6 Tips on how to style your new sitting room

Decorating tips

Nov 8

Dear New Homeowner,

You are building a house or just bought a new property. It’s equally as stressful as exciting. You have so many things to think about now but don’t worry. I got you covered. If decorating your sitting room keeps you awake at night, please read these 6 useful tips that will help you to create a sitting room with the wow factor.

Pick a theme

A cohesive theme will make your home feel harmonious. Whether your style is, focused your efforts around a particular colour palette. The most popular colour schemes are now beiges with green, whites with navy are still going strong, and grey seems to be a big no-no these days so if you like to follow trends avoid cool greys, especially if the room doesn’t get a lot of natural light. You can choose calming neutrals instead as they will feel more welcoming. Since we are talking about colours I need to mention one important rule – we live in Ireland where we don’t get a lot of sunny, bright days. Because of the overcast sky, the light that comes through the windows tends to be more grey than white. For this reason, when you use brilliant white on the walls, they are going to look grey and uninviting. I suggest you use warmer off-white colours and my favourite is Wishbone White by Dulux, Slaked Lime by LittleGreene or Venetian Wall by Colourtrend.

Invest in a good sofa

The sofa is the heart of the living room. We do everything on it from napping, watching Netflix or even working. Here are the questions that I ask my clients to help them find the right couch:

Do you or anyone in your family suffer from asthma? This helps me to determine what sofa coverings to use.
How tall are you? I like to know that to see do I need to recommend a deeper seat or a taller back.
How old are the children? If you have small children or planning on having them soon, you are going to need a sofa that is easy to wipe down. My personal favourite is velvet as it is soft to the touch, it looks luxurious (and who doesn’t like a bit of luxury) and a wet cloth easily removes any dirt. If you worry about dust from the stove, you can easily hoover it every now and again. This sofa is currently my favourite because of its shape, material and colour - LINK.
Any pets? If your furry family members like to cuddle on the sofa with you, you need to put that into consideration too.
How do you sit on the sofa? Do you curl up your legs, stretch out or lie on it?
How big is the room? For smaller spaces use the sofa with visible legs as it will help to make the room appear bigger. Try to avoid big and bulky sofas as they will make the room look and feel claustrophobic. But if your sitting room is a generous size then please please consider a corner couch or a 4-seater sofa that will help to fill the floor. You don’t have an idea how often my clients contact me because they got the wrong sofa and they need my help in making it work.

Select furniture pieces that speak to each other

Furniture doesn’t have to match exactly. In fact, a matching ‘package set’ is not always the best option as too much can make a room feel like you tried a bit too much. To add a more homely, individual feel, select furniture that is different yet still speaks to each other. For example, if your sofa has oak legs, select a coffee table or TV unit featuring oak with a similar tone.

A feature wall

Make one wall in the room really stand out. It could be a gorgeous, bespoke media unit with much-needed storage, a beautifully curated art wall above the sofa or just one wall that is painted a different colour than the rest of the walls. A feature wall will help you to add either drama or luxury to your room, depending on how you want your room to feel and look. My biggest word of advice is to incorporate some textures into this wall – it could be popular now slatted wall panelling, a linen-effect wallpaper or simply a bold paint colour used over the panelled wall. The more different textures you use in the room, the warmer and cosier it will feel.

Personalise your space

Use artwork and different textiles like cushions, blinds and rugs to add a bit of personality to your space. However, be selective. Don’t buy ‘things’ just because you need to get them. Try to be consistent with the colour palette you chose to use in your room. If you are stuck with one item, you can save the day by getting something colourful, where one colour is right with your colour scheme. For example, this rug would suit a room decorated with either warmer or cooler tones - LINK.

Add Greenery

Greenery brings life to a space and is a great way to add height, texture and colour to a sitting room. Not much of a green thumb? Use artificial plants and trees. Try to focus on purchasing one big tree, like an olive tree or a palm tree that is hot on trend right now, rather than buying a selection of smaller plants. For example, this 150 cm tall olive tree is big enough to have an impact on your room, without taking too much space - LINK.