Making The Most of Your Living Room

Your room should have a focal point and fireplaces are the perfect natural candidate as they bring a feeling of comfort to your room, but if there is no fireplace you will need to create your centerpiece. You might hang an oversized piece of art or feature a beautiful piece of furniture. Color can be a simple solution to creating your focal point, whether it is a wall color or one just one color used as an accent around the room.

When considering lighting for your room, you’ll need to accommodate activities such as reading as well as resting activities.

Seating selection should be appropriate for everyone in your family; comfort is much more important to consider than style. Consider seating that makes everyone feel relaxed and at ease. Don’t forget to mix up the textures when you select your textiles.

Experiment with the furniture layout- If space allows, consider introducing a second seating area. A great solution to connect different areas of the room is to use backless seating such as a chaise or bench to allow viewing from one part of the room to the other.

Careful consideration should be given to storage. Be sure to plan for housing your media equipment. Not to say that the television has to be hidden, but do hide the wires! Nothing is less relaxing than mess, clutter and exposed wiring.

Is your design easy to maintain? Remember that your room is for living and not for show. Let your hair down and enjoy living your everyday life.

Commit the room’s design to paper, even if your budget doesn’t allow completion of the project all at once. You will benefit from the vision as you make future purchases.


Posted by Paula

image from flickr's tobi fairley

Autumn Is A Second Spring...

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus

Fall is on its way and here in Louisiana we are just beginning to feel that it is right around the corner. So to emphasize that autumn feeling in my home, I brought in a few things from the outdoors. On the mantel, a few cut branches from the tree in the front yard, a few pinecones and some artwork are all that are needed. The black and white photo was shot by my daughter and to me it represents happy feet- ready to rejoice in the clear, cooler days ahead.

You can see that the leaves are just beginning to show signs that a new season is approaching. I can't wait for more of the russet coloring to appear! I read one time that if you examine a fallen leaf, you'll see a tiny picture of the tree that produced it. The pattern of a tree's branches closely mimics the veins in its leaves.


The unassuming pinecone is usually a supporting player, but this time it is assigned a feature role.


Keeping it simple in the dining area, I used recycled glass and placed it down the center of the table filled with treasures from my stash of outdoor beauties- some collected on walks in the woods down by the lake.



Inspiration is waiting just outside the front door among the brilliant leaves and crackling twigs.


And I'm certainly looking forward to pumpkins, the falling leaves of red and gold, and a delicious bowl of gumbo on a cool autumn evening. How about you?

If you would like to see more inspiring fall decorating ideas, head over to The Inspired Room for Melissa's annual Fall Nesting Week.

Posted by Paula