Hi Everyone! This is Kristin from
So how do you follow the latest design trend while still keeping a timeless looking room?
Invest in a few classic pieces. Then know what accessories to layer in.
You want your main pieces of furniture to have classic lines, durable materials, and typically I suggest solid colored, neutral fabric. For a Living Room, those items would be your sofa, armchairs, coffee table, and possibly side tables. Choose pieces that will hold up to your lifestyle so you can love it as much ten years from now as you to today. Then layer in fun, bright, or whimsical accent pieces that really show off your style and personality.
To prove my point, today I have not one but THREE different Mood Boards to share with you! For each Living Room Mood Board I took seven basic items (sofa, armchair, coffee table, chandelier, side table, white paint, and lamp) and re-used the exact same pieces in each Mood Board. All I switched out was the rug and the pillows for three totally different looks for this Living Room design. I created three different design style Living Rooms:
Modern Farmhouse
Boho Chic
Warm Modern
By investing in these main furniture pieces that can work in a multitude of different design styles, you can swap out a few relatively inexpensive items for an entirely new look. I started off creating a Modern Farmhouse Living Room with seven classic foundation pieces and some rustic accent touches:
Here are the sources for all 7 Foundation Pieces you will find in all three Mood Boards:
Here are the sources for the Modern Farmhouse Accents:
7 Classic Foundation Pieces for your Living Room Design
Sofa: Leather is a really durable material, that is easy to clean and looks even better with time. If you have a very classic, traditional look you can find a
Another way to go is with the every more popular “Performance Fabrics”. These fabrics are especially designed to repel dirt and stains, and are easier to clean. Some fabrics are fade resistant and even suitable for outdoor use. Very dark fabrics can actually show just as much as very light colored fabrics so I usually suggest a mid-tone color to most of my clients. A light to mid-gray or tan is a perfect neutral. You can even look for fabrics with a light pattern, such as a herringbone or tweed that show a bit more forgiveness. With young kids I’m the biggest proponent of slipcovers-so you can always keep that option in mind as well!
Armchair: This
Coffee Table: If you have kids or are hard on your furniture, I love pieces that are already a bit weathered and distressed-it hides a multitude of sins. This
Lamp: No matter what your design style, adding a bit a shine with a polished metal always brings some glam to your space. This
Chandelier:
Side Table: This
White Paint: Warm white walls are the perfect backdrop for any style of room. You could add wall treatments such as shiplap or board and batten in the Farmhouse look. Or simply paint your walls for a more modern or boho look. I used Benjamin Moore’s “Simply White” in all three design Mood Boards-a perfect, creamy white shade.
But what if you wanted a Boho Living Room Look instead?
Keep in all of the main pieces then swap out the rug and the pillows to create this:
You can find all of the sources for the 7 Foundation Pieces above with the Farmhouse Mood Board. Here are the sources for the Boho Accents:
But finally, how do you turn a Farmhouse Living Room into a Modern Living Room while keeping all of the same furniture? I did the same trick of changing out the area rug and just three pillows while keeping the exact same furniture to create this Warm Modern Living Room:
You can find the 7 Foundation Pieces sources above with the Farmhouse Mood Board. Here are the sources for the Modern accent pieces:
How to Style Up Your Living Room with Accent Pieces
Work in a New Rug Into Your Room
A new rug is a POWERFUL piece in any Living Room design. An area rug will typically be the largest square footage item in your room, therefore it is going to command the most attention. When choosing a rug, bigger is typically better. The perfect area rug size will depend on the size of your room, but as a good rule of thumb try to get the fronts of all of your furniture sitting on your rug. For most rooms that will be a 10×12 minimum. So because this one piece is so large, choosing the right style of rug will make all of the difference in your room!
If you have carpet in your Living Room, you still can (and probably should) use an area rug! It is such a great way to tie all of your furniture together visually and helps ground the room. Unless you have a high pile carpet such as a frise, you can still layer on a rug. I would stay away from thin rugs such as a flatweave and go for a heavier duty rug that won’t curl up.
Farmhouse Style Living Room Rug
I chose a
Photo: Sita Montgomery Interiors
Boho Style Living Room Rug
For this style, you want a vintage, eclectic look. I chose a
Photo by Amy Bartlam | via Domino
Modern Style Living Room Rug
For this style you could go with a solid colored rug. However, if you have pets or kids I tend to stay away from solid colored rugs as they can show stains or pet hair. Instead I like using a
Photo: Studio McGee
Accent Throw Pillows for Your Living Room
Throw Pillows are by far the easiest, and most inexpensive way to change the look of your room. I personally almost always recommend pillow covers and inserts for my clients. With pillow covers you can take them off to clean, or swap them out without completely starting over. Keep your insert (an 18×18 size is a great one to start with) then change out the cover only. With all three design Mood Boards I created for you today I used a combination of (2) 18×18 pillows and (1) lumbar pillow for a sofa, with (1) 18×18 accent pillow for the armchair. With this combination you have enough pillows to create some color and texture, but without getting out of control.
If you need some more ideas with different ways to style your sofa with pillow combinations, check out this
Farmhouse Style Pillows: Fabrics such as a
Boho Style Pillows: Look for words such as
Modern Style Pillows: I like to use a mix of
Mixing Patterns for Pillows
I have a lot of clients that are unsure of how to mix pillows in their room-it can look a bit stale and boring OR be too cluttered looking. A good rule of thumb is to mix:
Solid + Large Pattern + Small Pattern
I’m a symmetrical kind of girl so I typically will do two of the same patterned pillows on opposite sides of a sofa with one special accent pillow in the middle. But play around and have some fun with it. Throw pillows are NOT serious business. But if you need some extra help I created this Perfect Pillow Combination Guide. You can find it along with the Shopping List in my
A huge thanks to the entire Remodelaholic team for letting me share with you all today. If you want to see more design Freebies, you can find them over on
And finally, if you can find out all about how Interior E-Design works come hang with me on my
Thanks guys, and I’ll see you again next month,
Kristin
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