Living Room

The Color Palette: Purple Living Room Ideas and Design Tips

One thing to remember when you decorate your living room in purple is that the shade of purple you choose will really set the tone and feel of your space. Dark purple will make the living room feel secluded, cozy and romantic – but will also make it feel smaller just like in pictures (1) and (2). While light purple will make the space feel airy, bright and spacious (3).

Here are some more purple living room ideas and design notes to help you stylise your space:

Purple Walls

There are 3 options when it comes to the walls in your living room.

1. Option 1 is to paint all of the walls purple. White curtains, or window frames can help break up the solid purple walls. Or a white breadboard is another option – just like the living room in picture (4).

2. Option 2 is to have just one wall painted in purple – this will be your feature wall just like in pictures (5) and (6). Leave all the other walls neutral (white, off white, cream, or grey) and this one purple wall will really stand out and define the look of the living room.

3. Option 3 is to keep all of your walls neutral. This way you create a blank canvas of a living room, ready for splashes of purple, talked about below in Tiny Pieces. For example, if you have all white walls then having purple curtains will really pop – and set the color tone for the room, like the living room in picture (7). If you want to create the blank canvas you’ll need to take out other colors from the room – if you have a red photo frame for example, or orange pillows. This way when you decorate with purple accessorises you really build a strong color statement.

Another alternative to painting your walls purple would be to have a feature shelf. Check out the yellow shelves in my mood board here (Creative DIY Ideas for Living Room Shelves). The back of the shelves are yellow and really pop out. If you have shelves that take up a lot of space in your living room, why not paint the backdrop purple to add a colorful feature in the living room.

Tiny Pieces

You don’t really need to do much to create a purple color scheme in a living room, if you have the blank canvas I talked about earlier.

You could go with a bold purple couch like in pictures (8) and (9) – which is always a focal piece in a living room. Or something simpler would be having neutral coloured furniture like white, cream, or grey and decorating it with different shades of purple pillows and throws.

The coffee table is another piece that can be a focal point in a lot of living rooms. If you get a neutral colored coffee table, purple living room decor pieces placed on it will really stand out in the room. Like a purple candle holder, paper weight, drinking tray, or coasters.

Other decor pieces that add the right amount of purple to a living room include: an area rug, and a wall mirror like the one in picture (10).

Other Colors?

If you really want to create a solid color palette in your living room, you’ll need to focus on that color. If you want a purple styled room, then look for other colored pieces in the living room that kill the style (like a red pillow). Gotta take these out.

It is still possible to add in another color and make the whole purple look work. Once again you want to keep everything focused. So if you like the gray and purple living room style, that’s one color combination that works. Or how about adding in splashes of yellow, brown, green or black. Keep it to one other color, otherwise it will be hard to tell what is the color scheme of the room. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

January 3, 2014 in Living Room

Sunken Living Room Ideas and Designs

There are two different design styles when it comes to sunken living room ideas. You’ve got designs where the whole living room is sunken like in picture (1). Then you have designs where only a portion of the living room is a step down.

If you have a large living room space, then having a section dropped down can create a cozy and intimate space, ideal for watching TV or socialsing – just like in pictures (2) (3) (4) and (5).

Most homes will have the whole living room a step down. This is to break up a large open area. You create a cozy room but in a larger space. At the same time you create a smooth transition from one space to the next – which doesn’t happen when you put up walls. When you start putting up walls, each space feels a lot smaller. Check out picture (6) where you have the living room sunken down and above you have the kitchen and dining room. It is all in one open space, yet divided up nicely. The same goes for the living rooms in pictures (7) and (8).

Things to Watch Out For

The step down living room is a design style taken from the 50-70s. So you’ll want to be careful to not build a dated living room look. In the pictures there are some living rooms that look a little bit more retro than others. While some sunken designs look completely modern.

Another thing to watch out for is safety of young ones. Depending on the floor plans, the sunken living room can have a few areas that could cause a fall. So railings might be in order. 1/2/3/5/6/7/8

December 30, 2013 in Construction, Living Room

Dream Features: Luxury Living Room Design Ideas

When it comes to luxury, is it about the amount of space you have, or is it about how well you use the space you have? Is it about how much money spent on the living room decor? I don’t think so. When it comes to luxury, everyones tastes’ differ. For me, these are the things that make up a luxury living room.

Lighting Like a Designer

I believe lighting can make a huge, huge difference in the look and feel of a room. It can turn an ordinary looking living room into a luxury one. What makes the modern living room in picture (1) so special? For me it is the great use of lighting. In this living room, two textured walls have been fitted in to create a great focal point. Without the lighting it wouldn’t look so great. The room has also been designed with symmetry in mind.

Picture (2) shows another well lit living room. Overhead recessed lights and cove lighting (The Beauty of Using Cove Lighting: Ideas and Designs) light up this room. You’ve also got the feature fire place. But another lighting feature in this high end living room is the display shelves on the side. Now these would’t look so great without the back lighting.

So the question is, how can you light your living room to add that luxurious touch? It can be something as simple as adding dimmers so you have full control over the lights – will tonight need romantic or reading lighting?

A Room With a View

The view in picture (3) would take some money to buy. This doesn’t mean you can’t create your own amazing view out of your living room. Think about what you’d like to see out the windows. Plants, sculptures, a fountain, a bird bath… Also light up your outdoor space in a magical way so you have a wonderful view at night. How about using string lights (Home Decor Ideas: Creative Ways of Using String Lights Outdoors)? Create your own view.

Looking Up

Here is another feature that would have to be bought with the house. Double height ceilings. Just check out the living room designs in pictures (4) (5) and (6). A high ceiling allows you to have hanging lights, like pendants or chandeliers which always adds a touch of glamor. The high ceilings also allow you to have a more decorative ceiling – like exposed beams.

If you move yourself into a loft, you’ll automatically have the luxurious benefit of having high ceilings – just like in pictures (7) and (8).

2 Interior Design Tips

1. In most living rooms the focal point will be the seating area and the coffee table. So I would put most of my attention here. Searching for great looking furniture and a unique coffee table, and a few elegant decor pieces.

2. If you take a look at picture (9) there is not a lot going on. I would say not a lot of money has been spent here, but I see it as a luxury living room design (everyone has different tastes). Once again, the coffee table is the focal point here, and a unique and elegant one has been used. Another thing that makes me see this as a luxury space is that it is clutter free.

If you want to take it up a notch – how about turning a room into a home theater: Designs and Ideas For a Basement Home Theater. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

Here are more living room posts to get ideas from:

December 30, 2013 in Living Room

Home Office Lighting Ideas: How To Be Productive and Creative in One Space

Are you lucky enough to be able to work from home? I am, and it’s pretty great. When it comes to being productive while working at home there are a few key things to keep in mind. One of those is a great workspace. It allows you to be organized, have your own space to work on projects, and keeps you inspired. And lighting plays a big role in how your home workspace feels.

When it comes to home office lighting ideas, there are two types that you need to keep in mind: functional lighting and relaxing lighting. Functional lighting is more task based, and helps you stay on the ball and productive. While relaxing lighting helps and nurtures creative thinking.

Functional and Productive Home Office Lighting

If you are about to remodel your home office, then pay close attention to the ceiling lights. These will help fill the room with ambient lighting, making it a comfortable space to be in. The go to choice for ceiling lights would be recessed (the ones that are fitted inside of the ceiling, creating a modern look). If you choose this type of light fixture, make sure you have enough and space them out so they light up the whole room.

An alternative to recessed lights would be track lighting. The good thing about these, is that you can angle the lights to different areas of the room. Then you also have the choice of pendant lights, which are ideal for hanging over working areas as they bring the light closer down from the ceiling as seen in pictures (1) and (2).

Natural Lighting

The best kind of lighting to have while working in the day is daylight (3). It is natural, and energizing. So look to open up your windows as much as possible. If the windows face direct sunlight, fit blinds and shades so you can adjust how much light comes through. It is always better to use natural lighting over indoor lights.

Desk Lamps

Your desk lamp is quite vital in creating a functional workspace. It can reduce eyestrain when looking at your computer screen, and make offline desk tasks a lot easier to do too. Look for an adjustable one – like a swing arm (4) or angelpoise lamp (seen below). These adjustable lamps let you move the light around the desk, if you have a large one.

Save space on your desk by having a lamp that clamps to the side of the desk. Alternative desk space saving ideas include using a floor lamp or have a magnetic lamp that can be stuck onto something metallic, like a shelf, nearby. If you have a wall nearby, then an adjustable wall lamp will work too like in picture (5).

Creative Thinking Lighting

When it comes time to do some brainstorming and more creative thinking in your home office, you’ll want to create a different work setting. You can easily do this with your lights. By switching from cold and functional work and task based lights, to more relaxing dim down lighting (just like in a chilled out café) you’ll create a work space ideal for creative thinking.

If you want to make a space feel more relaxing, then you want to bring the lights down. Avoid lighting the ceiling and instead use floor and desk lamps. Try and layer the lighting in the room and add some soft glowing lights too.

Soft Glowing Lighting Ideas for a Home Office

Put a light behind your computer screen and let the light softly bounce off of the wall.
If you really want to go for it, how about having a transparent desk and have it softly lit up (6)
Mood lights are great to have. You can change the entire feel of the room just by changing the color of the lamp. If it is a grey and dull day, then set the mood light to a bright green or yellow. If you want to get in a more creative mood, how about coloring the room orange, or dark red?
Put up some display lighting. Light up some art work, or fit some book case lights to create more soft glows of light in the room.
Have your ceiling lights hooked up to a dimmer, so you can be in full control of your ceiling lights.
If you want to create a whimsical feel in your home office, then check out the string lights in picture (7)

Lighting is just one of the things to keep in mind when setting up your home office to be a productive workspace. Other things to keep in mind are organization, decor, creative stimuli, and inspiration. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

Create the Best Home Workspace for Yourself

Sign up here if you want to know more about creating a creative space at home – as I’ll be putting out a pocket sized guide that covers everything from how to come up with ideas, creative exercises, to case studies (Pixar, Ideo) and how to create a creative workspace at home.