Whether your living room is too small, too large, too bland or too congested, you can easily change its look!  You may believe that you have a tiny area and therefore it is destined to appear small and congested.  Alternatively your living area may be spacious – a bit TOO spacious.  Maybe your living room looks cluttered and messy or plain, lacking any interest.  No matter what your biggest problem might be, there are some easy solutions.  This article offers tips and ideas for making your living room one that you love, and one that your family and guests love as well.

Make a Tiny Room Look Bigger

If you have a living room that is small, there are several things you can do to make it appear larger.  First, paint the walls and ceiling a light color.  A light color will make the ceiling appear higher, creating a spacious feeling.  Consider furnishings that include light shades as well, such as pale blue, beige, tan and other light hues.  Shy away from dark colored woods like mahogany, and opt for natural woods or pine finishes.

Wherever possible set furniture against the walls to open up as much floor space as you can.  Remove any clutter, and steer clear of knick-knacks and other small accessories that make a room look congested and cluttered.  To add color to the walls without taking away any visual space, use no more than one large accent per wall, preferably something brightly colored that will help light up the room.  Leave windows bare if you can but if not use light-weight fabrics or sheers.

Cozy up a Large Room

Perhaps you have the opposite problem – your living room is way too big!  This often makes a room appear a bit cold, making it feel as though it is lacking in personality.  To make this room look more intimate and appealing, use rich, dark colors such as burgundy, navy and green.  Browns, gold tones and autumn colors will work as well.  While you don’t have to paint every wall a dark color, consider painting two opposing walls a rich shade as a contrast to the other walls.  If you have a high beamed or cathedral ceiling, consider painting it a darker tone as well.  This will visually bring the ceiling down.

When the room is too spacious, you want to draw it in.  This can be accomplished by moving furnishings away from the wall, and creating smaller, more intimate settings.  Arrange a sofa and chairs around a coffee table, where sitting arrangements will have you facing those who are visiting.  This adds a personal, intimate feel to the room.  Keep furnishings and accessories to scale – you want to use large, bulky furniture, large plants, and other décor that is of substantial size.  Decorate the walls with large prints as well.

Remember, in any room too many accessories and accents can look junky, no matter how small or large the room might be.  For smaller rooms, keep accents bright and sunny.  In larger living rooms, use a variety of patterns and prints such as stripes, geometrics and florals that coordinate with the room’s main color.  They will add dimension and depth to the room, helping to diminish the cold atmosphere.

Combine these ideas with a few of your own creative thoughts and enjoy rooms that are filled with style and personality!

Your living room needs a makeover, but you have been putting it off for some time now.  This afternoon, you received a call that your in-laws are coming to visit from out of town!  Now, you need to update the room in a hurry, and have no idea what to do.  This article will give you tips for making over your living room in a day, while not spending much money in the process.

Not only will your in-laws be impressed, you have quickly finished a project that you have been putting off for months!

Paint a Wall
No, it isn’t necessary to engage in hours of drudgery painting the entire living room.  Choose one wall, and paint it a bold, intense color that blends with some of your existing accents.  You will be amazed at the depth doing this one little thing can add to the room.  You add a great burst of color, while adding warmth to the room as well.

Can’t Afford New Furniture?
If you need new furnishings but your budget won’t allow for it at the moment, invest in some good slipcovers.  For the sofa, you may want to keep the slipcover one solid color, and then add richly textured accent pillows that bring out the color of the wall you painted.  Have a boldly patterned throw?  Toss it casually over the back of the sofa, or a recliner or rocking chair.

Move the furniture around and take it away from the walls.  Group it together in an intimate arrangement that looks cozy and welcoming.  If you add an area rug that includes the colors of the room, center it in the middle of the grouping.

Clear the Clutter
Clutter tends to make a room look messy and disorganized.  By removing the clutter from floors, furniture and table tops, you will visually increase the size of the room!  It will look much cleaner and better organized.  As a general rule, place no more than three items on the top of any one table.

Now, decorate the walls with further bursts of color.  You can hang boldly colored prints with a simple mat, or stencil designs on the wall yourself and paint using hues that coordinate or contrast with the other colors of the room.  Usually, about three colors add the most interest and appeal to a room without making it look overly complicated.  Add a big vase of fresh flowers that are colored in shades to match the room, light a warmly scented candle and you’re done!  As quick as a flash, you have a newly updated living room.

Sometimes, it takes a little push for us to get things accomplished that we’ve been meaning to do for a long time.  Whether company is coming with little notice, or you just want to refresh the room a bit, put these tips to work!  Before dark tonight, you can transform the look of a neutral or otherwise dull room.  Just add some bold color and accents for instant sparkle and flash!

Most people love large living or family rooms, but they tend to have a cold or cavernous appearance, especially when the ceilings are vaulted.  While you love the spaciousness, you may wonder how to make the room feel a little more warm and inviting, or cozy.  You want your home to have an atmosphere that is comfortable and welcoming, an almost intimate appeal that feels alluring.

There are several ways you can break up a large space in order to make it feel a bit more personal.  This article will give you tips on creating a room that offers interest, appeal and, most of all, warmth.

Arrange Several Furniture Groupings

The easiest way to break the room up is to group furnishings in different areas, each for a purpose.  Arrange your sofa, loveseat, recliner and tables in a small grouping around an area rug.  This makes a wonderful conversation area when guests visit.  Furniture should not be placed against the wall; this only makes things look impersonal.  You may want to add another area that is designed for enjoying a good book.  Place a rocking chair or recliner, along with a small table and lamp, in another location in the room – perhaps near a window.

If you have more space, consider placing an additional sofa and television, stereo and game station in an area that will be used solely for entertainment purposes.  Creating areas designed to be used for specific activities is a great way to break the room up into smaller, more intimate spaces.

Use Paint or Wallpaper to Draw the Room In

In smaller spaces, most people avoid using dark colored paint.  When you have high ceilings and a very large room, dark paint is the perfect solution.  Consider painting the ceiling a dark shade as well to bring it down visually.  Boldly patterned wallpaper containing dark shades is an option as well.

Avoid Decorating with Mirrors

Mirrors tend to make rooms look larger, especially when they reflect light from windows or other light sources.  If you feel that you have to use a mirror, hang it where it reflects a favorite piece of décor or accent.

Add Lots of Accessories!

Adding lots of accessories such as baskets, pottery, plants and bookshelves can really scale a room down.  Using small to medium size accents helps reduce the appearance of a large room and balances bigger items like furniture.  Consider placing a potted tree in one corner of the room to match the scale of a high ceiling.

Bulk is Great

For spacious rooms, bulky large furniture is perfect.  Consider using “heavy” looking fabrics such as tapestries, and keep the colors dark.  Dark colored wood is ideal as well; light colors tend to make spaces look larger.  Avoid glass topped tables completely.

There you have it!  Five great ways that you can visually reduce the size of spaces which look cold and uninviting.  No matter how big the living or family room are, you can give them a cozy, warm appearance that everyone will appreciate.

Have you lived in your home for years and feel that it’s time for an update? When you’ve had the same colors and accents for a long time, you may feel that you want a change. Perhaps you’re finding that your kitchen and living area have begun looking tired and drab. If you can’t afford a home makeover at the moment, then what are your options?

Spruce up your home using vibrant colors and add a few new accents. It’s amazing how different things will look when you’re through. The best part is, even though you’re not spending a bundle of money, your home will look as though you did.

In the Living Room
This is one area you really want to be appealing, especially since this is the room where family and friends congregate to visit and enjoy each other’s company. Have you been stuck on contemporary or modern décor for years, but now you’re ready to do something bold? Be daring, and move away from the black, beige, and tan that are the usual hallmarks of your design style.

If you want a look that’s fresh, energizing, and demands attention, work with vibrant blues, tropical greens, and peaches. Choose a light celery green for the walls, and then paint the baseboards and doors a dark forest green. Hang bright botanical prints on the walls and then add a few fruity- or tropical-scented candles. As a final touch, add a little silk greenery casually displayed in clear glass vases on a wooden coffee table, and you will have achieved a totally different look for your room.

If you have solid-colored furniture, don’t be afraid to add throw pillows in bold patterns and colors. By mixing floral designs, stripes, and plaids, you can add interest and originality. Just be sure all the colors are complementary, and you will have created an incredible look.

Add Pizzazz in the Kitchen & Dining Room
If your kitchen and dining room look a little worn out and drab, then add more color. Coordinate the color theme with what you’re doing in the living room. This is especially important if these areas run together. Citrus colors work great in the kitchen. Add some bright curtains to the windows. Sunflowers, strawberries, and other bright-hued prints can really infuse this room with energy.

For the dining room, consider laying a brightly colored runner along the center of your dining table. Then place a straw basket filled with fruit there. Choose a vibrant color for the dining room walls, and then add splashes of contrasting colors using a feather duster for an exciting look. Anything goes-just use your imagination! Any accent or idea will work, as long as it’s bright and cheery.

In end, the point of all this is to make your rooms in your home come alive. For years, you have been living with the same dull and boring colors day after day. It’s time to add some vibrancy and excitement to your home. When you combine many bright, bold colors, you add some depth to a décor that makes a room look much more interesting. You’ll find that accents and furniture stand out, instead of blending together and getting lost in a sea of white. You’ll find that every area of the room begins to take on a life of its own.

Go for the gusto! Don’t hold anything back! If you’re looking to give your home not only a brand-new look but an exciting feeling as well, bright, energetic colors may be just what you need. Go for drama and flair and forget those rooms with no personality. You will have a feeling of renewed energy and vitality each time you set foot in your home.

The living room is one of the most used spaces in most homes. This tends to be a favorite room for relaxing, entertaining, and spending time with the family. The more time you spend in that room, the more you may feel you need to change the look. Fortunately, if you want to change the look of your living room, you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune. If you’re looking to renovate your room and make it exciting again, here are a few suggestions.

Rearrange the Furniture
You can get a whole new look without spending any money by rearranging the furniture. The best place to start is to find a different focal point for the room and then rearrange things to focus on that new area. Not only is this simple to do, but you can give the room a completely new look and flow. Rearranging doesn’t require any new furniture, but if you’re really looking to mix things up, try adding an inexpensive piece like an end table.

Change the Paint Color on the Walls
Paint is great, as it is fairly inexpensive but can change the look of a room dramatically. Your best bet is to choose a color that’s already in the room’s color scheme. You can develop a whole new feel for the room by choosing a matching or complementary color. If you don’t have the time or money to paint the entire room, you can simply choose one wall and make it an accent wall. By painting it an accent color, you can give the room some more interest.

Add Inexpensive Accessories to the Furniture
It’s not necessary to spend a fortune on furniture accessories to change the style of a living room. If you have any inexpensive decorative pillows, throws, flower arrangements, vases, baskets, candles, or lamps in other areas of your home, perhaps you can bring them into the living room to add to the décor. The simple placement of new decorative pillows on a couch can create a totally different style. With different pillows you can easily transform a neutral couch from a country to a contemporary style. If you have wood end tables and oak bookshelves in the room, you can add candles and baskets to mix up the décor.

Change the Window Treatments
You can completely change the look with different window treatments, which may allow different amounts of light to enter the room. The great things about window treatments is you can change the colors, patterns, and type of material fairly easily. Another option is to add other window treatments to the existing ones. For instance, you could add a fabric valance to a window that already has blinds.

If you don’t have a lot of money to spend but you want to change the look of your living room, with a little resourcefulness and creativity you can come up with a new style. By simply following one or more of these tips, you can create a living room your friends and family may not even recognize.

There are dozens of different design styles that you can choose from when you decorate your living room. It’s important to remember when decorating your living room that you want to like the style and be comfortable in the room, since you’ll most likely be spending a lot of time there. Here are some different living room design styles for you to consider.

Mission Design Style
Built using the traditional materials like oak and cherry wood this style adds a bold and and elegant look to any living room. Started at the turn of the last century, the Mission or Arts & Crafts style has endured for decades due to its simple designs that were a direct response to opulent Victorian area furniture that was popular at the time. Inspired by minimalistic designs of the Japanese, the British and American influences made this style unique blend of East and West. Whether you’re decorating an entire living room or simple a getting a view accent pieces like a Morris chair or an oak coffee table this style is perfect for every home.

Contemporary Design Style
Typically, a contemporary living room will have very neutral colors and elements with just a few pops of color and design here and there. For instance, you might have a dark gray sleek couch in the room with two purple throw pillows added to it. The lines of the room should be kept soft and rounded. You want the room to look very minimalistic. Another approach to a contemporary living room is to keep the colors monochromatic and then add a splash of white here and there to break up the color.

Cottage Design Style
When you use a cottage design style, you want to aim for plenty of color with graceful patterns and lines. Cottage style usually brings floral patterns and pastel plaids to mind. A living room decorated in cottage style should look both comfortable and inviting. Comfortable and plush furniture with puffy pillows work great with this decorating style. Great colors for this design style include: cream, pink, light green, and light blue.

Romantic Design Style
A romantic design style is a great way to create a formal look for your living room. A living room decorated in a romantic design style will use light and airy fabrics. Expect to see a lot a white, cream, silver, and other pastel colors in this décor. You can add a twist to things with some touches of floral. You can also add some interest with a lightly colored area rug or a few decorative pillows. You want the furniture to be delicate and light, and not overbearing in any way.

Eclectic Design Style
If you are having a difficult time settling on just one design style for your living room, consider choosing a few different ones that are your favorites. With an eclectic style, you can incorporate several different design styles into one room. For instance, your walls can appear modern, while your furniture might look like it can from a cottage style room. However, there are certain ways that you should pull the look together. Make the room appear more cohesive by using common colors, textures, or patterns in the décor.

Once you figure out what you want from your living room, you will be able to figure out what design style might be appropriate. For instance, if you want a more formal room, then you might go with something like a romantic design style. On the other hand, if you want a more casual space, then a cottage-styled room might be a better fit. Just remember to find a style you can live with and won’t want to change in just a couple of months.