words Alexa Wang
So, you’ve decided on a major overhaul of your living room. There’s so much to consider. Furniture, colours, floor coverings plus what style will suit you and the room itself. You might approach it very differently in a period cottage or in a sleek modern urban apartment. You have to think of the design as a whole. If you can afford it and it makes sense it might be worth considering hiring a designer as they might think of things that you haven’t even thought of.
The worst-case scenario, and this has happened to me, is that you set out on a redesign and then realise that are many aspects you hadn’t even considered. Will the plugs and wall switches need relocating? Such fundamental factors are much better to consider before you start rather than during the redesign.
To help you we’ve come up with some tips to think about before you set out on your living room redesign:
Is your furniture the right size and shape for your room?
Yes, at first sight this question sounds ridiculous. But some people do make fundamental mistakes with sizes and proportions with furniture during a redesign. It’s not just size; it’s proportion too. How do the pieces of furniture relate to each other in terms of style and proportion? You might choose to mix a minimalist sofa with more classic armchairs but how do they fit together in terms of colour and size? If you live in a small terraced house do you really want an oversized, imposing dark wood dresser taking up a large portion of your living room? Why not plan it out on paper with actual sizes or use a computer programme so you can get an idea in 3D.
Can you incorporate what you already have into your redesign?
Are there aspects of your current living room that could enhance your redesign and save you money? Do you have old chairs that are the right style but might have become old and tired? It might be cheaper to refurbish some old favourites rather than scrap them and buy new. You might be able to repaint furniture and make it fit. You might have some radiators that are past their best and that spoil the look of your redesign but rather than buy in new ones at great expense why not opt for radiator covers? There are many different styles to suit all nowadays like the radiator covers available from At Home Comforts by Jack Stonehouse. Old features can be revitalised and become part of the new design whilst saving you money.
Think about lighting and electrics before you start
If you are reordering your living room you might want to shift furniture around and this might mean your lighting and electric points need to move. Before you start, ask yourself if there is any way you can avoid this. This is a costly and messy job. Once you’ve ripped out the old cabling, the walls and ceiling may need to be re-plastered and skimmed. Plastering is not only expensive, it is extremely messy and is best done before any other work starts. You don’t want to realise half way through the redesign that all lighting and plug sockets have to be moved in order to fit the new plan and find yourself re-plastering over your expensive new carpet.
