Living room interior: design nuances and stylish solutions

Who doesn't dream of a cozy spacious living room, where it is so nice to get together with the whole family or to relax after a hard day? But not everyone succeeds in creating a unique style in their own apartment. And it's often not even about the financial component. It's just that many are accustomed to acting in a formulaic manner. If a living room, then you need a sofa, a TV, and some wallpaper on the wall. This approach will never lead to the desired result.

Let's figure out how to create an author's project that will delight the eye and amaze guests with its originality.

Creating a living room interior is a fascinating and in many ways creative process.

There are a number of features that should be considered before starting repairs.

• Quadrature... The amount of furniture and its dimensions should be proportional to the room itself.
• Features of the room... If the living room has a balcony or has several large windows, then this should be taken into account. This can affect both the amount of furniture and the scenario of its placement.
• All family members should feel comfortable... This applies to the number of seats on the sofa and at the dining table. If family members have hobbies that require the placement of additional items, this is also worth considering.

Before you run to the store and buy finishing materials, appliances and furniture for your living room, stop and think about what the room should be like. Many people approach their choice in a chaotic manner.For example, the action pattern may be as follows: I like this upholstered furniture, I will select some light wallpaper for it, the TV will stand on the curbstone, and nothing else is needed in the hall.

But if you take the issue seriously, then you will understand how irrational it is. You will spend money, time, effort, and the result will be very mediocre. That is why any project must start with careful planning.

Despite the fact that the living room is a single whole, it is necessary to highlight several zones in it. Such a visual division of space will help not only to arrange all the furniture logically, but also make the interior laconic. Experts say that competent zoning makes the space larger, while the chaotic arrangement of furniture along the walls creates the impression of an unfinished and spineless interior.

In a city apartment, these zones can be supplemented by an office (a desktop for working with papers and a computer), a creativity zone (if you are used to spending your free time with a brush and easel or at a sewing machine) and other functional areas depending on your interests.

There cannot be one clear recommendation, which style is more suitable for the living room. Some gravitate towards the classics, others want to create an interior with a futuristic design, while others love the calmness and nobility of the English style.

After you have determined which zones will be in your living room and in what style the interior you want to see, you need to decide on the minimum set of furniture. At first glance, there is nothing complicated here. Traditional furniture for the hall is considered to be a sofa (and armchairs), a wall and, in some cases, a dining table with chairs.

But modern trends offer a lot of alternative solutions. The traditional large sofa can be replaced with a modular sofa. Its parts are easy to move from place, creating different scenarios for seating guests and households.

The rejection of cabinets as a place for storing things, linen and other items is perceived by many negatively. If possible, just equip a separate dressing room.... You will save the hall and other rooms from cabinets, freeing up a lot of space, while all things will be stored in one place, without attracting attention to yourself.

Here everything will depend on what style you have chosen as the main one. So, brickwork and concrete are characteristic of a loft, while Provence cannot be imagined without cozy rough walls. In any case, pay attention to the quality of the finishing materials. Yes, renovation is expensive. But if you save money at this stage, then very soon you will have to restore or completely redo the walls.

The ceiling is most often performed in neutral light colors. This is typical for almost all styles and trends. The fact is that the dark top will "press", reducing the space. Therefore, it is light shades that are considered ideal for finishing it. As for the materials, it can be both plaster and stretch ceiling.

The floor in the living room is most often laid out with parquet or laminate. They are durable materials that are pleasant to walk on.The palette of colors and shades is large, and therefore everyone can find a suitable option. The ceiling and floor do not need additional decorations. But if you want to emphasize their beauty, then skirting boards, moldings and stucco molding will come to your aid (if it is appropriate in the chosen style).

It is the details that give the interior a complete, laconic look. Don't underestimate their importance. A well-chosen vase or painting will only emphasize all its advantages and remind guests of the good taste of the hosts.

Pay attention to other details: fittings, table setting, textiles. There is not a single random or unnecessary thing in stylish author's projects. All items are designed to support a given topic, and not argue with it or draw attention to themselves.

It is difficult to say which style suits the living room best. This largely depends on the personal preferences of the apartment owners. We present to your attention the most popular and demanded styles for decorating a living room.

It is generally accepted that people of the older generation are more attracted to it. But in most cases this is due to the incorrect interpretation of this style. Yes, he is restrained and even strict, but far from boring.

A very popular style today. Many people dislike it because of its specific atmosphere. At first glance, it seems that the renovation in the room has not yet been completed. Here you can see concrete or brick walls, a ceiling with concrete beams or ventilation boxes, and rough furniture.

This style is characterized by the use of modern and even futuristic technologies. Not only the technical equipment should correspond to the latest trends, but the design itself should resemble, if not the cockpit of a spaceship, then a room from films about the future. At the same time, the usual decorative details are practically absent in it.

This style combines brevity and functionality. It is suitable both for an ordinary city apartment and for a country house. Great attention is paid to lighting. Every corner should be permeated with light. This expands the space and makes it a whole. The discreet wall decoration is compensated by the presence of niches, and the ceiling can have several tiers.

This style is suitable for lovers of everything luxurious and expensive - golden framing of mirrors, facades and paintings, expensive textured textiles on furniture and windows, high-quality natural furniture made of valuable wood species. It is not hard to guess that all this luxury cannot be cheap. Any use of analogs (instead of natural materials) will be immediately noticeable. At the same time, the interior runs the risk of turning from a respectable into a pathetic copy.

It is laconic and understandable. Pleasant flowing lines, harmonious wall and ceiling finishes and great attention to detail reign here. The furniture has regular shapes, and a fairly clear geometry can be traced in the room.At the same time, the facades of the cabinets can be decorated with beautiful curves, and the textile armrests and backs on the furniture will be framed in ornate carvings.

It seems that there is nothing easier than painting the walls white, putting one sofa and hanging a TV on the wall. After all, minimalism implies a minimum of decoration, furniture and the absence of decorative elements. But the task of the designer is to preserve the feeling of spaciousness and air by hiding or disguising all the modules and objects so that the room seems spacious and unoccupied. And it is not so easy to do this in practice.

At the mention of this style, such epithets as stiffness, severity and elegance come to mind. All this fully characterizes this design direction. But this does not diminish the number of his fans. Think of the films about Sherlock Holmes.

It is characterized by a special arrangement of furniture. The coffee table, sofa and armchairs are not placed along the walls, but form a composition in the center of the room. At the same time, wall decoration is most often done in a monochrome calm range. Plaster is preferred over wallpaper.

Interiors made in this style are always interesting and attract attention. They are characterized by exotic designs and patterns (traditional for a particular people), the use of interesting decorative elements. The design will depend on what kind of exotic culture you are interested in.

Traditionally, houses in the Mediterranean were built from clay. Inside, there was simple wall and ceiling decoration. This style has retained these features to this day. Preference is given to light plastered walls. Moreover, they must be perfectly flat. The whole room is permeated with light and air. The calm monochrome interior is diluted with brightly colored textiles. Moreover, it must be natural.

The style of the American or Western countryside is very fond of our compatriots. It is simple and straightforward. However, it cannot be called boring. Every detail is permeated with warmth and comfort. A special atmosphere is created by handmade textiles - embroidered curtains, openwork tablecloths and lace. Wood is used for furniture. The facades are often decorated with rattan or other woody weaves.

The selected finishing materials play an important role in the design of the living room. With their help, you can achieve the desired effect and create a unique and stylish project. When choosing them, it is necessary to give preference to quality options. This is the only way to get a good result, and to ensure a long service life of the room without repeated repairs.

Today, the leaders are two methods of ceiling decoration. The first is leveling the surface with plaster, and the second is the installation of a stretch ceiling. Actually, the last option can hardly be called a finishing method.

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Stretch ceilings create a perfectly flat surface. In addition, you can choose their color and texture (glossy, matte, satin). In specialized firms, you will also be offered a ceiling with a design. The main disadvantage is the impossibility of its restoration after damage. It will also be impossible to change the color or texture of the canvas.

For finishing the floor, materials such as laminate, parquet board, linoleum, carpet are used. The first two options are more expensive, but they will also last a long time. One has only to take into account that they do not like high humidity and can swell with constant contact with it.

Today you can find linoleum in all kinds of colors. More expensive types have the texture of a real parquet board. It will be difficult to distinguish it from the original at first glance. At the same time, the price for it is much lower, and it is easier to lay such material on the floor.

Here the choice of materials is much wider. Depending on the chosen design, you can use one of them or combine several types in one room.

• Plaster... The walls must first be perfectly aligned. After painting, it will be impossible to correct defects, and they will be very noticeable on the painted surface.

• Wallpaper... There is a large selection of these materials on the market. You can find both budget versions and expensive design options. The most popular today are non-woven and vinyl wallpapers. They have a long service life and can be washed. In addition, their texture can imitate natural materials.

• Drywall... It creates a perfectly flat surface. It can be used to equip niches or disguise pipes and other communications. But this is not a finish. In any case, you will have to putty it, and then apply paint or glue wallpaper.

• Separately, you can highlight decorative plaster and liquid wallpaper.... A huge plus of their use is that they are able to hide minor wall defects, while being a finish. If necessary, they can be painted in any color. This is a very nice bonus for families with small children.

• Decorative stone and facing brick... These materials are panels (sizes can be any) that are mounted directly on the wall. They create the illusion of using natural materials.

• 3D panels... This is a novelty among the ways of decorating walls in the living room. Modern technology that gives the walls not only color and texture, but also volume. Special lightweight panels come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some create the illusion of waves, others decorate the space with intricate geometric patterns.

Light colors are suitable for narrow and small rooms, as they visually expand the space. Today, muted tones such as pistachio or olive are especially popular.

Among the bright colors, in addition to the usual violet, blue or red shades, designers are advised to try colors unusual for our interiors, such as mint, lemon, fuchsia or ultramarine.

Among the dark tones, preference is given to classics such as brown (or wenge), black, dark gray (graphite) and deep blue. But there should not be too many of them so that the interior does not become gloomy and gloomy.

For those who like unexpected combinations, you can choose two basic colors for the living room. The entire interior will be built on their contrast. If you find it difficult to find the right combination, use the design circle. On opposite sides of it, shades that are combined with each other will be located. You can also mentally draw an equilateral triangle in a circle. In this case, its vertices will indicate three colors.

The classic combinations include such recognized favorites as white and black, beige and brown, gray and pink, and some others. Choosing these combinations, you are guaranteed to get successful compositions.

It is not enough to make a good high-quality finish, pick up furniture, you still need to arrange it correctly. The final result will depend on this. If you have all the furniture made of cabinet, then you can experiment, rearranging objects in the right order. However, when ordering built-in furniture, such liberty will be impermissible.

The open type of arrangement is a scenario familiar to all of us, when upholstered furniture is located along one or two adjacent walls, and a rack (wall or slide) with a TV is opposite. This provides a good overview and frees up space in the center.

A closed type of arrangement is often used if it is necessary to combine a dining room and a relaxation area with upholstered furniture in the living room. In this case, the TV and other equipment are located on the same wall (rack, cabinet, etc.), and furniture is placed around it, forming a closed area. The dining area can be located directly behind this composition.

There are completely unique living room projects - it is difficult to attribute them to any one style, and the arrangement of furniture is sometimes quite unexpected. Such author's projects deserve attention. They can be a source of inspiration, and this is where you can get interesting ideas.

We have already said that the open type of arrangement is more suitable for small rooms, while the closed one looks great in spacious living rooms. But there are other factors to consider when placing. For example, in non-standard buildings, proportionality can be violated. In this case, furniture, coupled with design, are able to change its geometry, creating the correct shapes and highlighting the necessary areas.

Arranging furniture in a certain way helps to organize the space. With proper planning, functional areas will be clearly traced in your living room. It is difficult to call a space stylish where gymnastic rings hang in one corner, a table of unknown purpose stands next to it, and a wardrobe huddles alone in the corner. When distributing furniture into zones, a clear and concise picture is obtained.

Little attention was paid to the issue of lighting in the old days. It was believed that it was enough to hang a ceiling chandelier to make it light.

Today, designers assign him one of the main roles.

• Light zoning... With its help, you can change the geometry of the space, highlight the necessary areas and place accents. Therefore, even at the stage of renovation, several scenarios for lighting the living room should be envisaged.
• Daylight... Light through the windows should freely enter the room. If you don't like direct sunlight, you can use curtains to soften and diffuse them. But do not put bulky cabinets next to windows or block them with other objects.
• Ceiling lamps... There may be several of them, but you need to take care of this even at the repair stage, since this requires bringing electrical wiring to each of them. It will need to be hidden behind sheets of drywall or stretch ceiling. These can be both traditional chandeliers (but not more than one), and pendant or spotlights, spotlights.
• LED lights... With its help, you can advantageously emphasize individual areas. If you install it near the ceiling, it will appear higher. Highlighting individual items (or shelves) will certainly draw attention to them in the evening.
• Floor lamps, sconces... They can be installed on your desk or used as lighting for a soft area where you can read your favorite book. They create soft, subdued light.

All decor elements should be well combined with each other. Textiles are no exception. Furniture upholstery, curtains, tablecloths and other items must be in the same style.

There are many ways to decorate your interior. But you shouldn't bring everything that you like in the store to your home. Before buying, think carefully whether this thing will decorate and complement your interior, or whether it is just beautiful in itself (but not within the framework of your interior). This will save you unnecessary waste and keep the style you set.

Among the most popular decorative elements for the living room are the following.

• Paintings... Recently, it has become fashionable to decorate the walls with modular paintings. They represent several canvases united by a common theme, or a single image can be divided into several canvases.

• Compositions from photographs... These can be photographs of your family, happy moments, or favorite places and landscapes.

• Frescoes... An expensive treat, but worth it. The most important thing is to choose a painting that fully matches the style of the living room. Before deciding to make a fresco, you need to understand that you cannot change it as easily as wallpaper.

• Columns... They can be not only classic with stucco molding, but also very unusual: made of metal, bamboo, brick, etc. It all depends on the style of your living room.

• Vases... For classic interiors, the traditional large floor vases, which can be found in museums, are suitable. For styles such as modern or high-tech, it is better to choose options of an unusual shape, reminiscent of art objects of modern art.

• Moldings... They give the interior a finished look, so you should not neglect them.

• Textile... Cozy cushions on the sofa, soft blanket on the armchair and carpets will certainly add coziness and warmth to the interior. In addition, it is they who can become color accents. If desired, they can be easily changed, and then the interior will sparkle in a new way.

The living room in a classic style looks respectable and expensive. The use of expensive natural materials emphasizes the status and good taste of its owners.

The high-tech living room interior is similar to the scenery from the films about the future. Modern technology and lighting only enhance this effect.

Delicate and romantic Provence style living room will awaken the most tender feelings. It is nice to be here and arrange hearty family gatherings.

You will learn how to avoid mistakes when decorating the living room in the video below.