Living Room Decorating Ideas
For Professional Polish

Living room decorating ideas for professional polish. These large rooms present a decorating challenge. You've got some great things inside - yet how do you arrange them so that each gets its share of the design spotlight? 

Even the most beautiful furnishings won't work together if they're not arranged in a way that beckons you to come in and sit a spell. And decorative objects that are poorly placed or lost amid neighboring items often look extraneous rather than ornamental.

These living room decorating ideas can help get the overall look together.

Living Room Decorating Ideas

How do you know if your furniture placement needs some professional polish? Take a look around your family room or living room - is your furniture flush against the walls?

To create a sense of depth and softness, you should position furniture at an angle or floating away from the wall. This makes a room feel less boxy, more intimate, and inviting.

Start by placing the largest piece, usually the sofa, so it faces the room's main focal point, such as a window with a view or a fireplace.

Next, group the rest of the seating a maximum of 10 feet (3m) from the sofa - farther away makes conversation while seated difficult. For example, a pair of upholstered chairs placed opposite the sofa will provide a better balance than would a pair of delicate wooden chairs.

Within your conversational circle, allow 3 feet (1m) between pieces for natural traffic flow into and out of the seating area.

Balance the room by putting major elements on separate walls; the television armoire will be more prominent if it isn't right next to the fireplace. Place darker pieces where they'll get the most light, by a window or floor lamp - a dark cabinet will disappear in a dimly lit corner.

If the room is large, set up a secondary area to make the room feel cozier and do double duty: Add a desk and chair to a window corner or create a family game area with a small table and a few chairs.

To create the illusion of more space in a small living room, place the furniture, starting with the sofa, on a corner diagonal. This prominent placement takes the focus off the room size and puts it on the furnishings instead. Resist the urge to fill up the room with every stick of furniture you own. Bare areas imply spaciousness. 

Whatever your living room's size, you should arrange its furniture in a way that makes living comfortable.

If you plan to use it for entertaining, are there enough places where guests can set down glasses and plates? If a coffee table is out of reach from some chairs, place small tables beside them.

Will you be watching Humphrey Bogart classics from your sofa? If so, make sure there's a shelf or cabinet nearby with space to store your videotapes of Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.

Placement of Decorative Objects

Now that you've got the foundation of your living room decorating - your furniture - in place, it's time to consider the placement of your decorative objects. These living room decorating ideas can help.

Living Room Decorating Ideas To Corral Collections

A multitude of tiny treasures spread about a room may seem homey, but the overall effect is usually unfocused rather than appealing.

Instead, group items that have a similar texture, shape, or theme together on shelves, on a coffee table or end table, atop the armoire - and leave a hand's breadth or more of space between each grouping for maximum effect. 

Consider your plant placement. If you've stashed that lovely ficus or palm tree in the corner, bring it out! Ideally, plants should enhance something nearby, such as a chair or a lamp, instead of looking like an afterthought.

Living Room Decorating Ideas to Brighten a Dark Room

If your room is dark, here's a simple way to lighten it up: Purchase a trio of inexpensive ready-made mirrors, and add ornate or interesting frames. 

The frames should have a common element, such as a similar shape, finish, or theme: If you're going Victorian, choose a trio of similarly ornate, perhaps gilded, frames; if you're after an Art Deco feel, three floral motifs will work nicely together.

Mirrors bring light and depth to a room. For the most significant benefit, hang your mirrors with their horizontal center just a bit higher than eye level on the wall opposite or adjacent to a window.

As an alternative, install several small wall-mounted spotlights positioned to shine down on your favorite pictures or your beautiful shell collection.

Finally, take a tip from home-design magazines and designers themselves: Any room quickly becomes both brighter and more inviting when you add a cozy throw blanket, a sparkling crystal vase or sculpture, or a polished brass or gilded picture frame.