6 Common Living Room Design Mistakes to Avoid
August 4, 2020When you are in the interior planning phase of your new dream home, it is important to make certain considerations for each area in your house. Having well-thought-out living spaces in your home will make for a comfortable interior that looks great and meets your needs. Each room will have its own considerations. When it comes to your living room, here are some common living room design mistakes to avoid:
Mistake #1 – Not Considering How the Room Will be Used
When planning a living room design in your new home, it’s important to think about how the room will be used. This will have a huge effect on the layout, overall design, decor, etc. Ask yourself some questions about your intent for the area.
Will it be a primary living space? Will you use the living room as a more formal entertaining area when guests are at your home? How many people in your family will need to use the room? How will they often be using the room?
Answering questions like this and keeping these considerations in mind will help you to determine how the room should be laid out, what interior design style you should consider, and how you will decorate the living room. Plus, it helps ensure that the room truly works well for you and your family.
Mistake #2 – Ignoring Foot Traffic and Flow
When designing a living room, it is important to consider traffic flow. How will people move throughout the room? Are there natural or logical pathways you should create in the room? From the architectural design of the room to the furniture and decor you include, you will want to consider the space required and how to best use the space to keep the room functional and inviting.
Ignoring foot traffic and the flow of the room is one of the biggest living room mistakes to avoid. You want to avoid arranging furniture in a way that interrupts logical pathways or makes it difficult to move around the room. A living room should be an inviting space in the home. Too much clutter can make the room look closed off and confined while a poor layout can make the room frustrating to use.
Mistake #3 – Having Too Much or Not Enough Seating
Striking the right balance in the amount of furniture in your living is an important consideration. Having enough seating is important, but having too much isn’t the right answer either. You need to have a good balance of adequate seating for the entire family, or to meet social needs, without overwhelming the space and making it look cluttered with too much furniture.
On the other hand, not having enough seating can make the living room difficult or frustrating to use. If you’re not planning to hose a lot of social gatherings, then you likely don’t need to worry about extra seating. But, you still want to make sure there is enough for the people who will be living in the home.
Mistake #4 – Forgetting to Consider Comfort
Make sure that you are considering more than aesthetics when designing a living room. A living room that features beautiful furniture, but lacks the ability to provide everyday comfort and convenience is simply a showroom. Even in homes that feature a more formal living room, form and function are both key elements to creating an inviting and enjoyable living area.
Don’t overlook the comfort factor of the furniture you choose. Likewise, consider the convenience and functionality of coffee tables, end tables, sofa tables, etc. Not only is prioritizing comfort one of the ideas for hygge living room decor, but it also helps create a room that you will enjoy being in.
Mistake #5 – Getting the Lighting Wrong
Another one of the living room design mistakes is getting the lighting wrong. Lighting is an important part of any interior design, so be sure that you don’t overlook it when you plan your living room. Consider the amount of light and type of lighting that will be required to keep the room bright and inviting.
Harsh lighting will negatively affect the atmosphere of the room and how you feel in it. So, these lighting choices will are important and will affect the impact of your entire interior design and décor. You should also consider how you can incorporate natural light sources, dimmers, and more to add some flexibility to your lighting.
Mistake #6 – Overlooking the Smaller Details
The small details that you incorporate in a room can tie everything together and also add personality. So, make sure that you give some thought to more than just the standard pieces in the room.
Floor coverings, wall art, a gallery wall, tables, and other accent pieces will be important components in your decor for the living room. These items will provide the finishing touches and help your living room achieve the wow-factor you are going for.
The careful and thoughtful planning that occurs before the work begins will help to keep the interior design for each room in your new home on track. By keeping these common living room design mistakes in mind, you will be able to avoid some of the issues that can negatively impact a living room’s look, feel, and function. If you’re ready to start planning your new dream home, give Custom Home Group a call today at 717-284-4090.