Designing a living room is like making a pot of stew. All kinds of ingredients blend together to give the room its distinctive character. Colors, patterns, furniture made of different materials, floor covering, window covering, art and objects converge. It takes a bit of wit, whimsy and educated experimentation to make the stew delicious.
A confident attitude goes a long way toward creating an interesting space. Often I start with the rug and progress from there. It also depends on whether we buy or make a rug. If we have it made, the furniture layout will determine size of the rug. If we find an existing rug that we fall in love with, then the rug becomes the starting point of our living room.
It is fundamental to tailor the room to meet the needs of its users. Some people want a TV in the living room. Others may want the room to function as a place to entertain friends in a more formal way. Some people use the living room as a backdrop for an art collection. Some living rooms have more than one conversation area. If the home has a big dining room and seats a lot of people, it is important to have seating in the living room to accommodate the same number of people. I have a beautiful Carlo Molino stool that I pull up to a conversation area if I have more people than seats, for example.
The living room is the show off room of the house, as often the best art gets hung there. It is a public space for all to enjoy.
-SK