Of all the rooms in the house, the living room is the center of social life at home. Meetings; sofa Sundays, movie and blanket; team projects with classmates or coworkers, and winter afternoons of board games are all activities that are generally carried out in this area of the home. It may have more or fewer square meters, but its presence in the home is essential. Along with the foyer, the living room can be neutral ground for entertaining visitors, especially useful in occasions where there is not yet enough confidence with the visitors. Being a highly trafficked area of the home, what cannot be missing in the living room are seats.
However, there is not always enough space to place a multi-seater sofa or many chairs around a large table that accommodates a good number of diners. In these cases, an elegant option to have additional seating that also does not take up square footage in the living room, are poufs.
That said, find cheap and pretty poufs with which to give this area of the home a contemporary and informal touch, to remove seriousness from the living room (but not elegance), and make it more modern without giving up a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. To help you in this task, we reveal the keys to achieving a cozy and modern living room, but also functional.
Adjustable lighting
Modern living rooms should be bright. To make the most of natural light during the day, large windows can be installed, with sliding doors and motorized blinds. As for artificial lighting (necessary at night), it is recommended to have an installation that allows regulating the intensity of the light emitted by the bulbs, in order to create a more or less relaxed atmosphere according to the needs of each moment.
Connection to the terrace
The living room windows could provide access to the terrace or garden. In the first case, it would be very convenient to close the terrace and install blinds. This way, the usefulness of the terrace is regained in the colder months. In addition, through the blinds, the privacy of the terrace as part of the home is maintained. It is a way to take advantage of a space that, in most homes, would only be used in spring and autumn.
Contrast of colors and textures
Modern living rooms tend to opt for a range of neutral colors (blacks, whites, grays, earth tones…) that are combined. However, to avoid falling into monotony (and not lose that eclectic and contemporary touch), some color accents are added to these previous tones. For example: one of the main walls of the living room can be painted in a more striking shade. Red interacts very well in living rooms where the predominant base color is gray. In living rooms where brown prevails, using a blue color can provide a very attractive contrast. Something similar happens with textures. Smooth, soft, non-rough textures are usually chosen (for example: faux leather or fabric armchairs) combined with the natural texture of other materials, such as brick (for the walls), or the lace that some cushion covers show.
Simple and practical furniture
Instead of looking for visually very ornate furniture with many ornaments, including volutes (for example) in their legs and, in general, resembling the baroque, the buyer should opt for simpler furniture, with simple lines and fewer ornamental details. It is important that they are, above all, functional, and require little maintenance. Wood remains the material par excellence. On the one hand, it helps to achieve a cozy atmosphere that no other material can achieve. And, on the other hand, having many varieties and tones of wood: according to the tree, the applied dyes… it gives a lot of room to enrich the space with different visual rhythms without being strident.
Straights and curves
It is true that modern living rooms have more elements formed by straight lines than curves. However, in order to avoid falling into monotony, it is advisable to introduce interruptions in that straightness. This can be achieved with round tables, curved armchairs, and poufs. The latter are especially practical for several reasons:
- There are models that are foldable. They can be easily stored in the closet, to be taken out only when needed. They are especially recommended for those who have occasional guests at home.
- Poufs may include storage space inside, so apart from serving as seats, they also serve to store objects inside.
- In a house with children, it may be a good idea to include poufs in a specific area of the living room. It would be a way to create a space for painting and playing or also (why not?) a reading corner.
They are items that have been designed not only to sit on, but also to rest your feet. It is a good way to have a footrest without sacrificing the elegance of the living room, while breaking the homogeneity of so many straight lines.
via: MiMub in Spanish
