The living room in most cultures is a place where people come together for relaxation, socialising and entertainment. It reflects the overall disposition of the inhabitants and thereby the house.
A typical living room contains sofa sets, chairs, tables, book shelves, television, stair leading up to the mezzanine floor (if any), window and other furniture.
Given the specific area of the living room, fitting all of the above requires a little smart thinking and creativity on the part of the owner. Let us look at simple adjustments and creative ideas that save space in the living room.
Space Saving Furniture ideas:
1. Compact furniture
Retro styled furniture usually has long legs and a compact structure. Having one of these pieces within the decor makes the lounge area look bigger and spacious.
2. Dual purpose furniture:
- Sofa sets can be made in such a way that they could serve as double beds.
- The arm rests of sofa sets can be styled, carved out into a small book shelf that can house magazines, inspirational handbooks and newspapers. A small electric lamp placed atop this bookshelf gives a creative edge to this novelty.
- The centre table or sofa table could have a lid and be used as a chest to store, keep books, cassettes and DVDs.
- The centre table could also have lids that can be driven out from all 4 sides to place plates, coffee mugs, laptops etc. The centre table could double up as low dining table and work table thus making sure the family spends time together while indulging in work or over a simple cup of coffee.
3. Wall mounted shelves not just looks good but also provide space to place window seats or an additional piece of sofa chair below them thus saving space and adding seating space. The window seats could also have removable lids to store things in the space below them.
4. A beautiful bookshelf that houses a wide range of collection could be made in the space below the stairs. This space can also be utilised to make other storage cabinets like house bedding, decoration, picnic sets, sports gear and other space occupying articles. Also, this space could be modelled into a small work station with place for a computer table and shelves.
Space saving interior decoration ideas:
- Space around the windows could be used to create shelves for books, lamps, flower vases, candle stands etc.
- Low lying window sills or ledges also make a beautiful place to sit and have refreshing cup of coffee. The space below this ledge could be converted into a storage option thus saving space yet adding a touch of innovation.
- The wall around the window can be utilised by carving out different shapes in the alcove and placing random decorative pieces in them.
- Placing a mirror at one end of the living room makes a cramped space look almost double its original size and thus looks spacious.
- Pastel shades on walls and monochrome shades of furniture looks simple yet appealing to the eyes. It also makes the living room look bigger in size.
All these simple ideas not just help save space in the living room, but are also lighter on the eyes and pockets.
Happy decorating the living room!
This article is provided by Manoj Goure and will help you out with ideas useful for home decor. He works with Rugsandblinds.com.