How to Style a Living Room…
A Living Room
We love a radical makeover, but sometimes you don’t need to tear everything down and start again, occasionally a little tweak here and there can make you feel completely differently about a space.
Take a more sustainable approach and re-style your prized possessions, and then mix in a few new accessories or plants. This is better for your wallet and more sustainable.
When you’re styling, dress a space as you do an outfit; give thought to the composition and how every item interacts with another. To put it in plain English, think about scale (size/proportion), shape, materials (texture) and colour. Opposites attract…. dark contrasted with light, smooth with textured, shiny with matte, plain with patterned, large scale with small scale, tall with short…. you get the idea… You can apply these rules across the board, but here are some key areas to consider when styling your living room.
Styling Cushions
1. VARY THE SCALE & SHAPE of your cushions… Here we’ve used a large 50 x 50cm Square cushion, with a 45cm round cushion. There are also some smaller 45 x 45cm square cushions, and even a rectangular thrown in.
Top tip…Start from the corner placing your largest cushion at the back and layer your smaller cushions in front. (max 2-3 together)
2. PLAY WITH PATTERN & COLOUR – If you want to mix pattern with confidence, make sure the palette is tight; 2 to 5 colours (max). You can play with different tones of a single colour, or repetition of a particular colour through all the cushions will help tie them together. Play with large and small scales of print in similar colours. Throw in a couple of plain cushions to stop things getting too busy.
3. LAYER DIFFERENT TEXTURES - as shown here, you have a beautiful embroidered crewel fabric on our Limpopo cushion, a printed velvet and a textured linen with cut fringe, on the sofa at our Langworthgate living room project. All these different textured fabrics add depth and engage your eye.
Lamps
WE CURATED the lamps at our Bailgate Court project, as a group, thinking about how they all sit together…
1. Varying heights create interest, taller lamps frame the large window, taking your gaze upwards. shorter lamps work in seated areas.
2. We chose lamps with different forms, tall and thin, short and square as well as medium and curved. Notice how the curvy white lamps we selected break up the angular silhouettes of the sofa, sideboard and coffee table.
3. Each lamp is a different material, which stops a fairly neutral scheme from becoming boring. Additionally the light reflects differently on ceramics, glass and metal.
Coffee table / Ottoman
HAVE SOME FUN HERE! A curated stack of books, a beautiful tray, or a vintage find would all look at home on a coffee table or ottoman.
TIP….Bowls, candles and little objects look better positioned on top of trays/books rather than floating around on their own.
Adding plants or flowers is also a game changer as they soften a flat surface and appeal to the senses. A little close up of our Elephant burgundy ottoman:
Art
INJECT PERSONALITY INTO A SPACE WITH ART… Make it a focal point and give thought to how you hang it. Hanging art from a picture rail is a great way to showcase favourite pieces.
TIP… Arrange art in odd numbers and balance a large piece with smaller ones.
This East London flat started off as a bland white box but it soon felt like home to our client, Ajay. The grid of small canvases draws the eye away from the neutral wall and adds some vibrancy to the space.
Shelves
Like coffee tables and ottomans, shelves and mantelpieces can be styled as much or as little as you like.
1. Select items which you adore and reflect your personality, perhaps add a small lamp or plants like we did here.
2. Vary the scale and shape to keep the eye engaged. Tall candlesticks with short plant…
3. Go diagonal; see how we have arranged the books and plants diagonally across from each other on each shelf. This looks balanced and adds interest.
4. Use plenty of different materials: the shiny glaze on the ceramics contrasts against the dark green shelves. Old leather bound books add another texture.
5. Lean Prints or photographs on shelves'
Our Brattleby living room shelving has been adorned with beautifully framed family photos and vintage finds.
We hope this helpful, If you feel like you need a little more help styling your home, get in touch to learn how we can help. Happy styling! x