A well-decorated living room grabs your attention and welcomes you right into the home. It can be impressive, while also feeling comfortable and safe. Other living rooms just feel off, even with the best efforts to put the room together. I want to share some living room decorating mistakes to avoid that will help you create the living room of your dreams.

Showroom Or Living Room?

A room that looks like everything was purchased from one store doesn’t always bring enough interest or individuality. Do you really want it to look like a staged grouping from a furniture or department store?

A personalized look that expresses “you” can come by mixing new pieces with some vintage elements. The beautiful patina of an older piece of furniture paired with modern upholstery can be quite stunning.

Living Room Design Tips:

When combining period and style, be mindful of the furniture heights - traditional being a little higher than the more modern pieces
Make sure you leave enough budget for lighting, keeping in mind that low lighting instead of overhead is best for the living room.
Give voice to your unique personality with the all important accessories and small furnishings that you love.

THE WRONG SOFA CHOICE

In the living room, the sofa sets the look and feel of the room. It needs to be comfortable, functional for all users (pets, small children), while looking amazing.

Working with an existing sofa that won’t work and that my client doesn’t want to replace, can be a huge decorating challenge for me. You’ll never get the room you really want if the sofa is wrong for the space.

When choosing your sofa, stick to something simple. It’s always so much easier to style, and great design is in the details. That doesn’t mean you should sacrifice on good quality fabric and a timeless shape.

Sofa Buying Tips to consider:

draw a floor plan - size matters
sectional, love seat, or chaise
performance fabric needs if any
pay attention to height - low seating is hard to get in and out of
resist the urge to buy on impulse
stick to your plan and take your time

THE RUG IS TOO SMALL

In my work there are the main contenders that we frequently correct, and a poorly sized rug in the living room is one of them. I know a designer who jokingly says that we suffer from ‘small rug syndrome’.

The living room almost always calls for an 8’ x 10” or even a 9’ x 12’ area rug. If you have a very tiny living room, I’d say to not go with anything smaller than 6’ x 9’. While a rug that is 4’ x 6’ can work beside your bed, at the kitchen sink, or in your entry way, it simply does not work in the living room.

The rug is also on the list of really important elements in the room. I know it’s a big budget item that can be feel daunting to commit to. Trust me on this one, it’s well worth the investment.

YOUR LAYOUT IS ALL WRONG

You can have all the right pieces and accessories, but if your room is not laid out properly you will not have a good end result. Always consider your focal point to get those placement decisions started.

I grew up in a home with the typical furniture layout, where the sofa was always pushed up against the wall. That was true for both our living room and the lower level family room, where it also faced the TV. There’s so much more to consider when putting together a great living room layout.

This is the room where you want to have conversational groupings. Especially true if you have a long and narrow room that we often find in townhouses and lofts.

When creating your groupings, think about views from the main seating pieces. If you’re in a larger room, isn’t it great to sit comfortably while being able to address the rest of the room? Smaller rooms require consideration of the views from the window(s). And of course, there’s always the fireplace/tv fight for position. That’s for another post.

YOU’VE HUNG YOUR ART WRONG

This, by far, is THE most common decorating mistake I see in almost every home. It’s usually hung too high on the wall.

We are taught that eye level is the general rule of thumb. It almost always works. However, that can get us into trouble because we come in different heights.

And what to do if you happen to have very low or even very tall ceilings? You have to develop an eye for the perfect placement, considering heights, proportion and even content and colour of the art piece itself.

The other common error I see is the wrong scale. A teeny, tiny framed piece on a very large wall is just wrong - plain and simple.

DECORATING TIPS FOR ARTWORK

The artwork over your sofa should take up 2/3rds of the sofa width and is ideally hung 6” - 8” over the back of the sofa. Even 10” can work if you can’t do 8”.

Someone once said that art hung the wrong way on the wall reminds her of a movie character wearing a bad wig. You just know that everything would be so much better if you could just rip it off. It’s one of those things that you can’t “un-see”.

UNLIVEABLE LIVING ROOM

Of all the living room decorating mistakes to avoid, I think this is one to really pay attention to.

I had a friend with small children in her home who literally roped off her living room. She had a theatre style set up that you could unclip to enter the room. And, you guessed it, the sofa and lamp shades were covered with plastic.

A funny thing happened one night when we were saying goodbye at the door. Thinking she could get away with it when company was there, one of her little ones suddenly ducked under the rope and ran to the coffee table where she took both hands and smeared them across the top. A stunned silence hung in the air for a long minute before one of us started to laugh.

I’m not against designated spaces if you have that luxury. In our own home, I have two white sofas in our living room. I waited for years to get them knowing that when we had kids and pets it wasn’t practical. They’re slipcovers that wash up like a dream, and work for our current lifestyle.

I like the television on the lower level in our downsized space, especially helpful when my home office is not too far from the living room. I’m easily distracted by noise.

You can make your space truly liveable with some effort.

Quick Tips For Liveable Living Room

choose rugs and textiles that stand up to wear and tear and everyday use
consider outdoor fabrics inside that won’t get ruined by kids or pets
allow for lots of good storage that can round up toys, books, remote controls
a good old fashioned junk drawer is always helpful - oh my organizer friend is cringing at this tip - sorry Nicole

Decorating Mistakes In Living Room Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed my thoughts on living room decorating mistakes to avoid. Not ever meant to insult or judge anyone, especially if you see yourself in any of these areas I’ve advised on. It’s my job to bring you the best solutions and to gently tell you when it’s not working.

It’s My Favourite Thing To Do!

If you need some inspiration or help putting your living room together, contact me. We’ll have a great time crafting a plan that functions and expresses your unique style, creating a beautiful living space you can enjoy for years to come.

lets decorate your living room