Decorate Your Home: Scandinavian Style

Like it or not, Scandinavian style is hitting big in the world of interior design.
It is admired by more and more people because of its brightness, cleanness and elegance.

On top of it, it feels modern and relevant, providing a unique and relaxing living ambient.
Interior with a Scandinavian look has two basic rules – keep it natural and keep it simple, and those looking to give their home an overhaul should never lose sight of them.

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First things first- the space must be open and uncluttered in order to embrace the Scandinavian spirit. Those blessed with a large living area are in advantage here, but there are some tricks to add volume to your rooms. One of the ways to pull this off is with light floor shades and long wide planks. Just do not overlook the functionality and organization, otherwise even a vast space can feel cluttered.

Melting snow

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In the frozen north, the days are short and winters seem to stretch forever. That is why light is also very important for any Scandinavian home. Use many different sources of light such as lamps and candles, and keep the light fixtures minimalistic and modern. Do not forget to let in as much natural light as you can- this will give a touch of warmth to the space, and make it shine.

To take cosiness to the next level, use materials such as leather, cotton or wool as well. The latter is welcome in all forms such as rugs, blankets and table runners. You can make some wool items yourself and find high quality wool and ideas online, browsing websites of companies such as Darn Good Yarn. Wrap yourself in something warm and enjoy the cosiness at its best.

Natural foundations

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White and natural tones dominate the Scandinavian scenery, offering a feeling of peace and quiet.  It is best to leave the walls and ceilings as white as snow, or in some light natural color. Such a setting expands the space and makes it look airy and fresh. One can combine multiple colors that are a few shades apart to create a bit of contrast as well.

Wallpapers are not common, and to introduce some color you can opt for bright cushions, rugs or other accessories. Take caution with bright accents and use them in moderation to liven up the space. On the other hand, without any colorful details, your living space might feel sterile or uninviting. Some choose to go with contemporary painting, posters or even stickers.

Natural is the way to go when it comes to materials. Wood is Scandinavian style’s darling, so try to decorate the space with some beech, pine or oak. They can be brushed or rugged, and both work well with different elements of the style.  Most designer advise minimal treatment of wood though, because that way its natural appearance is preserved.

This material is a must for flooring and furniture, and Scandinavian home is almost unimaginable without it. Furniture should feature clean lines and be both practical and comfortable. Again, try to find some natural-colored pieces in brown, beige, grey or similar. With a thick fuzzy blanket to keep you warm in a sleek sofa, you found the most comfortable shelter for long and cold winter nights.

Author's Bio
Zoe Clark is a home decorator from the land down under. She loves playing with colors and spaces, and has a tender spot in her heart for everything vintage.

5 Things Everyone Forget When Designing a Living Room

While arguing about the rugs and waffling over the perfect TV spot, you may forget about important details for every living room design. 

In the frenzy of choosing the right wall colour, picking a carpet or finding  the perfect sofa, you may get so overwhelmed and omit otherwise obvious things. 

Later on, you will regret your poor judgement, but it will be futile. That is why you need to take care of these issues now, before setting up your living room.

Ensuring An Effective Floor Plan

The floor plan is essential for the overall appearance and flow of the room, yet many people simply neglect it. The result is cramped room and inadequately positioned appliances. If you don’t want to constantly trip on a chair or get creative with the ways to get around the table, then carefully plan the position of each object in your place. 

The living room combines multiple purposes. Make the functional and easily adaptable to your different needs. Proper floor plan will make the domestic cleaning a breeze as well. Work with your own space, instead of ripping off the design from a decor magazine. Lastly, trust your instincts on what feels “right”.

Consider Extra Seating 

The living room is the most sociable area at your home. When deciding the amount of seats you may need in your living room, you probably think of the main people who will use the space. Chances are you will invite occasionally friends and relatives over. The last thing you want is having guests perching over the sofa arm, because there is nowhere else to sit. Your living room should be able to fit more than the usual group of residents.


Decide how many seats you will use on a daily basis and then figure out a way to pull up extra seating place. It can be anything from sturdy side tables to upholstered stools. You can always bring into the mix your dining chairs. Just have a plan for the situations when you will need extra seating spot.

Getting Flexible Furniture

The living room tends to get messy pretty easily, because it is exposed to high traffic and usage. If you don’t want to be buried in clutter and save some time from home cleaning, then choose double – duty furniture.  For example pick a coffee table with storage compartment to keep all the bills, papers and magazines.

Taking Care of The Wires

The wire management is a huge issue in many living rooms. This little detail has enormous impact on the look and the feel of your living room. The tangled cables of your TV, laptop and charges on the can make the room appear disorganized. Plus they can make the regular dusting and house cleaning a nightmare. There are many ways to put the wires in order – from DIY projects to commercial organizers.

Thinking That This is The Final Look

Don’t think of every design decision as final. You can always make upgrades in your living room decor like repainting or getting new furniture. Sometimes a little home cleaning and de-cluttering is enough to beautify and improve the space. If something doesn’t work you can switch it, move it around or makeover it.

This is a guest post by Heather Roberts.

The Gamer’s Guide to Turning Your Living Room into a Game Room

If you are a young home owner and you love to entertain yourself with modern technology, then there must have been a time when you have wondered about how you can turn your boring old living room into a place where you really want to spend more time in, and not just a cozy space for your guests. If that is indeed the case, then you know just what to do. 

Roll up those sleeves and start making plans to free up your time, because you have some work to do. And yes, that goes against everything that your gaming time stands for, but it is all worth it in the long run.

You need to clean up. Yes, sounds like a nightmare already, but there are easy solutions to that. Cleaning agencies will gladly take that burden off your shoulders for the right price. All you need to do is ask around or look for reliable professional cleaners and all your home cleaning troubles will be gone. 

Arranging your planned game room is a much different deal. You need to find a new place, remove, or completely incorporate your furniture into the plans of your new game room. 

If you have no sentimental attachment to them, you can simply donate them, or sell them for scrap, or to a flea market where traders will make good use for them, and maybe offer you fair prices.

Have a plan for the room. First of all, you need to know what will go in the room and where it will go. Now you know what furniture you will need, and a general idea of where they will go.

Thinks smart about item placement. There is a place for everything and you should find the proper place either when you plan out the room, or when getting rid of your old furniture. A low shelved rack is great for a TV and a place to order your consoles. A couch is always nice for video games consoles, or maybe some ottomans in front of the TV. If you are more of a PC gamer, then you need a nice desk in a peaceful place of the room.

If not technological gaming is what you are after, you can work with the space in the room. Have a big table for board or trading card games, or maybe a pool table, and colour the walls with dart boards. Have a fancy-looking shelf for your board games, all arranged and displayed to make you the envy among your friends.

The living room is the perfect place to show off your dedication to gaming. Yes, there are many people who do not consider this even remotely serious, but it is entertainment, and it is a way of life for many other people, so do not get put off by people’s prejudices. 

It is you who should decide on how you want your living room to look like, and if a game room you want, then a game room you should get. If you need domestic cleaning ideas from experts visit: Professional Carpet Cleaners in Romford.

This is a guest post by Heather Roberts.

10 Contemporary Living Room Design Photos with a Library

The living room is a very important place in every home. The social hub one might say, and it really needs to reflect your own personality and style since pretty much everyone who steps in your house will spend some time there. So, you must be very careful with the design and the decor.

This collection of contemporary living room ideas is here to help you get inspired and transform your old living room into one modern social hub that you will be proud of. Also, this article will be featuring living rooms that have a library, because nothing says interesting more than a complete library.

Source: Houzz | Related: Stylish Contemporary Apartment In TelAviv

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12 Contemporary Living Room Design Photos with a Hanging Fireplace

Hmm, the living room.. Every room should have a focal point, whether is your TV set, or a beautiful fireplace, having something beautiful in the heart if the room is key.

Today we are going to focus on contemporary living rooms that have a hanging fireplace as the focal point. Fireplaces in general, add a stylish coziness to a living room, and especially to a contemporary designed room witch can be a little bit cold, sometimes.

Living room fireplace changes the feel of the room and make people feel more relaxed, warm and even happier. In this article we are going to help you arrange a beautiful fireplace that fits perfectly with the furniture and the decorations. The pictures are all from awesome designers that are well-known for having the best ideas for any kind of home. Whether you have an apartment or a big house, here is how you contemporary living room with a hanging fireplace should look like.

Source: Houzz | Related: 12 Exquisite Outdoor Arrangements with Fireplaces

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Living Room Decoration Secrets When You are Low on Space and Budget

This remains no more a secret that the space available in modern homes is getting slashed every passing day. This also means playing smart to make the most out of what you have in the name of space in a household.

With only one room to be used for anything from relaxing to entertainment and lounging, it can be a real challenge to make things look proper as well as serve proper. So here are 4 Best Living Room Decoration Secrets When You are Low on Space and Budget to make things easier for you when facing such a situation.

Furniture Arrangement

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Being low on budget as well space pertains to use of multipurpose furniture in order to get the best value of your money as well as best use of scarce space. Instead of chunkier and bulkier furniture items, introducing smart and light weight options is a better alternative. Rather than a dedicated sofa set, investing in cheap sofa beds is a much better option. 

This will enable you to lounge and relax during the day, while getting a handy place to accommodate guests for sleeping during the night without the need to spend on two different furniture items.

Colour Ideas

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You also ought to have a better sense of colours to compensate well for the lack of space you have to cater for. For example, you should know that choosing a colour similar to the shade of paint on walls, for furniture will create the impression of more space in your living room. 

This can be complemented amazingly by introducing textured and colourful accessories, which will also create enhanced sense of breadth. To add to the illusion of more floor space, match your flooring with that of adjacent rooms.

Lighting Ideas

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Lighting is an area not getting due attention in most decoration projects, which is quite strange, because it has much potential to impact the overall look of a place, more so in a place with confined space at hands to decorate. So, choose lighting design and lighting fixtures smartly as well. 

Allow natural light to penetrate abundantly in such a room and if you place some sort of mirrored adornment across it, it will serve as icing on the cake. This will help you reflect more light in the room, and will also draw the eyes towards openness of the outside reflected through it.

Decoration

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One of the best ways to maximise the floor space available in a limited space is to resort to vertical decoration. Bring in sleeker and taller shelving and bookcase. This will not only help you save extra space on ground, but would also help you create adorable focal points through the room.

You should also arrange the furniture keeping into consideration the traffic zones. Cramping in lots of furniture items will not only obstruct way, but will also give a bad impression aesthetically.


Conclusion

As they say, no problem in the world might be without a solution. So, not having generous space or too much cash doesn’t mean you cannot get the best value from decoration of your living room. With these tips handy, you will be able to impress your guests conveniently by the decor of your living room.

This is a guest post by Maya Grace.

How to Choose a Color Scheme for Your Living Room

When repainting your home, there is more to it then simply choosing the first color that comes to your mind – think about furniture, composition, organization and an overall effect you want to achieve. When choosing a color scheme for your living room, things are complicated because this is the main room of the house, with so many activities going on and many people present.

Since the choice has to work for multiple purposes and occasions, so here are a couple of ideas and hints that might help you choose the perfect scheme.

Combine Colors

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Not all colors have the same strength and not all should bear equal importance in your living room. When looking at a basic color pallet we all know from the kindergarten, you will notice primary and secondary colors – the first ones are red, blue and yellow, and the second, created by mixing them, orange, violet and green. 

When choosing a color scheme, you can combine complementary colors in order to bring more life into the space: the red/green, blue/orange and yellow/violet combinations are not only popular in industrial design, but with paint jobs and wall/furniture combination, too.

What about the Furniture?

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Speaking of furniture, changing the color of your walls does not mean you have to change everything in your living room – of course, if the existing furniture is usable and does not need replacement, do not replace it. A more sensible solution is to blend it in the new color scheme and make an intertwining composition. 

Select one piece of furniture for the basis and pick a color that is either slightly darker/lighter or goes well with it – in a recent conversation with reputed interior wall paint vendors, I discovered that red/yellow, blue/grey and black/white combos are among the most effective.

Different Color Schemes for Different Moods

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Spending so much time in the living room means it has to serve several purpose and different moods. So, depending on your preoccupying mood, you can choose certain color schemes and combinations that will accentuate it and help you relax even more.

For example, families enjoy cosy spaces, so warm colors – red, orange, russet, saffron and earthy tones – are preferred in a living room that helps them enjoy free time and entertain guests. On the other hand, living rooms used as a getaway from the world and a place of solitude welcome other colors and shades such as soft blue and sage green that relax people and remind them of nature. If you, however, want to refresh and feel energized, pick vibrant and bold colors: pink, red, yellow, violet and turquoise.

Bring in the Light!

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Depending on how much light your room presently has, you can go into two ways, with dark or light colors. There is no philosophy here – you need as much light as possible, so, if you do not already have it, you should enhance it with the color of the walls.

For dark rooms with small windows and little natural light, schemes like pastels, beige, or even a shade of light grey, will make it look less dark and macabre. On the other hand, sunny rooms with big windows can handle darker colors (dark red, green, orange or neutrals), as they already have enough light.

Beware: Possible Faux Pas

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Painting an entire living room in just one color is not a good idea – especially if that color is poorly chosen – because it makes the room boring and too simple, so a combination of two colors on the walls is much better. Also, when combining the wall and furniture color, do not go with the exact match because it too creates a dull effect. 

With so many shades on the color palate, limiting choices and sticking to just one or two is more than unnecessary. Finally, go with the reliable color brands, painter and decorators – do not save money on these, especially when it comes to the living room.

12 Expansive Modern Living Room Design Photos

Living Room is the focal point of a house, is the place you greet your guests and friends and it's the room that must reflect your personality.
The modern style is one of the most interesting interior designs out there these days. A lot of people want to design their home in a modern, contemporary way, but not all of them have the inspiration necessary to pull it off.

So, if you haven't got the money to hire an interior decorator or you just want to put your heart and soul as well as your own work into your interior design, we collected these 12 pictures with modern living room designs to help you a little. So get inspired and dive into all our living room design ideas.

Source: Houzz

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