Living Room Designs that Work!!

It wasn’t all that long ago when the living room (also known as the ‘best room’), was nothing more than a centrepiece.. No one was allowed in there apart from Mother doing a spot of weekly cleaning. It seemed daft to call them living rooms as no one actually lived in them. Fortunately, the new generations have come to their senses and nowadays every part on the house is a home for all the family to enjoy. Living room designs have obviously changed with the times, especially since they have ceased to become family museums, but it is also perhaps the room that gets the most face lifts in a lifetime. Why is that?

Just as the world is forever changing, so are the way we live our lives. Not only is personal fashion varying with the seasons, but so are our homes and their décor. If you’re middle aged and older, just get out the old family snaps and you will see some huge differences between the modern home and that of yesteryear, and in particular the living room designs.

Being the most used room in the house (during conscious hours!) it's likely gets the most wear and tear, but that aside, it’s healthy to change our surroundings from time to time, as a beautiful room is good for serenity. So as we spend so much of our time in this space, it’s little wonder we are always looking for a fresh new look in design and layout. When we love the way our lounge looks, it makes us feel great too.

The great thing about transforming the lounge area in the home is that living room designs do not mean a major decorating job needs to be done in order to transform the space. Interior design is not the daunting task it once was thanks to the internet, TV shows, and an absolute plethora of books and magazine articles on how to transform your living room with minimum effort at the lowest cost.

Tastes change with the times and we’ve probably had more living room designs in our house than my wife has had new outfits, and that’s saying something. We’ve had expensive and contemporary living room furniture, cheap living room furniture and abstract living room décor. We also went through a phase of leather, and so leather living room furniture was found all around, but more recently, my wife has been investing in country living room furniture which I personally don’t like. It feels too old and cozy and would be more suited to the home of a retired couple.

Compared to our parents and grandparents, our living arrangements have changed one heck of a lot over recent years. Parlors have become living rooms, a place to live. It used to be the case that wakes were held in the family parlor, and this term was eventually dropped as it took on a somber association. This is why the term lounge or living room came to replace it. But even up until a generation ago, most families huddled into the smaller room of the house and kept the living room as the 'best room' which only got used when special guests visited or on particular occasions which warranted its use.

Modern generations want space and comfort and most families want to live and breathe in their home's largest room, and so the way it looks and functions as a family room is important to most.

So modern living rooms, (or lounges as they are referred to in some places), tend to choose an object of great interest as the focal point. The living room designs are organized around a striking item that draws you into the room. Good examples of such items are oversized paintings, fireplaces with inordinate wood carving or an armoire that has been preserved from another century. These parlors are for show and artifacts. It is a great place to show off your conversation pieces. Our focal piece has always been an impressive living room couch. We’ve always gone for very large and inviting styles of sofas adorned with quality decorated cushions.

Others take a very different approach to their parlor especially those with a young family. Some prefer to choose durable products that stand the test of time and the test of toddlers in their living room designs. These rooms are usually arranged around an entertainment center as the focal point of the room. Such designs use large couches and matching living room chairs which are often large and cushiony and the area is commonly adorned with a few toys that are not part of the initial living room designs. These parlors are a great place to relax or play a game with your kids.

Next time you want to look at alternative living room designs, it’s always a good idea to decide how you are going to use the area in general and then build a theme around that. Some folks are lucky in that they have a separate family room which means they can really choose the living room designs that they want as opposed to ones that they need for practical reasons. Others will want a quite space surrounded by their most prized possessions, a room to escape to and unwind, perhaps read books, or just sit and relax. Changing living room designs can turn out to be a big job in some cases, so a little careful thought into the design will result in a very happy you.

The Living Room Summarised!

Whether the Americans call this the lounge or sitting room doesn't really matter as it's the same ole space, and it's usually the best room in the house and the one folks spend the majority of their time relaxing, entertaining, napping, listening to the radio, and watching TV.

This is why we're always looking to make the living room the most comfortable and pleasing space in the house. Living room decorating ideas are always in the thoughts of families, and folks tend to either plan the living room décor around the living room furniture, or purchase furniture to go with the new living room ideas.

These days, many look towards contemporary living room furniture, and this helps simplify the decorating. But whatever you decide, remember that various living room designs can actually change the way you feel, and getting it right means this little corner of the home could give out an ambiance that just changes your world.

Readers Comments

Living Room Designs by Amateurs – submitted by Lynn Brooke Hello. Let me be straight up here. I'm certainly no interior designer, if fact I'm not much of a home decorator either, but I have to say thanks for your article on living room designs, because it inspired me to make a few small changes to out lounge area, and those small changes made a great big difference to the comfort and overall ambience to our living space. Oh, and not to mention they were so easy to implement too. We weren't really ready to decorate, yet we wanted a change in the décor and overall feel to the place, and we achieved this with a new wall mirror, rug, coffee table, and a few nice plants of varying sizes. Honestly, it's like coming home to a whole new environment, and we just love it. Best thing was we made this transformation on a Saturday afternoon. Thanks situation home.

Prioritize the Living Room when Decorating! - Submitted by Alison Hill Hi. Although we spend many hours in the bedroom, we're actually asleep for most of them, so I do not prioritize the bedroom when I have budget for decorating 1 area, nor the kitchen or the bathroom. My advice is to focus on the rooms that you use the most first, and for many of us, that's the lounge. The entire family lives in the living room so to me it has to be the chief space in the house were we are all comfortable and at ease. With today's DIY stores and Home Improvements super warehouses all over the country, brand new living room designs can be drawn up quickly and cheaply. Tks

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