Living Room Refresh

Your living room should be a haven, a place where you can relax and unwind, as well as somewhere you can socialise and enjoy. It is usually the room we spend most of our ‘awake’ time in and as a result, we can get bored with it. With many of us being in lockdown we have spent loads more time in our living rooms which are also serving as our offices, gyms, entertainment areas and dining rooms. You have probably identified a few tired areas of wall or furniture that need replacing or refreshing. You will also undoubtingly have found out that a few things don’t quite work well for you; there might not be enough good quality light for your office or comfortable enough seating, you might not have enough floor space int eh right place for your yoga mat and you might need a professional backdrop for video calls.

All these things issues signal that you should make changes to your living room. The good news is that there are lots of ways you can update your living room with minimal effort. Don’t be put off thinking it is complicated or necessarily expensive. You can make some simple and cheap changes that will make you a whole lot happier, healthier, and more productive.  Even if you live in rented accommodation, and you are limited by what you can do to the property there are still cosmetic and layout changes you can make.

Plan Your Space

If you find yourself working and maybe exercising from home than your use of your living room will have changed significantly. Think about how you need to use the space now and decide if you have the right furniture in the right place, does the lighting work, do you have the right IT kit, sockets, internet access, and storage? You will probably find that at the very least you need to move some furniture, possibly invest in a decent desk which has cable management features.

Don’t put up with daily annoyances like tripping over power cables or weak Wifi. Wifi boosters are easy to install and you can get professional quality cable covers very easily.

Home Cable Cover
Cable Covers – Remove the risk of tripping

Soft Furnishings

Updating your soft furnishings is one of the quickest and easiest ways to quickly change your living room. Are you tired of your old green sofa? Give it a DIY makeover by reupholstering with vibrant fabric, order a tailor-made slipcover, or give it a new lease on life with throws, blankets, and cushions. Or perhaps you are sick of your flooring? Opt for a large area rug to cover horrible carpets or scratched flooring. Not only will this instantly hide shabby or outdated flooring, but it will also add color, make the room warmer, more barefoot-friendly, and make the acoustics of your room more pleasant.

Feature Walls

Everyone has heard of feature walls – but you don’t have to paint or wallpaper to create one. There are easy ways to revamp your living room walls. You could put up a fabric wall hanging, display a large piece of artwork or a statement mirror, make a gallery wall with your favorite photos, create a DIY stencil and add a graphic print, or put up shelves to show off your collections. Feature walls are great opportunities for you to showcase some of your favorite photos. Instead of watching Netflix every night, spend an evening searching through all your social media accounts and phones for those special pictures. Birthdays, Weddings, your favorite holiday spots, or the people you love and are missing, pick a bundle and get them printed off. Mixtiles is cheap and fast, they deliver small prints to your door and you can move and rehang them whenever you want. If you want larger photos or better quality print finishes then you should choose a more specialist printing company like Pixaprints. You can get canvas prints in different sizes, framed prints, professional standard poster printing, and collage prints.

Feature walls make a great backdrop for video calls too. If your feature wall is too personal for professional calls or is untidy then you can simply hang a curtain pole and buy some ready-made curtains which you can slide across when you are working. This will improve the acoustics for your call as well as providing a professional backdrop. You can choose a funky or themed pattern to match your business area.

Update Windows

The way you frame your windows can make a huge difference to the feel of your living room. Windows are an area that tend to be neglected, but there are so many things you can do to update them. Dig out your tools and put up some vertical blinds, add some character with patterned window stickers, or turn your windows into a cosy reading nook with an ottoman and scatter cushions. Don’t forget that curtains help control temperature and improve room acoustics.

If you need good natural light for work then make sure your window covering can easily be drawn aside during working hours. Simple thin transparent blinds or curtains can provide privacy if needed. Thick or blackout curtains can also form a good backdrop for video calls. Sunlight can play havoc with your video quality so blocking natural light while you are on a call can be very helpful. At the same time, the curtains can provide a professional backdrop. When you have finished your call just pull your curtains back and let the natural light flood in again.

 

A Home office with Natural Light
A Home office with Natural Light

Change Lighting

Don’t underestimate the importance of the type and colour of bulb either. Harsh white bulbs can be replaced with softer lower-powered versions and you can choose bulbs that have more yellow or cream shades. This makes your room feel cosier and warmer. The colour is determined by how hot the bulb gets and quality bulbs will list their heat rating. The image below demonstrates how bulb choice can produce very different atmospheres.

Light bulb colours
Light bulb colours

Lighting has the ability to change the ambience and mood of any room, meaning picking the right lighting it is vital in your multi-purpose living room. You can quickly update the decor with a statement ceiling light, or switching light shades on wall and floor lamps. For those times you want to relax, you could add fairy lights to a fire-place or photo frames, or install dimmers to change the atmosphere.

You only need strong white light in lamps you use for reading or working with. When you have finished just turn them off. Home office lighting is important for productivity and health so if you need to improve your workstation lighting read more about best practices here.

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