by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: November 04, 2007

Basic living room decorating ideas"

Living rooms are the warmth of a household, a welcoming place where you can relax and rest after the pressures of life. One of the mistakes that people often make with their decor is that they make things too busy and confused, and it isn't surprising that rooms that were meant to be delightful and refreshing turn into rooms that people prefer to avoid.

For a living space, there are many areas to consider because it is the blend of all the elements together that make atmosphere:

*Wall colorings
*Suite and soft furnishing colors
*Carpeting, rugs and flooring
*Lighting

WALL COLORINGS

Since many people have their own individual ornaments and pictures, walls are much calmer in a uniform color and while many people like satin finishes, a matt finish that does not reflect the light or throw shadows is far more relaxing. Here the best results for making the space look larger are pastel shades, though these need not be boring. Any color in pastel looks great and with a little imagination, you can purchase white paint and add just a touch of coloring to go with the main highlights of the room like sofa, rugs or pictures.

For recesses, a darker tone can be used of the main coloring, blending the colors so that they match beautifully. Here, the accents of color can be those that reflect the color of suites, or highlight the main color scheme of the room.

Busy wallpapers look great in the right setting, though here, be careful to choose something that doesn't distract the eye, and that is calming, since this is a room for relaxation. If wallpaper is chosen as opposed to paint, be sure not to clash patterns with rugs and window dressings, as this can look over-stated and spoil the whole look and feel of the room.

SUITE AND RUG COLORS.

The old fashioned idea of mixing different patterns really is dated. While many home owners try to mix flowery sofas and curtains, the safe bet is to have a plain sofa and curtains can be patterned as long as the pattern matches in nicely with the color of the suite, and is complimented by a nice rug that blends rather than has predominance over the whole room. Patterned rugs can look very acceptable, although here it would look nicer to have curtains in a plain velor instead of carrying on the idea of patterns mixing.

CARPETING AND FLOORING

Carpeting is becoming dated these days, preferring that clean wooden look. Here laminated flooring can be laid relatively easily and gives a whole fresh look which can be topped off

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