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Decorating your living room can be a very satisfying and rewarding job. But with so many choices, options and decisions to make - where do you start? 

This article is armed with 15 of our top living room design tips, which we hope will start you off in good stead before you begin your exciting project.

Choose a cohesive colour palette

Any good living room decor project begins with a cohesive colour scheme. 

Firstly, consider the mood of your living room. Do you want it to be serene, cheerful, sultry or sophisticated? Your base colours should reflect the mood of your room, for example, earthy green shades, like Good Earth, are great for serenity and connecting with nature, while dark greys and black, like Nevermore, are sexy and sophisticated. Also, think about whether you want to colour-drench the room, or keep the ceilings and trims a separate shade.

Once you have decided on a base colour, think about accent colours to complement it. These accent colours could be in the form of sofas, armchairs, cushions and curtains. Always test the colours in the room before you start decorating, and try at different times of the day to feel the changing effects of various light forms.

Credit: @ourlittlebluedoor

Choose a cohesive colour palette

Devonshire Green

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Select size-appropriate furniture

The furniture you choose for your living room should be proportional to the amount of space you have available. 

Large living rooms with high ceilings can afford to house large units, tall shelving and grand mirrors, while littler spaces best suit fitted shelving units as well as small antique pieces to fit into tight corners and alcoves. 

Credit: @our_crosspool_terrace

Select size-appropriate furniture

Downing Street

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Position sofas for socialising

The positioning of your sofas is an important consideration, as you want to make sure they are situated at the optimum angles for conversation and family time. 

Corner sofas are not only great at dividing a large open space in two, but they are also very sociable, meaning you can fit lots of people together in one area. If your space won’t accommodate a corner sofa, then a comfy three-seater sideways adjacent to an armchair or cuddle chair will give just as good an effect. 

Credit: @thehouseofhollydale

Position sofas for socialising

Enchanted Mist

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Decide on a focal point

The focal point of your living room should be very personal to you and your preferences. 

Perhaps you want to draw attention to your impressive 60-inch TV with a fitted media unit painted in a beautiful shade and shelving surround. Or maybe your period home features a gorgeous, ornate fireplace, which you can accessorise with artwork and houseplants? Either way, pick out a key element and think about how you can make it pop out with colour and accessories.

Credit: @ourhomeisajungle

Decide on a focal point

Yam

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Embrace quirky room features

Embrace the natural beauty of your living room by highlighting its quirks instead of trying to hide them. 

Curved ceilings and low arches are often tricky to work with in terms of placing furniture and fittings but try to accentuate their features with colour and by embracing the space available around them. 

Credit: @overatclaires

Embrace quirky room features

Coral Curry

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MAKE USE OF ALL NATURAL LIGHT

Natural light can transform the look and feel of a living room and its colour scheme. 

Use large windows to reflect light onto adjacent mirrors to give the appearance of more room space, and keep shutters and blinds open during the day to add freshness and energy.

Mix up your atmospheric lighting

Atmospheric lighting is an essential element of any room design. 

Consider using a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting to create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere when little natural daylight is available.

Credit: @maisonderock

Mix up your atmospheric lighting

Arrowhead

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Create day-to-night options

Your living room space might likely be used as a place to hang out and socialise with friends during the day and a cosy retreat to curl up and watch a movie in the evening. 

Therefore, consider how to make the transition through to night time using low ambient lighting, closed curtains or blinds, and flickering candlelight. Soft throws and blankets will also help you to create a more comfortable environment when the nights get chilly.

Credit: @homebytaliawhite

Create day-to-night options

Scottish Kilt

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Bring the space to life with plants

Bring your living room to life with plant life and fresh flowers. 

Not only do houseplants look and smell great in a living room, but they also carry many additional advantages for your family’s well being such as increased oxygen production and mood-enhancing benefits. 

Credit: @the_house_on_inveraray

Bring the space to life with plants

Dinner Jacket

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Protect your privacy

Whether your living room backs onto a busy city street or a quiet area of wilderness, you will likely want to retain a certain level of privacy, especially during the evenings. 

Therefore, think about how you can dress your windows so that you can access available natural sunlight during the day, but close it off later on. Shutters, blinds and curtains all have different benefits, so be sure to research each option before deciding what works best for your living room.

Credit: @michellecross.house

Protect your privacy

Sheepskin Rug

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BE CLEAVER WITH STORAGE

A beautiful living room is clean, tidy and clutter-free. Therefore, clever storage should play a big part in your living room design. 

Bespoke, fitted furniture offers the ability to maximise awkward and corner spaces with plenty of room for all your belongings to be kept out of sight. However, if you prefer free-standing furniture, opt for coffee tables with built-in storage below or cosy ottomans which can house books and magazines underneath their seats. 

Carefully curate your accessories

The best accessories are those that mean something to you. 

Whether it’s a stunning ornamental fan you brought back from Tokyo, or a rare antique sculpture you picked up in Covent Garden, think about what accessories are going to feature in your living room and where the best home would be for them to be displayed. Your accessories should appear curated instead of staged - this means everything should appear neat and cohesive, but not too contrived or over-styled.

Credit: @theperkinsresidence

Carefully curate your accessories

Campground

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Project your personality

Your living room is the perfect place to bring out your unique personality with colour and design features. 

If you love animals, think of a nature-inspired theme using print, pattern and artwork or if you love gardening and being outside, then pick a design palette that features colour, shape and form from your favourite flowers and plants. The result will be a room that is totally personal to you and one that makes you feel calm and content.

Credit: @bergmann_hus

Project your personality

Winter Wonderland

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Capture all the senses

While you want your living room design to be visually appealing, think also about how you can capture the other senses too. 

Candles and diffusers offer the opportunity to scent your living room, which you can change to match the seasons. While your sense of touch can be stimulated with the use of different textures and fabrics such as silk, faux fur and velvet.

Credit: @homein_theleicester

Capture all the senses

Brushed Cotton

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Colour match your perfect living room shade

Our Valspar Colour Match feature allows you to decorate your living room with a colour palette that is completely personal to you. 

We can colour match to over 2.2 million shades from just a single swatch or photo of an object - simply upload it online and discover your dream paint match in an instant. 

Need help choosing the right paint or colour?

Use Virtual Assistant