Top 10 Living Room Styling Mistakes to Avoid

A living room should be a place to entertain guests, as well as a space where you can relax and put your feet up. In this article culled from homelife, we take a look at the top 10 Living room styling mistakes people make.

Albeit for many, its really no fault of theirs not even with the extent of poverty in the country and of course the number of homeless Nigerians. What happens when a family of six have to put up with  living in a tenement building popularly called “FACE ME, I SLAP YOU” or a Mini flat? In situations like this then the living room becomes a mecca of sorts with no holds barred.

However for the wealthy families that stay in high brow areas and luxury apartments, it becomes an offence if your living rooms is no different from your bedrooms. Ordinarily living rooms shouldn’t lack lustre because that is the first point of call for guests and visitors. So the condition of your living room tells a lot about your family and probably the state of your mind.

Creating a comfortable and stylish space doesn’t have to be a daunting or expensive task. Simple style tweaks that maximise space and light can make a world of difference.

Here are the ten most common decorating mistakes to avoid, and the best ideas for styling your lounge room, big or small.

1. Furniture placement

Pushing furniture up against all the walls of a room makes it look smaller rather than larger. Give the room breathing space by pulling the furniture away from the walls.

2. Heavy curtains

Unless your curtains are a beautiful fabric and pattern, you don’t really want the curtains to be the feature of the room. Consider roller blinds in a neutral fabric instead of big heavy drapes – you can still have the block-out effect but in a more subtle way.

3. Too much clutter

Storage is key when it comes to keeping the living room tidy. The more you can put behind closed doors the better.

4. TV placement

The best place to position a TV is on a blank wall that isn’t blocking window light. If possible, the TV should be mounted on the wall for a more streamlined look. Otherwise, make sure you have a suitably sized TV unit to put your TV on.

5. Lack of rugs

A room is never complete until there’s a bit of colour and pattern on the floor. Rugs on floorboards provide warmth in winter, while rugs on carpet are perfectly fine as well.

6. Rugging it wrong

While rugs are a must for a stylish living room, they should still match the size and style of the space. Small rugs imbalance the room, so go for a rug that’s so big that the front feet of all your lounge room furniture are placed on it. This provides balance and creates zones for your room, and will also make it feel larger too.

7. Lack of colour

Many living rooms lack colour, especially in regards artwork, rugs and cushions. Bright pieces add life to a room!

8. Over-sized furniture

Many people fill their living rooms with furniture that is too large or chunky for the space, especially when it comes to sofas. This will make the room look and feel smaller. Consider sofas and chairs with slim line arms, particularly for smaller spaces.

9. Mixing styles

It’s normal to like more than one decorating style, but mixing different styles together in one room won’t work. Instead, select pieces that have common elements so that they work together. For instance, if your sofa has rectangular arms, make sure you choose an armchair with matching arms rather than rolled arms.

10. Too much matching

While mixing different styles doesn’t work, neither does matching every single piece in the room. It’s fine to try and match up some of your furniture, but add in a few other splashes of colour to break it up.