The heart of many homes is the living room. It is the central part of a household- often functioning as a place of relaxation, a space for entertaining guests, a gathering area for movie night, and even a study space for children. Since the living room gets an incredible amount of use and is often the first place to bring guests, it is typically one that homeowners are most aware of in terms of revamping.
Whether it’s looking a bit dull from the past year or you simply are wanting to ring in 2018 with a brand new look, here are 5 effective ways of giving your living room a makeover.
Replace Old Flooring with Smooth, Durable Wood Floors
Old flooring, whether it’s discolored, aged carpet or dull and dinged up wood floors, does nothing to help a living room. Replacing aged flooring makes a huge impact and can also increase the value of your home. Hardwood flooring is always an excellent choice, but consider thermally modified wood as a superior alternative.
Modified wood is a real wood product that is tougher but smoother than regular wood. While most popular as a decking material, it does absolutely wonderful inside the home as well. If you have kids, pets, or your living room gets a lot of foot traffic, modified wood flooring will stand up far better than traditional wood options.
Create Interest with Modern Touches of Bamboo
Bamboo is becoming a more popular product in interior design. It often is viewed as a more modern alternative to wood, as it’s clean appearance and straight lines look quite polished. Bamboo is also an eco-friendly product and bamboo wall panels are free of potentially dangerous chemicals. Touches of bamboo in your living room adds interest and the material itself is highly versatile.
Photo by Eggleston Farkas Architects
You can use bamboo as wall paneling, as mentioned, and also within custom living room cabinetry and built-ins, and even to cover coffee tables or built-in entertainment centers. You can find these types of bamboo panels in a variety of colors, but a deep chocolate tone is particularly stunning in a warmly lit living room.
Add a Personal Touch with Custom Canvas Prints
A finishing touch to any room, particularly the living room, is hanging wall art. Often times when a home doesn’t quite look finished it’s due to a lack of art on the walls. It comes as no surprise that professional home designers carefully select what pieces will featured in each room. Thankfully selecting wall art isn’t difficult and you can easily make your home really reflect your taste through canvas wall prints.
While there is nothing wrong with framed pictures and art, canvas prints offer a more casual, informal feel which works exceptionally well for the living room. You can have canvas prints of classic art pieces or having custom prints of your own photography or photos of your family and friends showcased. This is an affordable way of finishing off your living room that also makes a big impression.
Bring in Natural Warmth with Reclaimed Wood
There is a reason why reclaimed barnwood and weather wood decor is wildly popular in home decor. Real wood bring in a natural warmth and coziness to a home, making it especially ideal for a living room setting. When changing up the wall in your living room, rather than painting an accent wall consider creating a statement with reclaimed wood wall panels instead.
A reclaimed wood wall will look stunning as a backdrop being your sofa or even behind your entertainment center. It is fairly easy to install, perhaps even being a DIY project with a partner. A wood wall panel can look quite luxurious, despite being an affordable project.
Invest in Quality, Real Wood Furniture
Your choice of furniture says more about your living room than almost anything else decor-wise. Regardless of your particular style, the trick to creating a beautiful living room setting is selecting quality furniture. This is especially true when it comes to wood furniture. Forget the cheap mass-produced plywood and particleboard choices so common today. Stick with real wood furniture that is versatile enough to adapt to changes in your style while lasting you for years.
Photo by Oak Furniture Land
Real amish living room furniture is always an excellent route, especially since Mission-style furniture goes well with almost any look, from very modern to quite rustic. By investing in good quality furniture you will save money and make your living room look nicely styled.
Photo by Moskow Linn Architects
As you can see, sprucing up your living room can be as intensive or as simple as you like. Whether you want just a little change from the norm or you’re craving a whole new look to your living room, any or all of these ideas will help you achieve your goal.