Lounge by rachel-the-hat
As part of My plans for 2016 my main living room is top of my agenda.
I am here ALL DAY LONG, looking around at these four walls and thinking about how i can get this teeny tiny house to work for me as an office, family home and just a generally enjoyable place to chill.
The sofa, as I've mentioned, is the tippy top of my agenda. Scatter cushion backed sofas, let me warn you, are a holy hellish nightmare. If you have kids, do not buy a scatter back cushion sofa. The cushions will inevitably live more on your floor than anywhere else, and you will spend 80% of your day picking them up and putting them back to where they are supposed to be.
They also go really flat and floppy and just always look messy.
It was the first proper adult sofa purchase I had ever made so I'm marking it down to a life lesson.
From that at least I know what I want.
And I think I've found the perfect sofa! The sofa that dreams are made of..
The Heart of the Living Room
Finding a sofa that will comfortably seat at least 5 people, a dog and add in more possible guests, is a hard sofa to find.
I checked the usual haunts for a sofa, but they all seemed way to small and cursed with the scatter cushion backing *shudder*.
So whilst looking through new to me websites I found Oldrids & Downtown and this beauty above.
Ugh.. its so perfect I want to cry.
Tip One: Shop for furniture with a knowledge of what you need rather than buying what looks pretty.
Go in to it with your sensible head on and don't be seduced by the colourful scatter cushions that look great on show.
I now know I need a large corner sofa, a complete secured cushioned backing and stain resistant fabric. Don't fall in to the trap of buying what you lust over what will work for you and your situation.
Lighting
My living room has a dark side, not in a Yoda v's Darth type way but in a lightning needs sorting type way.
Spot lights would work best for creating a zone filled with consistent light throughout. Then a key piece as centre stage and also lamps.. Lamps are so great for adding decorative focal points as well as extra light to dull areas.
Tip two: Check you can get suitable light-bulbs easily for your fixtures. I once bought a lamp that was notoriously hard to find light-bulbs for, meaning it usually didn't get changed once it had gone. I now get all mine at Bulbs2go which is so much easier than standing in the supermarket wondering which bulb you were meant to get, only to be faced with a dozen different types (then committing to one, buying it, getting home and it being the wrong one.. argh.. anyone else do that?)
Workspace
If you work from home, like me, or even just at your computer a lot, like us bloggers are, creating a workplace environment that is enjoyable to be in is conducive to getting your work done well.
I spend A LOT of hours at my desk which is in our living room. It works well for me as when the family are home as I'm not segregated from them (although sometimes lord knows I wish I was somewhat separated) and it means I can keep an eye on everything and still reply to emails and get stuff done.
I'm currently working hard on making my space a positive happy place for me to be in. The more positive the space the happier I work.
I found a desk and side tables at Aram that are absolute investment pieces. These will stand the test of time and really make a statement in my living room as well as being practical.
Tip Three: Invest in yourself. Buy a good desk that you love and want to sit at, making your space a positive happy work environment will make for positive happy work.
Also if its in your living room, like me it also helps to be easy on the eye.
Soft Furnishings
I love me some good cushions and throws. I could shop for them all day long, much to my husbands dismay as i will often return from a shopping trip with new cushions (they're my Achilles heel). They really do make a difference in a room.
My colour preference at the moment is a soft duck egg blue with cream. I'm kind of thinking chic meets countryside style (that's a thing right?).
Tip Four: Stick to a colour scheme that you love, that you can add too and easily interchange furnishings. An estate agent tip would be can you imagine that room at Christmas? Can you imagine it cosy in winter and cool in summer? If you can say yes, then you know you are on to a year round beautiful room that you will love.
