Does your living room have a case of the blahs? Whether you’re looking for quick furniture-arranging help or an entire overhaul, read on for the need-to-know info on Why: Whether your living room is a formal spot to gather with visitors or the main hangout attraction of your house, it’s likely to take up a decent amount of real estate in your home — so it’s crucial that it functions well and expresses your style.
It’s a good project for you if: You are tired of the way your living room looks or are frustrated by the layout. Getting help — a little or a lot — from a pro can set you on the right track and help create a living room that meshes with your style and your life.making your living room live up to its full potential.
Who To Hire: An interior designer or decorator can help see your project through from beginning to end — or provide you with a plan to follow through on your own. Here, we take a closer look at a range of options, from design consultations to design plans to full-service design.
Design consultation: A design consultation is just what it sounds like — a sit-down in your home with a designer to discuss your living room and offer feedback and recommendations. In your very first phone conversation, you and your interior designer can agree upon a length of time for the consultation.
Usually, these run two to three hours, with most designers being open to giving you more time if you feel you need more once you’ve gotten started. This can be used as a stand-alone service, but it can also be an amazing way to see if you can work well with a designer prior to diving into a project.
Design plan: If you would like more specific guidance, but don’t mind shopping and moving furniture on your own, a design plan can offer a happy medium between a consultation and a full-service design.
Although the details of what you receive will vary depending on what you agree on with your designer, a usual living room design plan includes a design board that lays out the items recommended by the designer for purchasing, a color palette and a floor plan of the room indicating how to put it all together.
Full-service design: If you want an interior designer to handle your living room design from start to finish, full-service design is probably the best option for you. With full-service design, your interior designer or decorator can take care of practically everything, including creating an attractive vision for your space, finding furniture and hanging art.
Typical Project Length
Most interior designers will tell you that there isn’t really a “typical” length of time when it comes to design work. Most of it depends on the client’s time frame.
As the client, you can help things progress even quicker by being decisive and, ultimately, by trusting your interior designer to do his or her job. Most interior designers still recommend allowing several months for a single room project, to allow for the long lead times from some furniture companies.
5 Quick Tips for a Living Room Refresh
1. Make a list of the top three difficulties in your living room. Is the furniture arrangement working? Does the color scheme need tweaking? Where’s the problem?
2. Pare back. Removing clutter and excess can assist you in seeing your living room in a completely different light.
3. Take photos of your space. This can help give you some psychological distance, allowing you to identify what needs to change more seamlessly.
4. Try out some design tools. Make a floor plan (on paper or online), put together an idea book, or cut and paste a design board. Seeing your ideas all at once can be a huge help.
5. Focus on textiles. Swapping out a rug, reupholstering a chair or getting new throw pillows for the couch, can point your living room in a newly remodeled style direction.