Modern Furniture

Tips for Your Living & Dining Areas

There can be a fine line between a living room furniture or dining room furniture that feels welcoming and one that is off-putting. And sometimes it’s the simplest of things that can make a room feel one way or the other.

To keep your rooms comfortable, warm and welcoming, here are some tips from our experts that are used by some of the best interior designers in the world.

A single focal point. We know you hear this a lot, but it is essential to a solid design. The biggest piece of modern furniture in your living room should be the sofa or similarly large piece of furniture. Then you build around it with smaller pieces of furniture and then the accents. Alternately, you can make a large window with a nice view or an intriguing piece of art as the focal point. Just don’t pick more than one – a lovely sofa can be totally overshadowed by a baby grand piano, no matter how hard you try to de-emphasize the baby grand.

Scale is important. Don’t let furniture overwhelm your living space. A room that is too crowded looks small and cramped. And who wants a house that’s cramped feeling? Also, don’t load the room with tall furniture if you have an eight-foot ceiling. It will make the ceiling appear lower than it actually is.

Use flooring to define space. There’s no need to choose a single tile, wood or carpet for your entire home. Use flooring to define rooms and spaces. The days of wall-to-wall carpeting are gone. Enjoy the wide choices you have available. By the way, area rugs (even on top of carpet) are terrific for defining spaces within rooms.

Wall photos. Everyone loves to put photos of family, friends and milestones on the wall. If you do, group them together by theme and arrange them all in an imaginary frame on the wall. A good way to do this is to lay them out on the floor in front of the wall before you start pounding nails. Also, don’t cram them too closely together – space between the photos allows each to stand on its own.

Don’t buy sets. In today’s homes, a matching living room set is the sign of an amateur. Mix and match colors, textures and even styles. A monochromatic sofa with matching chairs is boring. Mixing complementary pieces is the sign of an interior design pro – look like one and experiment. This is true for the dining room as well. You can even mix and match the chairs around the table if you wish.

Let the light shine. Lighting is essential if you want to make a room pop. If you really like the work of Thomas Edison, you’d better stock up on old-fashioned light bulbs now. Beginning in 2012, they will no longer be sold in the U.S. So you might as well think ahead and start planning your lighting using compact fluorescents, which will be the standard. Track lighting and LED lighting are other good options if you just can’t stand a fluorescent cast throughout your home. Pin lighting looks great in the dining room.

Keep the keepsakes private. Family photos in the living room are fine but keep the trophies, ribbons and school projects in another room, like the home office or the child’s room. They draw attention from away from your goal of creating a welcoming, comfortable place with specific focal points. It’s great your child won the 4th grade spelling bee, but the trophy just draws attention away from the fabulous work of art or gorgeous sofa you just purchased.