The environment you live in is intrinsically tied to how you feel and your overall well-being. When things feel off in your living space, it can affect your mood, energy levels, and productivity. At the end of the day, the space you live, sleep, and relax in is important and should be a priority to you if you’re trying to lead a more peaceful, happy life.
So, if you’ve been feeling restless or out of touch with your space, this guide on how to create a well-balanced living room for you. Since this is often the most-used room in the house, starting with the living room is a great leap in the right direction.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Understanding Design Elements
When designing your living room, there are several important factors to keep in mind to achieve a cohesive, more balanced feel:
- Color therapy and setting the tone through your home (for example: blues and greens instead of reds)
- Shapes, weights, and lines (for example: harsh geometrics vs. smooth curves)
- Layout and size of your space (for example: smaller rooms need lighter furniture and fabrics)
- Height of the room and decor pieces (for example: if you have low couch, you don’t want your coffee table to be too high)
- Comfort and quality of furnishings (for example: Hooker Furniture vs. IKEA)
- Living design aspects (for example: incorporating flowers, succulents, or crystals)
You also want to make note of these basic dos and don’ts:
- DON’T go overboard on loud prints and colors or your energy will feel disrupted and chaotic
- DO mix colors and textures to create depth
- DON’T place everything at the same level
- DO play with heights and size to create visual interest and make the room feel more open
- DON’T purchase random decor pieces without a vision and plan in mind
- DO sit down and create a detailed plan
Now that you have the wheels turning and these main factors in mind, you’re ready to get started on making changes to your living room.
Step 2: Making a Plan for Your Decor
The next step to creating a cozy, happy home is making a plan for your living room decor—the perfect use for the extra note space in your ban.do planner. Depending on how much of an overhaul your living room needs, this plan may be fairly simple or more elaborate. Either way, take your time in deciding which design elements will work best with your overall decor, theme, and space.
For example, if you’re happy with your overall decor, but need to add some touches that make it feel more personal or complete, your plan will mostly include moving some furniture around and maybe updating or purchasing some new items to create a more cohesive design.
However, if you’re starting from scratch, there will be a lot more planning, measuring, and thought behind your new living room design. By carefully choosing your furniture, wall art, accents (including lighting, throw pillows, rugs, and more), you will be able to curate a well-balanced living room that speaks to your personality. A free Canva mood board or one developed on EDIT.org can be helpful throughout this process.
Step 3: Make Those Changes
Now you’re ready to start creating the living room you’ve been dreaming of. Here’s how to make it happen:
- Create a shopping list.
- Research your options online, look at different retailers, styles, and price points.
- If you can’t buy everything at once, set priorities and shop in that order.
And of course, your budget is also an essential component of any redecorating project. If you have a limited budget, that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the right feng-shui for your living room—it might just take a little longer to get to your end goal. In some cases, it might be worth waiting until you can afford a specific piece you’ve had your eye on, rather than rushing and settling for a cheaper alternative that’s a bit off.
Piece by piece, you see your living room coming together before your eyes!
Transform Your Home
Depending on your goals these steps may change a little, but they make for a good guideline when you’re trying to update your space to make it more peaceful and livable. If you’re feeling like other rooms in your home aren’t quite there yet, you can also apply these recommendations to the bedroom, your home office, even the outdoor spaces of your house. To achieve optimal balance in your home, think of the house as whole and apply cohesive design elements throughout the different rooms to create a flow of comfort and happiness wherever you are.
