Got My Living Room Reviewed by Interior Designer, Got Design Tips

My husband and I’ve been having fun with our new dwelling for some time now, but it surely’s been an enormous endeavor to decorate every room.

One which’s been particularly tough to design is the lounge. We thought we may merely transfer the furnishings from our outdated place into our new house. Sadly, there is a main fashion discrepancy.

Our new dwelling’s lounge has a built-in wood-burning range and a shiplap ceiling. These fashion decisions are partly what attracted us to this home, however we don’t know learn how to adorn round these components in a complementary approach.

To discover ways to incorporate these components higher into my lounge, I consulted Kim Turner, principal designer of Kim Turner Design and development director at Dwell with Dignity.

After sharing pictures and a video tour of my house, Turner shared recommendation on learn how to make my lounge really feel extra trendy and comfy.

She stated changing our accent pillows and desk may remodel the ambiance of the house

The most important problem I’ve confronted in decorating our living room is determining learn how to incorporate the fireside into our design. Presently, the darker components surrounding the fireside appear misplaced in our in any other case impartial house.

To tie the room collectively and keep away from having a lone black nook, Turner advised bringing a number of the black accents from the fireside space to different components of the room.

We are able to do that by changing our present espresso desk with a darker one. This might fully remodel the ambiance of the room, the designer stated.

“The present desk maintains a recent really feel out of your earlier dwelling, however a change in form and supplies would add heat,” Turner stated.

She really useful a desk with a mix of iron, wooden, and glass to convey the wooden from the ceiling down to assist anchor the house.

Moreover, Turner advised changing the darkish pillows on the sofa with textured ones in a lighter shade. She stated this easy swap might help make the house really feel hotter.

Hiding wires and litter can simply improve the room

To clear visible litter, Turner really useful we conceal any ugly uncovered TV wires and put away different random gadgets we have collected on our shelf under it over time.

“To create steadiness, take into account inserting two massive, an identical gadgets on both finish of the shelf,” Turner stated. “The present candle lantern is completely sized and formed — discovering an identical one for the alternative finish could be excellent.”

We are able to convey the room collectively higher with some easy rearrangements

To make the room cozier, I ought to merely rearrange a number of the items we already personal, Turner stated.

She advised I transfer the small, spherical facet desk to take a seat between the couch and the recliner.

The tall lamp hovering over the recliner must be positioned over the espresso desk and sofa to keep away from it feeling like a highlight over that particular seat.

Turner additionally advised inserting one other flooring lamp the place the facet desk as soon as stood to supply further gentle.

“Play with placement till it pleases your eye. Generally, I’ve discovered myself shifting an merchandise to the appropriate, then to the left, and even readjusting it by an inch to the appropriate once more,” Turner stated. “You will instinctively know when it is completely positioned.”

She advised including a gallery wall to fill the white house and add texture

Turner advised we transfer our brass mirror and construct a gallery wall to fill that vacant house as an alternative. She advised adding artwork, black-and-white pictures, and even macrame to include texture into the house.

When constructing a gallery wall, the designer stated, all the time cling an odd variety of gadgets.

“Maybe you begin with 5 — three in case you discover one thing massive. There is a advantageous line between having an attention-grabbing grouping that pulls your eye and a cluttered wall,” Turner stated.

She advised we check out completely different configurations by inserting the items on the ground and spacing them out to our liking earlier than hanging them.

We are able to improve the room additional with personalized window therapies

So as to add one other textural element to the house, Turner really useful including window therapies to our naked home windows.

She advised we use iron {hardware} and solid-color linen draperies.

“To create an aesthetically pleasing impact, place the rod midway between the highest of the window and the underside of the ceiling molding,” Turner stated.

The draperies ought to cling straight, which is able to assist soften the look of the home windows and add extra texture to the house.

General, I discovered that pulling components and colours from the room’s focal factors can improve my house

Turner’s suggestions gave me some ideas to make my living room feel warmer and extra trendy.

My greatest takeaway from her recommendation is that I ought to take into account pulling inspiration from the colours and textures of the prevailing fashion components within the house. On this case, that’d be the shiplap ceiling and the matte black fire.

Presently, all the pieces in our lounge is pretty gentle in colour. If we incorporate darker shades and extra wooden into our design, the room can really feel hotter and rather more stylish.

This story was initially printed on February 9, 2024, and most just lately up to date on November 5, 2025.