hide it or "dress" it.
Windows
Windows come in all shapes and sizes, and depending on how large they are can be that focal point of the room that we were talking about earlier. What is the size of your windows? In which direction do they face? (Do you have the sun streaming into the room in the morning, or in the afternoon?) And what is your view? Do you have a pleasant view across a greensward, or are you looking at someone else's house across the street? Each of these factors determines whether you'll decorate - or "dress" your windows for privacy, for light control, or to complete the design of your room. Whatever the purpose, the window "treatments," as decorators call it, will be simple ane elegant, in the contemporary style.
Walls
It's a given that light, solid colors are the best for walls - such colors make the room appear larger and brighter, and show off any and all wall hangings - from paintings to posters to masks - to best effect. Beige and white are the easiest colors to work with, and blend in well with the rest of the room.
Lighting
In contemporary interior design, the lighting comes not from a central fixture in the ceiling, but rather from stand alone lamps of elegant metallic design, and a few desk lamps - which can be in bright colors to add a splash to the room.
Balance
Leave yourself plenty of room in which to move around, and don't overstuff your living room with furniture or decor that you don't need. With contemporary design, simple is always best!
Decorate Your Living Room
A vital element when decorating your living room with a contemporary theme is your wall treatments. For this design style the colors can make or break the look - consider adding shades of browns and black or a sharp black and white look to the room. Try using a neutral color paint on the walls, or if you want something different go with a leather or suede wall covering.
Decorative accessories are another important piece in pulling your contemporary look together. Concentrate on getting wall art and pillows that match your contemporary design style. For accent pieces you want the lines to be clean and avoid a lot of clutter. Be certain to add in loads of plain bowls with fruit as well as simple linear floral arrangements and you might even try some black and white photography to get a professional look for your living room. Additional touches such as vintage art d'co accessories can help setup your room with a polished decorative appeal, but don't go overboard because with the contemporary look less is better.
What's on your floor can add to the decorating style, but if you can not afford new floors in your living room then you can mask your current floors with small rugs with a contemporary design - either a geometric print or a plain sisal rug. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford new floors, check out bamboo floors or slate or clay tile. Sleek lined furniture with chrome accents goes nicely with this look and you might try shopping at consignment stores if you are short on cash.
Lighting is vital in any room and the living room is no exception. To match your contemporary design style, you need to look at light fixtures in terms of both style and type. The majority of living rooms can work with a table lamp combined with recessed lighting. When you will be incorporating a contemporary style, take a look at a chrome ceiling fixture with recessed lighting but steer clear of anything which is scrolly or fancy.
An important decorating area that you must work on when decorating your room are your walls. You can make even the plainest walls look nice by incorporating great wall art and decorative accessories. Try adding simple, plain artwork, tribal masks or abstract art to your living room walls to highlight the modern feel of your contemporary theme.
Putting together a successful contemporary look in your living room can be as minor as just buying new decorative accessories or as involved as replacing everything. So no matter what your budget, you can get a sleek contemporary look that will thrill the whole family!
Both Adam Peters & Lee Dobbins are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Adam Peters has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bathroom Home Improvement, Exhaust and Home Management. Adam Peters contributes adding content to http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . For additional information on floor lamps or contempora. Adam Peters's top article generates over 823000 views. Bookmark Adam Peters to your Favourites.
Lee Dobbins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Diamonds and Install Flooring. Lee Dobbins writes for Decorating How To where you can learn more about decorating styles and your home.. Lee Dobbins's top article generates over 246000 views. Bookmark Lee Dobbins to your Favourites.
