Lovely Living Area
For example, in a living area, a rug that sits under the sofa, coffee table and additional seating will draw the eye wider and make that living space appear bigger. On the other hand, a smaller rug sized just a bit larger than the coffee table can feel more like a bath mat, causing the living space to read as its limited size.
Accessories. If you have had the same accessories peppered through your living room for years, maybe it’s time to see what else is out there. Visit your local antique shops or flea markets for unique steals that no one else will have. Or, choose a desired style, like modern, and peruse the appropriate store, such as a Crate & Barrel outlet.
Living with your space allows you to get a better sense of your real priorities. Perhaps when you initially saw your house, you thought the dated kitchen would be the most important room to renovate first. But after living there, you might realize it's more important to add French doors to lighten up the dark living room where you spend a lot of time.
Take a subtle approach - Monochrome doesn’t necessarily mean geometric, which often springs to mind when you think of the term. This calm living room shows an altogether more subtle approach. I love the use of contrasting black piping on the sofa – it really brings strength to the otherwise pale piece, and stops it from fading into the white wall behind.
Create mood lighting. Poor lighting — whether too dark or too light — is an instant mood killer at any get-together. You want guests to feel comfortable, but you also want to keep the area light enough so that everyone can see. Layer different types of lighting and bring in lamps at different heights.
Scale - Greek key is one of the few patterns that translate well on vastly different scales, from gigantic to minuscule. In this large living room, a singular oversize area rug grounds the space and bridges the two seating areas. The lines of the Greek key design on the rug are substantial but still proportional to the rug size. The magic of this pattern is that additional “links” can be added to make the design larger or smaller.
On the other hand, the room should still have cohesion and an easy flow from zone to zone, with no obstacles or barriers. “The kitchen/living room has to combine many different functions,” says Darren Genner of Minosa. “It’s where we prepare for the day, we entertain and we relax, so integrating these functional spaces with an easy flow from one area to the other will help the homeowner use their home to full advantage.”
If you're working with a professional, you'll want a master plan drawn out for your project. A master plan is typically a drawing that takes a comprehensive look at a large area, focusing on the relationships between individual parts rather than the details. I usually use the term "master plan" when referring to an entire house or site, rather than a single space.
Sink in - What’s not to love about a sunken sofa pit? Simply lowering your living room’s seating area turns it into a super-sociable and cosy space with an intimate feel. But of course it’s not for every house. You’ll need a large space to start with, and it’s going to look best in a property built after 1960, or a new build, where you can start from scratch, since you will be delving into your home’s foundations to create it.
Buy pairs - Precision and symmetry were key elements to Art Deco design, so if you fall in love with a beautiful lamp, mirror or occasional table, consider buying two to keep your room scheme feeling well balanced. This room also showcases a wide range of different materials – typical of the Art Deco era – and yet keeps a sense of cohesion by using a neutral palette of taupe and oyster.
LOVE these doors! would work with our home's current features.
Readers loved how this living room is in the middle of everything, but still manages to feel like its own cozy refuge. Classically designed pieces in soft neutral colors make this a comfortable and approachable but sophisticated design.
Love it!! Love all of it - can you tell me where I can get the bed and drawers from?
The stairway serves double duty, both bringing people upstairs and defining smaller spaces in the open plan — the dining area is in the foreground and the living room beyond. The kitchen overlooks the living area, and all of the spaces look out onto the trees through the large windows.
love the living area/dining area combination - open but cozy.
Really love this living area. My favourite by far...
Perfect feng-shui of living room, kitchen and dining room.
Work around the layout When structural walls, windows and doors come into play, it’s tricky to demarcate an open-plan living and dining zone. A simple device is to add a standing light against the wall between the two areas, as well as a rug that lines up with the sofa.
lovely living area- coiffured ceiling, built in, great way to disguise a lower ceiling. perfect balance.
Seek advice if you’re creating a storage space - If you are just looking to add floorboards to create a storage space rather than an extra living room, it’s worth checking how much weight the joists can take. ‘Seek the advice of a structural engineer to find out whether the joists need to be strengthened in order for it to remain safe,’ advises Graham Chappell.
love the whole room. round table maybe for games with chairs. maybe a high rectangle table behind the sofa with a couple of chairs for eating. cozy feeling.
I love how this house is "amidst the trees". Also having the living/family rooms on the 2nd floor with the floor-to-ceiling windows gives the illusion of being much higher than you actually are.
They ended up with a modern interpretation of a log cabin that mixes concrete floors, a pine wood ceiling and metal accents. And while everyone has separate private pod areas, they all interact in the open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen areas. Inverted steel posts and tension bars pull on the ceiling beam, pushing it upward to help support the pine-covered cantilever roof.
An open, lofty, single story pavilion, separated by an interstitial space comprised of two large glass pivot doors, was located parallel to the street. This lower scale street front pavilion was conceived as a breezeway. It connects the light and activity of the yard and pool area to the south with the view and wildlife of the pond to the north. The exterior materials consist of anodized aluminum doors, windows and trim, cedar and cement board siding.
In the living room an arrangement of Fossil Creek flagstone emphasises the height. ‘The lines continue up to the pool and the guest house,’ says Wetzel. This is one of the design moves that connects the interior and exterior architecture.
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