Creating a home you love doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Even if an interior designer doesn’t currently fit into your budget, there are things you can do on your own to pull together a beautiful space. With a few simple living room styling tips, you can create a space that suits your taste and looks well-designed without breaking the bank.
Tip 1: Make a Statement
Choose a statement piece or two to be the main focus of the room and anchor the space. Maybe it’s a unique piece of furniture or a large piece of art (or both!), but too many statement pieces can overwhelm a space, so keep it simple.
Tip 2: Layer Textures
Texture adds interest to a space. Layering a variety of textures really adds depth and incorporates warmth and style into the room. You can do this by contrasting textiles, baskets, and adding a variety of materials like metal and wood.
Tip 3: Mix Patterns
Narrow down your color scheme and then mix patterns. You can easily incorporate a variety of patterns with artwork, pillows, rugs, blankets, and more. Pulling from one color family or group of 2-3 colors keeps everything coordinated and allows the patterns to play off of each other rather than clashing. One way I brought pattern into this space is with this Mohawk Home Soho Aztec Bands Printed Rug. I love the graphic pattern and how it plays well off of the subtle pattern on the border of the pillows and also the abstract pattern of the artwork. Mohawk Home has a variety of rugs to choose from, and that’s a great way to bring color and pattern into your space.
Tip 4: Incorporate Design “Staples”
There are a few fail-safe items that will always work in any room, so if you’re looking for styling props, keep these in mind. Books are a must, and adding “life” to the room, with a plant or a vase of flowers, is another staple. A cozy throw blanket adds warmth and texture to a living room too. Trays work well on coffee tables or wide shelves and help corral various items while making them look stylish at the same time.
Tip 5: Keep Scale in Mind
Scale is important for any space when determining what furniture is appropriate for the room. You want to make sure that your furniture isn’t too small or too large, for example, and also that you don’t use a tiny rug in a huge room. Everything should be proportional.
Tip 6: Follow the Rule of Three
The “rule of three” in interior design basically says that items arranged in odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye than an even number. So groups of 3, 5, or 7 work well, particularly when grouping things on shelves or tables. It also works best to vary heights of your items.
Regardless of your design style, using these tips will hopefully get you started as you pull together a living room you and your family will love. Be sure to check out all of the rug options from Mohawk Home as you plan your living room design!
