If you are left at the end of the day looking at a mountain of plastic toys and feeling like its time to reclaim the living room from the kids, you’re not alone. Here’s a list of five ways you can turn the lounge back into your own space.
1. Hide the TV
The television has its place, but that place is not in the refined haven that you want your living room to be. So, hide it! Invest in a media cabinet so that you can close the doors on the telly when it’s out of use. It makes a world of difference, instantly creating a more sophisticated space. Alternatively, if you have a widescreen that won’t fit in a standard media cabinet, wall mount the TV and banish the DVD player and games console away instead – remove them from sight by popping them inside this wonderful antique sideboard on sale at Vinterior and instantly elevate your room to new heights of elegance. You may need to drill a couple of holes in the back of the sideboard to feed all the wires through, but that’s great if it means giving a vintage piece a new lease of life.
2. Use low level lighting
After a long day, the last thing you need is harsh white light beaming down on you as you try to unwind. The way to sidestep this is to create a soft, low level light by dotting a range of different light sources around the room. Go for a combination of standard lamps, reading lights, fairy lights and candles placed throughout the space at different heights, then turn off the main ceiling lights. You’ll be amazed at how much more intimate and welcoming the space instantly becomes – a much easier place to relax.
3. Designate an area to toys
If you’re a parent, a toy box is an essential part of interior decorating. It needn’t be painted in garish bright colours and daubed with your children’s names – you can repurpose any large container and call it a place for toys. Look for antique blanket boxes, allocate the kids the bottom section of your Welsh dresser or get creative and gut an old chest of drawers, creating pigeon holes for them to line up their toys inside. Finding a decent way to store toys is a conundrum that has puzzled parents for decades, but once you crack it, you’re on the way to getting your living room back.
4. Bring the outside in
The addition of plant life adds instant interest and elevates a room, bringing a much-needed aura of calm to your decor, plus plants purify the air, keeping you healthy, too.
However, if the thought of caring for plants on top of everything else you have to do is one step too far, don’t worry – you can achieve the same look with artificial plants or a jug of freshly cut flowers.
5. Create a reading nook
If you have an unused corner or a lovely big bay window, turn it into a space all of your own. Find an armchair that you love – perhaps an antique one, or something new that has been upholstered in your favourite colour – and angle it so it catches the mid afternoon sun. Surround it with things you like – photographs of your family, a stack of fashion magazines, and place a collection of books on a shelf alongside it. Position a side table in the perfect spot to rest a cup of tea. You won’t even need a ‘do not disturb’ sign – they’ll get the idea.
