LIVING IT UP

Some days back @NaijaWife asked me 

So armed with guilt of neglecting my blog for so long, i felt it was high time i put up a post.

Today’s post is about one of my favourite spaces in the home.... The Living Room. I must admit i had a few challenges while trying to come up with this post. Thanks to twitter, i got encouragement from @Kitchnbutterfly ‏ . You should follow these two women on twitter and their blogs. Haaa-mazing i must say. 




















There is that common saying, first impression counts. I believe that applies to all aspects especially our homes. Since the living room is the first point of contact especially with guests, family and everyone else who visits our home. It essential we treat it right.

Palour, salon, front room, best room, lounge, and reception room.... the variety of names given to living rooms reflects the variety of approaches. The room could be divided into 2 distinct types namely a) formal b) informal.

There are many ways to achieve a stylish living area that can be used comfortably on a day-to day basis and also double as the settings for parties and gatherings.

The living room is actually a focus for leisure activities in the home, whether you like to spend time relaxing in the evenings, need a play space for your children. Careful planning is required to create a space that can adapt easily to a variety of functions.

Before making major decisions or purchases, consider these essential points.

 Activities:  What is the primary function of your living room? The living area is usually a focus for leisure activities in the home, whether you like to spend relaxing evenings in front of the television, need a play space for children or a room for entertaining. Whatever the activities comfortable seating must be a priority. Careful planning is required to create a space that can adapt easily to a variety of functions and ensure that different activities do not conflict.

Flow: Consider how you move around the room and plan the layout so that the main door, window, furniture, lights are easily accessible. A real living room, unlike photographs of interiors in glossy magazines and brochures is NEVER static, and changes as it responds to a family's changing needs. Flow patterns alter too as furniture, appliances are rearranged. Flexibility is key, know when a flow pattern isn’t working and change it.

Features: Every year designers hold fashion shows but with the ever changing trend, the stick to timeless outfits. Just like fashion, interior design is ever changing. Your living room too can benefit most if you spend time and money on fundamental pieces. Do you a large window, a mirror, an attractive wall TV unit or a collectible? Make it a focal point by arranging your furniture dramatically around it. Consider how well they can be seen from different parts of the room.

HOW CAN THE SPACE WORK FOR YOU?
Whatever the shape of your living room, ensure that its layout and design will adapt easily to your leisure activities. Ask yourself questions like:
·        Is the room spacious enough for different activities to take place at the same time?
·        Would modular sofas and chairs better suit changing needs by offering more flexible seating arrangements than a standard there piece suite?
·        Would one or two adjustable tables be adequate for your needs or do you require a range of different tables or units for books, trays, lamps and entertaining?
·        Do you prefer to sink into a soft capacious sofa or to sit well supported by firm upholstery?
·        Do you have pets? Will they be allowed to sit on the furniture? How do you intend to care for the seating cover?
·        Do you need to choose a floor covering that children can play on safely, that can also be cleaned easily and can be walked on barefoot in comfort?
·        Does your flooring have to cope with a lot of wear and tear?
·        Can you organize the living room to fully utilize natural daylight?
·        Do you prefer curtains or blinds?


ASSESS YOUR NEEDS
Certain features in a living room will make the space comfortable and attractive to those who use it. There are though no hard and fast rules, and a successful formular for one family might turn out to be a failure for the next because requirements and aspirations differ.
Still most living rooms share a common purpose and the following guidelines set out the basics for planning a room that functions well.

FURNITURE - The first essential is seating and like the room itself, the seating has to meet many needs – working, relaxing, and entertaining even dining. Living rooms once again are becoming places for living: for relaxing and even for more game nights (with EPL, La liga etc arrrrrgh) i must admit though, it’s a good way to experiment with recipes i find on-line for “him” and his friends. Lord knows i need that Blendertec badly.

The most important lesson for me however, is the masculine effect you can give your home. Rather than having modular seating which is not only heavy to move around, you can have two seater sofas, single arm chairs and a reclining chair just for him. As well as adding bold colors such as Navy blue through bean bags. Men like to be comfortable so think comfort.

Sectional seating. Image courtesy: Drab to Fab 

Remember a well designed sofa will be a pleasure to use but try to find out what is beneath the fabric to ensure the frame and filling meet your expectations. Run your hand over the sofa. At no point should you feel frame, springs or nails be detectable to avoid area of wear and tear.

Bean bags are great additions to living room seating.
They are comfortable and easy to toss around,
great for watching tv, playing games and cuddling.

 TABLES – should be on hand, possibly stacked away when not in use. Unless you have a small living area, try to include at least two types of occasional tables in the room to facilitate entertainment and relaxation. Choose tables of different heights to carry essential lighting and accessories. Examples coffee tables, chest, trolley, lamp tables, sofa tables, storage table, tray table, nest of tables.

Round storage coffee table ; courtesy google images.

I particularly like this storage table, because it doubles as a coffee table and reminds me of an ottoman.

Round lamp table; courtesy google images

Tray tables; great for holding glasses and cognac.
Image courtesy: google images

REMEMBER

·         Choose tables that can be maintained easily and can cope with expected amount of wear and tear. 

·         Avoid coffee tables with sharp corners to prevent accidents while walked into or against.

·         Glass tables are best made of tampered glass; they shatter into tiny pieces on impact

Nest tables are very convenient because they are stackable and an easy way to add a pop of colour to a space

 





















STORAGE: is inevitable, whether for books, DVDs or even glasses. I love ottomans with hidden space, they are quick solutions for storing toys, and magazines even pillows. Storage should be treated as a positive element not some afterthought. If you don’t want your TV permanently displayed or you are not allowed to nail or drill holes in your wall as the case may be for rented apartments invest (I hope to do a post on designing rented apartments in the nearest future) in an armoire. It also creates a focal point in absence of one.

It can take up space but its worth the initial investment

With an open shelve accessories can be arranged with care and consideration – rows of books provide flashes of colour and punctuations can be added in form of cut flowers in vases, clocks or collections of favourite objects.

An example of storage using an armoire.
Image courtesy: www.houzz.com

 


















A small room should consider dual-purpose furniture such as a sofa bed, foldable chairs.


Never hesitate to give away the old bulky piece of furniture, try converting that dinner table into a coffee table. Bottom line, clutter can make your living room look over crowded.


 For DIY fans having a small scale plan of your living room drawn out on a graph paper with all the doors, windows, shelves and permanent features marked on it is a great way to organize your room. To take the measurements, start from the door and work clockwise around the room. Take the overall measurements, adding on the skirting depths. Make sure that you keep the tape completely taut while you are measuring or have some one else hold the tape at the other end so that the dimensions are accurate. Work on one wall at a time, so you don't get overwhelmed. 

There are also tricks of the trade useful in sorting out some common living room problems. A large mirror placed at right angles to a window reflects light imitating the feeling of space and openness.If you are considering renovating your home soon, a single alteration that would make the most difference would be to lower the window sills. Don’t worry, it won’t affect anything structurally. (I see you heave a sigh of relief, lol).Another improvement which is quick and virtually cost free is to hang paintings, posters, at eye level. Rather than disperse your pictures around your wall, group them in a fanciful cluster. 

BUDGET
Lack of finance brings with it a discipline that is always helpful to good design. Trust me; I know that for a fact as long as priorities are right. Remember, good design isn’t necessarily expensive.

Hide a comfortable sofa in ugly fabric with a nice blanket or have it re-upholstered. Re-spray your old wood table to a bright colour to have it blend in with other colours in the room.Cant afford good paintings? Why not hang your family photos. If you cannot immediately afford to have the curtains of your choice why not try paper blinds until you can afford your desired curtains.

Watch out for seasonal sales, but watch out for “sale fever”. Try yard sales, i recently came across a yard sale the European union community holds in Abuja Nigeria just around January/February though its not constant.Small scale object – candles, flowers, lamps, cushions and curious of all sorts add life and personality to a room provided they don’t clutter. Live plants in terracotta pots add life in a real sense as many go on for years. 

Next post, hopefully i should blog about entertainment and collections as regards to Living rooms.

Stay fabulous and Live it Up!!!.