How to make your living room look homely

Make your living room homely, comfortable yet elegant. Here are a few ways to do it...

In a home, the living area, or the receiving room, is one of the busiest rooms. It`s also the room, guests initially see and form a lasting impression about the home. Hence, the living area should be well-decorated, well-laid out and inviting to guests and family members. It should project a homely, comfortable yet elegant image.

Decorating your home, particularly your living area, allows you to combine creativity, elegance and good taste. Make good use of space, accessories and furniture available to you so you can create a living area that is inviting, relaxing, homey and elegant.

Window treatments
Are your drapes older than you are? May be it`s time for a change. If you want to make your room less — or more — formal, window treatments can do the trick. Look through catalogs and magazines for window treatments you like, and then figure out how to make them yourself. An inexpensive fabric draped over a new curtain rod may be all you need. And don`t forget to consider sheets or even your old dupattas, as window treatments. They`re inexpensive and you can easily find something to complement your decor.

Lamps and lighting
Overall lighting sets the mood for any room. Step back and review the lighting in your living room. Most seating should have light available from a lamp or overhead fixture. While you`re looking, check out your lampshades. Do they complement each other? Purchasing a new shade is a quick and inexpensive way to update a lamp. If you have house-plants, consider adding twinkle lights. These lights add warm, subdued lighting when used alone, and accent light any time.

Colours
Colours have psychological effects on people and their moods. When applied in your living area, colours can intimidate, invite or irritate. Decorating using colours is also an inexpensive way of decorating because it only involves painting or papering walls.

If you want your living area to be warm and inviting, then use bright orange, yellow or green. Green has several shades and it`s one of the most flexible colours around. And orange sofa can be teamed with a red carpet. Whatever colour you pick for your walls, make sure your carpets and furniture are coordinated.

Photographs and artwork
Try breaking up the monotony of books on a shelf by tucking photos between stacks of books, or propping photos on easels for display. You can also slip pictures under glass table tops. A picture ledge (a narrow shelf specifically made for pictures) is a great place for displaying all sorts of artwork — and it keeps you from covering your walls with nail holes. Consider grouping pieces together for an eye-catching focal point.

Rearranging furniture
Your lifestyle or taste determines what the focal point of your living area is. If you have a piano, and this is the focal point of your living area, your furniture could be set around it. When rearranging your furniture, also consider traffic in your living area. Does the arrangement of your furniture allow free movement and flow? Does it give an uncluttered look?

It is always good to arrange furniture in off-square angles like shown in the picture above.

Carpets and rugs
A carpet or an area rug can be an easy way to mark off a conversation area in your living room. You can angle the rug for extra decorating drama. A brown floor can look nice with a dark chocolate carpet.

You can also add a comfy throw or your sofa and make just about any piece of furniture look like a great place to curl up.