Often when we think of modern home décor and design trends, we think stark, uncluttered, and minimalist. However, at Landry Designs, we believe contemporary design is more than just a clean and clear home with on-trend colors on the walls. It must take into account the emotional and social conditions of those living in the space.
It’s essential to create a space that impacts your mood positively so that you can enjoy the space in which you live. Whether we’re spending our time at home relaxing, or doing most of our work from home, creating a comfortable and functional space is key to our happiness and productivity.
In this post, we want to highlight how modern living can be comfy too. We look at the main functions of living areas and cover some tips on cozy living room design.
The Main Functions of Our Living Areas
Working from home
Working from home is a huge trend, and whether it’s every day or part-time, remote work has become a big part of modern life. Let’s take a look at some ways to make your work areas comfortable.
Natural light – Daylight helps improve our mood and productivity, which is great for a successful day in your home office. Spending time soaking up natural light can be a beneficial way to decompress.
Positive distractions – Put the desk near a window. Since you don’t have coworkers to enjoy breaks with, why not watch the local birdlife instead?
Unique space – Whether it’s a dedicated room for a home office or a corner of the living room, it’s essential to make the space functional and separate. Use the room’s current bookcases or storage pieces to store work while keeping with the room’s aesthetics.
Relaxing at home
If you don’t work from home, and your home is just for family and friends to relax and enjoy time together, keeping things comfy is a lot easier.
Furniture choices – Try to choose pieces with comfort and utility in mind. Lots of kids? Select a sofa in a darker color made from durable materials.
Lighting – Create different moods in various areas. From dimmer switches and warm lighting to cozy lamps, lighting quickly changes the atmosphere of a room.
Décor – Showcase family life with photos and collectibles from your travels. Using décor with a personal connection creates a relaxing space for those we love.
Entertaining at home
Creating a smooth flow between entertainment areas is vital for those who enjoy hosting and entertaining family and friends regularly.
Doors – For those who like to entertain outdoors, try to improve the flow from inside to outside. Maybe it’s time to invest in folding or sliding doors.
Furniture – Choose furniture that can be easily rearranged. Having furniture options also helps create more than one area for guests—not everyone wants to sit around the barbeque.
Lighting and Shade – Don’t forget to add outdoor lighting, even if it’s just a string of LED lights. Consider putting up an awning, or even large umbrellas for those hot summer days.
A Few Simple Living Room Design Tips
The living room is the heart of the home. It’s where our families relax together at the end of a busy day and where we entertain our friends. Here are a few simple tips to create an inviting place for all.
The sofa: Have a big family? Choose a sizable upholstered sectional to create instant comfort. It’s an area where kids will enjoy hanging out, but will comfortably suit adults too.
Natural wood: Not only are wood pieces functional and decorative, but they also add a good sense of texture and warmth to the living room design. It’s unfussy and contemporary while being cozy.
Layers: Pillows offer texture, color, and an inviting feel—nothing says comfort more than a pillow. In the wintertime add textured throws over sofas or chairs for instant warmth and coziness. Layering rugs is also a fun trend. This works particularly well in a spacious corner of the living room—think faux-sheepskin over Turkish rugs.
Texture: Adding texture to neutral spaces is a great way to achieve coziness. Choose from velvet, chenille, faux hides, linen, and even faux fur.
Plants: Houseplants bring color, texture, and life to living rooms. Find out which ones will work indoors and add a few to brighten up the space.
The walls: A dark accent wall can create a sense of drama and coziness, especially in an area with a lot of natural light. Textured wall paneling, such as shiplap or ones with architectural details, can add warmth to a living room and make it feel inviting.
How we can help
Are you looking for customized design concepts to help you attain your livable Zen? Landry Designs has a straightforward system that aims to streamline your living space design. We know how overwhelming spending hours online or running from store to store can be, especially for those who don’t have the time or inclination to figure out how to implement a unique living space design on their own.
We help create beautiful interiors in a quarter of the time it would take to do it independently. Our purpose is to work with our clients to create WOW interiors with our easy system that saves them time and money.
Give us a call or book a free consultation today.
