The best decorating tips for the living room

A retreat, a TV corner, or even a children's play area? What makes the perfect living room depends entirely on how you use it. With our decorating tips, it's sure to be cozy.

More depth with tactile textiles and fabrics

Textured fabrics not only create a sense of comfort but also lend the living room more depth and coziness. Therefore, consider combining different materials in your living room: cuddly chenille for cushions and throws adds warmth, while coarse linen for curtains or upholstery adds an interesting texture. Wool is not only excellent for furniture surfaces but also for carpets, as it is both soft and durable.

The correct arrangement of seating furniture

The sofa, armchairs, and chairs (if applicable) should be grouped so that everyone faces each other. A good trick: The seating arrangement should roughly form a rectangle. In the classic arrangement, two sofas face each other directly. This encourages conversation and creates a harmonious look. The downside: The television can only be placed at the ends. A couch and one or more armchairs that can be positioned to face the TV as needed offer more flexibility. This arrangement also works with a corner sofa or a chaise longue.

The right sofa

The most beautiful sofa isn't always the most practical one that suits your needs. Answering the following questions will bring you much closer to your dream sofa. Then it's time to try it out. Only then can you truly test whether the sofa meets your expectations.

Courage to break with tradition

If you stick to a particular style too consistently, it will become boring in the long run. Consciously try to integrate contrasting styles into your decor. This creates a more vibrant feel. For example, rough wood softens smooth surfaces. The reverse also works: A marble tabletop – as seen here – contrasts with a rough floor. Conversely, a graphic rug softens the formality of a classic interior. A white interior can benefit from a few pops of color.

Side Table for the living room

A small Table by the sofa isn't a complete living room. It's the perfect place to set down your cup, rest your book, and display accessories. But what should it look like? Luckily, there are a few rules of thumb. First up: Square tables only look good when placed between the sofa and armchairs. If there are no armchairs, a rectangular Table creates a more harmonious look. Round tables, however, suit almost any sofa shape—a nice idea: group several tables of different heights together. Just make sure that the seating surface is always the highest point.

The right color scheme for the living room

Get an overview of the colors in your living room. The best way to do this is with color swatches: all the colors in the room are arranged side by side as color tiles. This way, you can see if a color clashes with the others or if a shade is missing that, for example, conveys warmth.

Here's how: A color swatch consists of three to six shades. Look around your living room and try to identify the most dominant colors. Also, pay attention to the floor, ceiling, walls, accessories, and wall decorations in the living room.

Ideally, three shades should come from the same color family (leading color group). You can combine these with two other shades (secondary color group) and add a contrasting accent color. How many shades you ultimately use and whether you create contrast are matters of personal taste.

Mirror, mirror...

Pictures on the walls are a good start. Even better are a few mirrors interspersed among them. This allows the eye to wander around the room, revealing different perspectives and making the space appear larger. Groups of mirrors are also real eye-catchers and can even replace some artwork. This is especially practical if you haven't yet decided on a motif. 

Add a touch of style with an armchair.

There's hardly a better way to define the style of a living room than with an armchair. While the sofa, due to its size, should be formally understated, an armchair allows you to really make a statement. Therefore, it doesn't always have to be the typical arrangement of two identical armchairs plus a sofa; that can even look stiff. A mix of different models is more inviting. Are you a preserver? Then keep your favorite piece, but treat it to a new cover!

Decorate like a pro

Think in groups: Candle holders look even more beautiful in groups of three or five, and vases have a special effect when placed seemingly at random on a stack of coffee Table books. The same applies to tea lights, other decorative objects, and wall decorations in the living room. Even striking individual pieces look good in a group, as long as the rest of the group takes a backseat and doesn't steal the show.

Hang pictures lower in the living room.

Pictures are usually hung too high because they're hung while standing on a ladder. Especially in the living room, it makes sense to hang pictures so they're at eye level when you're sitting. After all, that's the position you spend most of your time looking at your treasures. And who wants to crane their neck all the time?

How to properly align and position the television

This protects your eyes and neck: The best way to position your TV is to place it with its back against the wall or against a window. For standard-definition (SD) TVs, a good rule of thumb is 3.5 cm (screen diagonal); for high-definition (HD) TVs, 2.5 cm (screen diagonal). Modern 4K TVs require a slightly different viewing distance – here, the recommended distance is 1.5 cm (screen diagonal). As for the correct height, the bottom edge of the TV should be roughly at eye level. If you have a sound system, the speakers should be at least 2.5 meters (5 feet) away from you and aimed directly at you. 

Create variety with decorative cushions.

The sofa? That's an investment for at least several years. The wall color? It doesn't usually change with the seasons either. So how do you create variety, define holidays, or celebrate the seasons? With sofa cushions, we think. These textile wonders add pops of color and are excellent ways to soften the look of minimalist upholstered furniture.

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