Designing Your Living Room For Relaxation

Is there any sweeter feeling than putting your feet up in your lounge after a hard day's work or blustery rural walk? Our living rooms are our safe haven and whilst they can also double up as a social space, it's the ultimate place to create a calm and relaxing mood to while away an evening. 

So whether it's a small corner of an open plan room, or a large living room, in this week's blog we're running you through our top tips for creating the ultimate cosy space. 

Layer Natural Materials 

Natural materials aren't just for rustic country cottages - they're an essential for creating a tranquil and luxurious space. Throw a woollen blanket over the corner of your sofa, add in a soft rug or place a wicker basket by the fire filed with kindling. Guaranteed you'll instantly notice the difference in mood in the room!

Use Colour To Create Impact

Colour can have such a transformative effect on an interior space. If you're struggling to pick a colour, take a peek at our Colours to Boost Your Mood Blog for more inspiration. Earthier neutral tones can add warmth without feeling overwhelming whereas richer greens and blues can add drama with a peaceful undertone.

If your lounge area a corner of a bigger room, try colour blocking to zone the space for relaxation.

We've got a fabulous range of Frenchic paints for you to update your living room. Click here to discover more. 

Consider Movement & Scent

By lighting fire or candles in your living room, you invite a real feeling of tranquility to your space. Scented candles have the added bonus of adding a beautiful fragrance to the room. Scent often goes under the radar but is an essential aspect for creating a restful space. 

If candles aren't your thing, take a look at our range of diffusers to add that extra dimension to your space and delight your senses. 

Light It Up

Candles and fire are a great source of mood lighting but we often need to layer this up with other light sources to add depth and warmth to a lounge. We're talking:

• Ambient lighting to add in the background layer. It's a bonus if it's on a dimmer to pair it back when needed. 
• Task lighting is all about adding in functional lights to help with reading, for example. 
• Accent lighting is where you can add in your personality. Why not add a lantern by your fireplace or add a joyful garland along a bookshelf.

Lounge lighting is so important that we've previously written a whole post on it. Take a look here to discover more.

Sit Down Comfortably

Chances are you're not spending much time standing up in your living room. A comfortable seat (or two) is going to be a sound investment in your enjoyment and relaxation in the space. 

Here you've got a couple of options. You could invest in a brand new sofa or armchair to maximise your use of the space. Or, if it's the perfect size but your current seating is feeling a little tired then it could be worth investigating reupholstery. 

Here at Grandad's Shed, we believe that people should be given the option to make their furniture as unique as their family and give your special piece a vibrant new lease of life. Click here to learn more about our service and get in touch to discuss your seating makeover.

Declutter

It's a simple truth that clutter makes us stressed and unfocussed. And those are two things we don't want in our restful lounge spaces. 

Wicker baskets are a brilliant low cost option for tidying wires, magazines, kindling - and so much more. What's more, they also check the box of being made from natural materials (see tip #1). Take a look at our range of baskets here.

From new builds to period properties, our homes all feature their own unique quirks and corners. And sometimes this requires something custom to make the most of the space. That's where our Made to Measure Furniture service really comes into it's own. Built in bookshelves, blanket boxes and alcove storage are some of the most common ways we team up with customers across Yorkshire to maximise storage - and relaxation - in a living room.

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