Things to consider when redecorating a living room
I love the look of this sofa, but is it really what I need? And will it actually fit in my Parisian living room?! (Source: Habitat)
So the time has come. You’re finally going to redecorate your living room! At last! You can’t stand those sofas which are so 2010s - you did love them when you bought them, but this many years later, ça suffit ! And the paint color? ‘Je ne peux plus le voir en peinture !’ -> yes, would you believe that that idiomatic expression actually means that you really can’t stand it any more (very convenient for an article about redecorating, by an Interior Designer who lives in Paris, right?!).
So, great, decision made, you’re redecorating.
But where do you start?
Firstly, you have to work out what you use the room for most, as how you use a room will dictate how it functions, and thus how you will decorate it. Is the space more for your family or is it for entertaining? Do you prefer curling up with your loved ones and watching a film? Or do you regularly have friends over for dinner?
If your living room is more family oriented, you need to think about each member of the family and what they like to do in the living room. If you have young children who play in the living room you’ll need toy storage (the jury is still out, by the way, on the best way to store Legos… by colour or by function??). If you love doing jigsaw puzzles or playing board games (vintage French Monopoly, anyone?), you’ll need a wide table at desk height (about 29”) to be able to do this. Are you an avid reader? Sounds like you need a cosy sofa or armchair and loads of shelving! And if you have a regular movie night, you’ll need to work out where to put the projector and what type of screen you want. Where you’re all going to sit, and where to put the popcorn! And yes, some French families do eat popcorn. And yes, they actually call it ‘le pop-corrrn’ despite the efforts of the Académie Française to get everyone to call it ‘maïs éclaté’ 🙂.
If your space is going to be used more for entertaining, you’ll need to think about things like: how many people do you usually invite? If you have drinks (hello, apéro !) before dinner, will you all sit down around the coffee table, or will some people remain standing to chat. Would you like to have a bar cart or table? If you’re entertaining, ambiance lighting will be key to help everyone relax and feel at home. So I often include lots of side-tables beside armchairs and sofas, for drinks and lamps. An important thing to remember when planning a living room is that the chairs and sofas should be grouped and not too far apart. It should feel easy to have a conversation with each person to the left and right when seated - they shouldn’t be more than about 3’ away from each other. Also, remember to leave enough space between the sofa and the coffee table (about 2’) so that people don’t feel stuck and they can get up to talk to someone else or get some ice.
Once you know how the space will function, you’ll know what furniture and accessories you’ll need to include in the design. And you can then work on the really fun part - the decoration! All your choices of furniture and decoration will contribute to the ambiance of the space and thus how you will feel when you and your family and friends are in the space.
If you prefer a cosy ambiance, choosing a warm wall colour (beige, caramel, terra cotta) will reinforce that feeling. If you would like a more formal atmosphere for your entertaining, a cool wall colour (pale Paris gray or blue, for example), will make the space feel bigger. And if, for example, you have an amazing collection of vintage posters of French railway destinations and ski resorts that you want to show off, now is the time to include that in your design! I’d do this by keeping all the furniture low (below dado rail height, so about 42”) so that your poster collection can shine. Rugs will be key in a large living room to group furniture by function - for example a rug under the coffee table and front sofa legs. These extra touches will help the space really feel like home!
I hope that this has been helpful! The main thing to remember when planning a room is to start with function, then move on to the aesthetics of the space. If you’d like some help, I specialise in bringing French style to American interiors with my Online Design Service.