Winter is here, the days are shorter and the nights are colder. Christmas is coming and it is a time for family and friends. This means it’s time for a cosy living room.
The living room is a place where you can relax and unwind as well as entertain guests with pride, so making it cosy and comfortable is vital. We have come up with five top tips for how to make your living room cosy. Relax and enjoy.
- The character of your living room is something only you can choose. You can base it around the rest of your house or make it completely different. One useful idea for finding the character of your room is how you are going to use it. Begin to think about whether it will be a TV room, relaxation room or an area only used for when guests are over. A defining factor is will it be flooded with children playing and watching TV? If this place needs a definition then a television is it. It doesn’t have to be without one but having a smaller one without booming surround sound will certainly reduce its impact. It also means you can go all out on a TV room.
- Using warm colours is a great way of giving your room that cosy feeling. Darker rooms used mostly at night have the option to use deep colours such as reds and rich mahogany. With splashes of colour in paintings or focal furniture, creating a cosy room using colour is a great method.
- The ‘traditional’ English living room can be as cosy as you make it without spending much money. Dark colours, worn, second hand timeless furniture such as simple sofas or the occasional winged armchair can change a room. Maybe even add a second hand Chesterfield to add some real character. Paintings, particularly 17th-18th century portraits are a great way to create a really original and classic look. Worried about the price of paintings? Either hunt the charity shops for unwanted family treasures or simply buy prints and get them well framed. The final touch would be a large open fireplace, but with lack of space becoming a more common problem; wood burning stoves, ethanol fires or mist based electrical fires are great ideas.
- Create an area to cosy up in. A little nook in the corner of the room filled with cushions and good light. Perhaps with a panoramic view provided by origin bifolding doors. This little area can feel slightly separate but adds an extra feature to an otherwise one use room. Try using antique objects, rugs and anything that could send you into a nice afternoon doze.
- Welcome different furnishings, floors and walls into your living room. This room should feel different from the others in your house, it should be a place to relax and depart from your busy life. Being bold and creating a completely different space can give your room a wow factor and amaze guests.
