Destination Lighting – How to Modernise Your Living Room
Living room, lounge, sitting room, salon. Whatever you call it, this room is one of the most important spaces in your house, a place for your family to congregate, play games and watch your favourite TV shows. It is a place where big news is delivered, girlfriends and boyfriends are introduced and guests are welcomed. Above any other room in your house, the living room tells the story of the family who lives there, so naturally we want it to be as nice an environment as possible. While the days of welcoming guests for dinner, throwing parties and inviting friends round for a takeaway might now seem like a distant memory after nearly a year in lockdown, we might well be flexing our social muscles again soon (fingers crossed).
Spending all this time indoors has, predictably, led many of us to consider sprucing up our homes with fresh coats of paint, new wall hangings and updated furniture. No one wants to quarantine in a cramped room under a harsh overhead light surrounded by aging decor and trinkets. Yet many of us have held out on redecorating because we see it as an expensive and time-consuming undertaking. With the end of the COVID 19 pandemic still not in sight, however, now might be the time to bite the bullet and freshen up that living space.
What if I told you that spicing up your living room with modern furnishings and giving it that refreshed flavour is far a less lengthy and costly process than you might imagine?
Here are some decorating ideas which won’t break the bank, nor your back to give you a living room fit for 2021. Get your whole family involved and it could be your January team project!
Fans
For those of us who live in hot places, fans are an essential item. There is nothing worse than a stuffy, poorly ventilated room in hot weather, yet an advanced air conditioning system remains out of reach for most families. Fans are an effective middleman, working modestly in the background to keep that air circulating without costing an arm and a leg. Yet most people do not see them beyond this basic function, and, in many houses, the same old fan has been whirring away since the 1980s. Modern fans are not only less noisy, but they can be an attractive feature in and of themselves, available in a range of contemporary designs, from the understated propeller to the extravagant windmill. In houses where space is something of a premium, you might want to opt for a ceiling fan with lights to ensure your space is both well-lit and well-ventilated.
You will be surprised how much of an impact a sleek, modern fan will have upon your living room aesthetic, whilst ridding you of that irritating background noise you might not even have noticed until I just pointed it out. Even with furniture shops closed, they can still be bought online but I would implore you to stay away from OnlyFans… the name is very misleading.
Floating shelves
One of the hallmarks of contemporary interior design is the ‘floating’ aesthetic, with furniture and decor designed so that it appears weightless, as if suspended by nothing more than the air itself. We have seen floating stairs, floating globes and floating sinks. Following this trend, there is a wide array of floating shelves on the market ready to give any home a modern feel.
These units are typically painted in the same shade as the wall behind them, or are supported by frames so delicate that they are almost imperceptible at a casual glance. This creates the illusion that the objects placed on top are floating in front of the wall, making any room seem immediately more spacious. And while these shelves are displayed in the finest, cutting-edge modern homes, they can be purchased relatively inexpensively from a range of different retailers, allowing you to decorate your interior stylishly and get in on that luxury look without spending a fortune.
Modern wall art
Contrary to what we are led to believe, and this might sound like a truism to some, artwork does not have to be eye-wateringly expensive or sourced from an exclusive gallery for it to make a statement. With the right frame, a whole variety of different design choices can bring a renewed vibrancy to any room. Some opt for movie prints, music posters, framed record sleeves or even the vinyls themselves since these often sport bold, attractive and iconic artwork without the additional premium associated with more traditional ‘high art’. This gives you the chance to surround yourself with visual reminders of the things you love, memories you and your family have shared. Others prefer more traditional works, commissioned by a ‘proper artist’ but even these can be found online and made to fit your specific requirements, thanks to platforms like Pinterest.
Put your quarantine to good use and give your living room the refreshed look it deserves.