Decorating Trends - Living and Family Rooms

Living rooms and family rooms are where most families convene and spend quality time with one another. A living room or family room should therefore be approachable, comfortable and family friendly. You want to stay away from a too formal or too stiff look. Your family room isn't a formal parlor after all; it's not a place to gather and sip tea from dainty cups. Here are some great decorating ideas to give your family or living room an updated look.

For a basement family room, bright, bold colors make and impact. Basements tend to be somewhat dark and dreary, so you should aim to spruce things up with vibrant highlights. Get a fresh start by covering those otherwise bland walls with some interesting textures. Install corrugated metal panels on one wall to give the room a space-age modern feel. Place your TV and TV unit against it and add some shelving to display collectibles or knick knacks. This will really give your room an interesting focal point.

Take advantage of those exposed pipes and open ceiling rafters to make your basement bunker look like an open air loft. You can easily purchase strips of plywood, finish them with some paint and cover loose ends on the ceiling or walls. Throw in some big screws and over sized washers to complete the look, adding a light hint of industrial chic.

Paint those concrete floors bright colors. Try a celadon green or a combination of metallic greys. Paint the walls using special magnetic paint so that you can put magnets on your walls. Kids will love it. You can even create painted fabric curtains or dividers to separate a family room from a work space.

Add some color with some long draping curtains. Burlap, the stuff potato sacks are made of, is really quite cheap and it adds some great texture to any room. You can paint pictures or designs right on the burlap; ask your kids to help. You can experiment with stamps and stencils. Try painting squares on each hanging edge.

Group your furniture to create different spaces. You may want to have different areas for playing games and watching TV or surfing on the internet for instance. Go to yard sales and garage sales to pick up funky old vases and jars, or use what you have. Paint them bright yellow or gold and add some metallic highlights with a special paint pen. Add fresh flowers to complete the look.

You can easily make your very own fashionable pillow covers and cases. Add bright color highlights or metallic squares to liven things up. Choose colors that match your carpet or rug, to make the design more coherent.

Remember to use your imagination. Decorating your living room or family doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune. Using cheap materials like plywood, paint and garage sale finds to make your room eclectic and welcoming. Make your own curtains and pillow cushions. It's simpler than you may think. Also, ask the kids to join in the fun. Make it a family affair.

Need to furnish your home? The Beyond Furniture web store has a wide range of furniture that fits a contemporary European style. Whatever room of the house needs furnishing we can fulfill your needs, from a entertainment unit for the living room to a bookcase for the home study. Our online ordering system can have the furniture at your door as soon as possible.

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