The living room is where many families spend the most time together, and it is where house guests often end up relaxing and socializing as well. Here are some ideas to add much more to this space, making it an interesting and comfortable place to spend your time.
Rearrange Furniture
If done properly, rearranging the furniture in your living room can encourage socializing and can make guests feel more at home. To make conversation flow naturally, try arranging seating pieces so that they are facing toward one another and sharing the same coffee table. To further add to a sense of unity, make sure that all chairs and couches are at the same height level.
Change the Focal Point
Many living rooms have the television set as the focal point of their living room. To beautify and make your living room stand out among the rest, try using an architectural characteristic of your home as a focal point instead, such as a fireplace or a bay window. Another idea is to use a bookshelf stocked with your family’s favorite books, picture frames and other memorabilia, in order to truly bring out the personality of your home in your living room.
Board Games
Board games are the perfect icebreaker. Breaking out a board game will encourage family members and house guests alike to put down their phones and enjoy one another’s company. Have a variety of board games on a shelf or under a coffee table in your living room, particularly board games that involve teams and social interaction, for family nights in, get-togethers, and small parties.
House Plants
Plants are not just for outdoors. The plants that you bring indoors do not need to be just any standard houseplant either. Research various vibrant yet shade-loving plants for your region and plant them in beautiful pots in your living room. There is no better way to bring life and vitality into the place in your home where family and friends come together.
De-clutter
This is one of the aspects of making your living room a more interesting place that seems boring, but actually ends up making one of the most significant differences. Reducing clutter in your living room will make it less of another work space and more of a sanctuary and place to relax and socialize in after a day’s work.
One simple way to keep the living room less cluttered is to beat the urge to let papers accumulate on the coffee table by making a filing system elsewhere in your home. You can keep a decorative bowl or box on an end table to store remotes that are not being used. You can also look for furniture that doubles as a storage space, such as ottomans that open up like a chest.
Better Lighting
Many living rooms merely have one overhead light to illuminate the entire room. You can add interest and dimension to your living room by having a few smaller light sources around the room; this will make the various sections of the living room comes together and it will make it seem much more spacious. You can even try adding candles around the room to add light while making the room feel even cozier.
