In 1691 French Architect Charles Augustin d’Aviler donned the phrase, “le plus habite” meaning the rooms that are most lived in, like the bedroom, bathroom and dining room. In the 19th century it is only very ironic that the modern “living room” would be deemed an area for formal entertaining and a space to showcase expensive furniture and artwork. Growing up we had what my mother called her “blue room”, just about everything in the blue room was in fact blue and we were not allowed to step foot in there unless it was Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Today decorators are faced with the challenge to re-introduce a more welcoming and “livable” living room. With the cost of homes being higher here in San Diego wouldn’t you want to use all of the space in your home? That is exactly what designers are doing by helping home owners with functional choices in a space that was once thought to be “dysfunctional”.
So what are the best tips for transforming your un-lived living room without having to hire an interior decorator.
1. Keep furniture comfortable and the fabric practical for everyday use.
2. Create more than one sitting area in your living room. People tend to gravitate more towards chairs, think about incorporating winged back, kings, and other types of chairs with your sofa will create multiple places for people to interact.
3. Lighting may be something that you might not have thought about. I know that this had slipped my mind as well. When you think about it most living rooms are at the front of the home and may have a lot of natural sunlight. Try and create a great ambiance with lighting, placing reading lights is also important.
So remember that the living room is just that a place to be lived in where memories can be made. Let’s face it we live in San Diego, one of the best places to live in the country! Creating more space to enjoy your beautiful home is a wonderful thing and reinventing that old living room is a great place to start.