The idea of designing and decorating your living room can feel a bit overwhelming. After all, it’s the room that most people will see in your home. It’s not just a space for your family. And I’m sure you want to create a good impression on your guests. That means the pressure is on, right? Not to worry, because we got you!
In this living room design guide, we are sharing our step-by-step approach to decorating your living room. Eight steps may seem like a lot but we’re breaking things down to make it easy for you to follow and design your own living room.
1. Understand how you will use your space.
In our books, form always follows function. How do you want your living room to function? Is it a space for entertaining only? Is it going to double as a family room? Is your entertaining style more formal or casual? What will you use this room for? Movie marathons with the girls? Do you need a little reading nook for a rainy day? Or a space to work from home? How about having a great spot to take a nap on a Sunday afternoon?
That, by any means, is not a comprehensive list of all the questions you need to ask yourself. Essentially what you are after is how you want your living room to function. I’m going to bet this exercise is not exactly what you pictured when you thought of your living room design, is it? Invest the time and energy to get clear on your function and you will have a space that will serve you well for years to come.
2. Measure Your Space
This is a given, right? You need to know how much space you’re working with so that you can properly create a living room design. Measurements will help you figure out how to create the right layout and understand the correct size of furniture you need for your space.
When you’re measuring your space, make sure you also measure the windows and doors. This will help you figure out how to fit furniture into your space down the line. Make a note of where the electrical outlets are, so you can plan where to place lighting in the room. All of this will come handy further down this process.
It might even be fruitful to draw out a little floor plan on a piece of paper or online to help you play around with different layouts. You can use apps like Floorplanner to help you do this.
3. Set a budget that works
A budget helps you figure out where to shop. The most important piece of advice we can give you around a budget is to plan for the room that you want and don’t budget based on what you can afford to spend today.
For example, if you only have $5000 you can spend on your living room design (and you live in Canada!), I hate to break it to you – it will be tough to fully furnish and decorate your living room for that amount. Not impossible if you get really creative, buy second-hand, re-use items you might have and are willing to do some heavy lifting on your own.
However, you can create a more realistic budget based on the items you need. First, make a list of everything you need. This might be easier to do after step 5 in this process or circle back once you have completed your layout.
Next, research online to get a good feel for price ranges for the items you need based on your style. Using that information, create a budget based on your needs. Then create a plan for how you will purchase the items you need over time.
4. Find your style
Your living room design should reflect you and that starts with your personal design style. Most people we meet are attracted to more than one design style. Your style also changes over time. Make a date to get to your design style.
If you haven’t decorated in a while, and you’re not a person who keeps up with interior design shows and trends, you might find yourself in a bit of a bind. It may be hard to figure out your personal design style.
If this is you, make friends with Pinterest and Instagram, fast! Spend a bit of time looking through spaces in these apps to see what kind of styles you’re attracted to. This may not feel like a fun exercise at first, but it is a crucial step in the process of decorating your living room, nonetheless.
5. Create a layout
This is where some of the steps from above come together. Based on how you want to use your living room and the amount of space available to you, make a list of furnishings you’ll need. Layout is key to a good living room design.
Start with the type of seating you need. For example, do you need a sofa, a love seat or maybe both? How about accent chairs? How many do you have room for? How big a coffee table will fit the space? Do you need side tables? How about lighting?
Think about how you are going to use your space and the items you might need based on their function. Then edit based on the space you have. Consider what items might be able to do double duty if space is tight. You can create specific vignettes for different functions if you have a lot of space to play with.
6. Brainstorm wall decorating ideas
Now that you have your layout figured out, let’s focus on your walls. Some of our go to wall decorating ideas are to use artwork, shelving, gallery walls to create interest on your walls.
This is one step we see a lot of people skip. But if you want your space to feel thoughtfully decorated, don’t ignore your walls. Just applying paint or even wallpaper alone is not enough to create a well styled wall.
7. Shop for your furniture
Now the fun begins. Okay, it’s only fun if you know what to buy and where to get it from and you can actually afford it, right? This is where all the planning above is going to help you. Because you have a budget and you know what items you need immediately, you can focus your energy on these items.
Create yourself a little roadmap of what items you will buy when and what projects you’ll tackle to complete your living room design over time.
Oh, and check out our guide on how to pick the right sofa.
8. Accesorize to perfection
Now it’s time to put icing on the cake. Think about how you will decorate your coffee table, style your sofa, etc. One of the biggest mistakes we see in accessorizing a living room is that a lot of people don’t think of layering furniture and accessories to create depth in their style.
For example, if you’re hanging a piece of art on the wall, layer it with a plant and maybe a floor lamp. Or you can place a little bench under the piece of artwork and style it with a cushion or two.
At Daakor, our design process is based on these same 8 steps. Our clients provide input on the first few steps of the process. We take it from there with the intention of taking out the guesswork and the headache for our clients.
Our clients get to avoid the stress of having to figure out what to purchase and where to purchase it from to create a beautiful living room that they are dreaming about. With their custom design plan in hand, they get to shop confidently and enjoy the process.
