We all love to show off our fabulous taste and lifestyle to our friends and family. The living room where we receive guests and spend time as a family needs a bit of extra work to look elegant. The art of making your living room a pièce de résistance involves a lot of subtle and obvious choices. You need to pick the right colours and match the furniture and add those throw pillows or extra décor to make your living room put on a personality of its own.

Living Room Interior Decor - Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash

Randomly putting together some expensive items to make your living room aesthetically pleasing just doesn’t work. You need a proper plan, preferably a prototype to follow. This is why a room board is a good idea. What you can do is borrow inspiration from luxury apartments in Sri Lanka. For example, Cinnamon Life Apartments or similar luxury apartments can give you the inspiration you need. Pick the pieces and décor you like and see how they interact together. You can get an idea about which rug patterns go well with the draperies and how proportions work. You can make as many changes as possible before deciding on the final purchases.

The problem with a white and bright living room is that it can feel a little too clean and intimidating. On the other hand, a dark living room will look like a cave. What you need is the perfect blend of the two to get that refined yet home-like appeal. You can mix both light and dark hues to add depth and balance. You can even be as bold as to add a little bit of black and white to create an elegant atmosphere.

A fine contrast of neutral colours goes a long way in making your living room feel rich and welcoming. You can accentuate white walls with caramel leather, a gray sofa or brass hardware. You can add blue-gray cabinets to a sunshine yellow walled room. The trick is to choose colours that highlight, blend and contrast. The different finishes and undertones should make the palette stand out in harmonious balance.

Sometimes, concentrating too much on colours can make you forget about textures. These are vital in making your living room cozy, lived-in and beautiful. You can work with textures on plush exteriors as well as harder textures. Play with contrasts – include metal, glass, wool and even plants to add texture to the room. For example, a few throw pillows in different yet blending shades can add a touch of glamour to your living room. You can strategically place a cactus or two to add more depth.

It is true that most furniture shops offer matching living room sets. But, think a little outside the norm. Your living room will look less artificial and more maturely refined with the right mix of upholstery. A plush sofa and a couple of colourful, cushioned arm chairs would go together well. You can work on your room board to see which combination works best. Mix and match a welcoming set of upholstery to give the room decided personality.

Your living room is the place where your family get together. It is where you receive guests and where your pets repose. Hence, you have to pick fabric that is easy to clean and would withstand the wear and tear. For example, dark carpet shades tend to show less stains. Leather is perfect for wiping clean after an accidental spill. However, if you have pets, leather might not be a good idea as they tend to scratch those. Think ahead and plan your fabrics well.