6 common errors you make when designing your living room

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The living room is the main showpiece of any home. It's where you entertain guests, hold parties, and also where you go to relax after a long day's work. Unfortunately we're all prone to some classic mistakes when designing the living room, but don't worry, our homify experts are on it!

Sometimes it's putting design over functionality, leaving your living room looking fantastic, but ignoring the daily needs of your family. Sometimes it might be getting carried away with the decor, overwhelming the room, and diminishing its impact. Whatever the problem is, we're going to show you how to avoid it.

Today we're going to look at 6 wonderful living rooms that succeeded in avoiding common mistakes, and discuss what you can do to follow their lead so that you can have a fabulously stylish living room that still gives you and your family the functional space that you need.

1. Disastrous colour palettes

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It's important to co-ordinate all of the colours in your home, from the walls, to the floor, to the furniture and accessories. It can be a lot to consider, so it's not surprising that we sometimes make some bad decisions, but as we can see with this living room, when you pull it all together it has a huge impact on your home. 

First choose a style or mood, perhaps you want it to look rustic and traditional, or maybe sophisticated and classy, and then talk to one of our homify experts to figure out how to achieve that look using an appropriate colour palette.

This elegant design sees neutral grey furniture perfectly complementing a stone wall, which in turn sees its naturalistic style reflected in the hardwood floors. Natural materials have their own colour palette, so any additions have to be carefully considered, just like the vibrant red features in this lounge that infuse the room with warmth and energy.

2. Obstructing free movement

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The living room is a place for relaxation and entertaining, so it's important that you can actually move around. How often do we find ourselves squeezing past a sofa, stepping over the coffee table, and spilling our cup of tea before we even get to sit down? And it's not only that, a cluttered room is almost impossible to clean, with so many nooks and crannies for dust to hide away unseen. 

It's important to plan your living room so that you can move freely. First measure the room up and establish how much furniture you can actually fit, and then arrange it so that you can reach any seat, even in a full room. This will prevent congestion if you have guests over, so that nobody is awkwardly standing around.

This room is small, but there's still plenty of spaces to sit, and plenty of room to move around.

3. The television is awkwardly positioned

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Let's be honest here, you're going to spend a lot of time in your living room watching the television, so it's essential that you put it in a place where everyone can see without squinting their eyes and straining their neck!

Place it in the centre of the room as the primary focal point, so that no matter where you're sitting you get a clear view.

4. Overdoing the decoration

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Another common mistake is overdoing the decoration. Often people feel compelled to spend exorbitant amounts of money buying pieces to dazzle visitors, but the end result tends to be haphazard and tacky. Remember modesty is a virtue, especially when it comes to designing your home, and keeping it simple and humble is often far more effective than spending a ton of cash on mismatched luxury items.

This living room, designed by POP-ARC, is fun and simple. With a simple white colour palette they were able to get creative with the furniture using vibrant pastels for a whimsical look. The innovative lights add an interesting touch, and the room is balanced, and completely free of pretension.

5. Not paying enough attention to lighting

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Good lighting is crucial to highlight the elegance of your home, and enhance the beauty of the decor. Too often we focus on the decorating, but overlook the lighting, forgetting that it will completely change how a space is perceived. 

Remember, a dark room is really difficult to design, so ensure that you maximise natural light with large windows. It will freshen up your home, and it looks amazing, plus ventilation is critical for the hygiene of your living room where you will spend the majority of your time. Next focus on the light fixtures to create ambience in the evenings; there are so many options for chandeliers, lamps, and recessed lighting, so figure out what will work best with your home's decor.

6. Too much furniture

It's important that you pay attention to the size of items of furniture before you buy so that you don't suddenly overwhelm the room with a piece that barely fits. Furniture can take pride of place, but it should still feel balanced and appropriate. 

The other concern is simply buying too much furniture, and cramming a room with more sofas than you actually need. This may seem tempting, but you will end up with the same problem we looked at above with obstruction of movement. 

Make sure that any pieces you buy are necessary, and then leave it at that. As you can see here, it's better to be understated to achieve a sophisticated and elegant living room

Armed with these tips you'll never make these classic mistakes again! For more great ideas for making your home look great, check out this article!

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