The clue’s in the name: The living room is made for living in.
That might sound obvious at first, but take a close look at your room. Most American households struggle to make the living room live up to its name.
This is the living room in the home we know live in. The photo was taken before we moved in.
Indeed, more often than not, the room faces the following issues:
- It is too dark;
- It is crammed with gadgets, devices, and electric cables;
- It doesn’t fulfill a clear function as there is too much going on;
- It lacks entertainment.
Here’s our living room right after we moved in (our daughter was 18 months old).
Your room needs to be a cozy, welcoming, and purposeful space that can act as a reception area when you’ve got guests or a relaxing spot at the end of a long day. Making your living room work for you and your family could need only a few tweaks!
Give it plenty of natural light
Most of us tend to have a window either behind or at the side of the sofa. Unfortunately, while the window should give you plenty of natural light, you tend to leave the blinds down. Why so? Because when the light comes in, you can’t see what’s going on on the TV screen. Unfortunately, placing your TV in front of the window to avoid sun glare is not a practical solution. As a result, the living room can be gloomily dark. Therefore, solutions such as an open plan design, are becoming popular in modern households. Indeed, by dropping partition walls, you can bring more light into the room without affecting the screen.
Reduce clutter to a minimum
Ah, clutter! We are a nation of hoarders! We love to accumulate things, and it can rapidly get out of control. Clutter is everywhere, unfortunately, and it can turn your cozy living room into a crammed and suffocating area. Getting hold of your clutter is a time-demanding process. You should empty the room and carefully divide items into two piles: The things you want to keep, and those you don’t want. By the way, you will use the same approach for all your decluttering projects! Make space for the items you are keeping, and don’t be afraid of adding storage solutions.
Focus on functional and practical pieces
Make it comfortable! The old sofa you’ve had for years and that has lost its shape and firmness must go. But, you say, I’ve got such good memories on that sofa. Ultimately, when an item doesn’t fulfill its purpose anymore, there’s no reason to keep it. An uncomfortable couch is taking unnecessary space in the living room. Buying a great sofa can be your next adventure, focusing on comfort, style, and dimensions.
Diversify the entertaining options
Last but not least, you need to think of your living room as a fun area for you and your guests. We all have a TV. But what else can you offer? A music system can be a nice addition as you can use it to relax in the evening or receive guests. If you have gaming enthusiasts in the family, it’s worth checking the latest video game console offers. With the PS 5 hitting the market, you can find huge discounts on older models! One last tip: Pile up some fun board games too when you want to give your eyes a screen rest!
Here’s our living room today, and after 19 years in this house boy has it changed! It’s well used and well loved.
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Next time you are here you can tell my husband that a living room is for living in. Actually, he does “live” in the living room. He sits in that one chair all of the time and reads the paper or talks on the phone. I personally consider our ‘living room’ a ‘parlor’. I wish he would just turn it into the dining room and turn the dining room into his office. But, no, he has his ideas. Now, the family room…that is where the real “living” goes on in our house! You know we don’t have enough light in there, but the changes that are coming are going to make a big difference! I can’t wait! I can’t wait for you to come back and see it, too!!