Decorating Ideas for your Living Room
Most rooms in your home have a designated purpose—the bedroom is for sleeping and you need a bed; the dining room is for dining and you need a table and chairs and the kitchen is for cooking and you need appliances. Keeping this in mind what exactly do you need for decorating a living room? From a design standpoint this room is for “living” purposes such as reading, watching television and entertaining family and friends. You will need furniture that makes living easy and that would include a sofa, chairs and tables.
Before you can start to purchase furniture it is necessary for you to identify your design style. Do you prefer the clean lines and sleek look of modern or contemporary furniture? Perhaps you have inherited some antiques and want to combine them with comfortable traditional furniture. If your lifestyle involves informal entertaining and lots of family gatherings, a comfortable country look may be your preference for your living room.
If contemporary is more your style, seek out furniture that is low in profile and sleek in appearance. This is not the room for 
an over-stuffed recliner.
Leather and suede upholstery are often found in modern interiors. Avoid large fussy patterns. Avenue Six and Global Furniture both offer a large selection of contemporary style sofas and chairs.
Take a look at the Avenue Six Yield for an extremely modern sofa or theAvenue Six Plaza Tufted Sofa for more comfortable seating.
Van Gogh offers truly unique contemporary designs for your living room such as theTerry and 
Kai sofa. In a contemporary room your accent tables should be from cool materials such as glass and metal.
Check out the round glass and aluminum coffee table from RTA or the oval glas
s top coffee table from 
Walker Edison.
Adding wood to a contemporary room can visually warm the room and is a nice break from the “cooler” elements of metal and glass. The Solaris wood coffee table from Klaussner Furniture would be a nice addition to any modern space.
Lamps are functional and unobtrusive and artwork is bright and colorful.
If the bareness of a contemporary space leaves you “cold” you may prefer a more traditional design for your living room decorating. In this room yoursofa will be comfortable with deep seating and rounded edges. Just about any fabric will work in this design from sleek leather to a homey plaid or floral.
Kathy Ireland Home has a large selection of sofas that would fit perfectly in any traditional room. The Sedona, Torre and the Houston sofa collections come in many different finishes and upholstery choices. In a traditionally decorated room your coffee and end tables can be any finish. Wood obviously works well but even an antiqued metal or a solid glass table will complement your upholstered pieces. Your lamps are not only functional but become part of your accessories.
A rustic or country style living room decorating interior speaks of comfort and relaxation. Your upholstered pieces are large and comfortable with an attached skirt or exposed wooden feet. 
The Distinction Beaumont Studded Leather Sofais a good example of a sofa for a country home. The large over-stuffed arms, plump cushions and bun feet make you want to curl up and relax with a good book and a cup of coffee. Glass and metal accent tables do not work very well in a country style interior. You will want to choose distressed woods that are mis-matched. Antiques are perfect additions so if you have them, use them. Artwork is homespun and consists of quilts, baskets or antique embroidery and paintings.
Most people do not decorate in just one style. Adding pieces from many different designs will create an eclectic room that is personal and speaks about the people who live in the room. Just remember that function is first and foremost when decorating a living room regardless of the style you prefer.
Send me a picture of your living room I can help you redesign it!
Nicolette Interior Design Diva
It’s not bad, but when you look around your living room it feels as though there’s something missing. Whether you decorated your living room in a hurry; didn’t know what you didn’t know about decorating; or just didn’t care then but you do now, using a travel theme to add a little spice to your décor might be just the ticket. A global or travel theme will add a sense of adventure to the room that is the place where you relax, entertain friends and hang out with family. If it’s a little sophistication you’re after, travel theme decorating ideas can also give your living space an international flair.
Inspiration for a travel theme décor can be found in the places you have visited, places you would like to visit or tropical locales that you would like to explore when funds and/or vacation time allow. Since you will be adding your travel theme to an already furnished living room, there are still a variety of living room furniture ideas that you can explore to give your living space the feel of a world traveler. Accent furniture that has a globe or trunk design creates visual interest.
If a travel theme appeals to you, you don’t have to be a jetsetter or a world traveler to incorporate memorabilia from exotic places when accessorizing your living room. Use stacked vintage suitcases or steamer trunks as plant stands or conversation pieces. Framed prints of famous places like the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower or the Venice Opera House are great choices for wall art. Media storage cabinets, home bars, console tables and decorative items such as clocks and wall sculptures fashioned after cultural icons like a British telephone booth and the Eiffel Tower appeal to our sense of adventure and curiosity about the world around us.
A travel theme provides a wealth of inspiration that will turn a bland or uninspired space into a fun and focused living room that can reflect a trip to the four corners of the world without leaving the comfort of your home.
