Tips for Decorating Your Living Room
by Helen Marakis
In the home, the living area, or the receiving room, is one of the busiest rooms. It's also the room guests initially see and form a lasting impression about the home. Hence, the living area should be well-decorated, well-laid out and inviting to guests and family members. It should project a homey, comfortable yet elegant image.
There are several ways you can decorate your living area to create an
inviting place and cause a lasting impression to your guests:
REARRANGING FURNITURE
When rearranging your furniture, also consider traffic in your living
area. Does the arrangement of your furniture allow free movement and
flow? Does it give an uncluttered look?
It is always good to arrange furniture in off-square angles. This makes
the room warmer and more casual. And instead of placing large sofas
directly against the wall, why not place it a foot or so away from the
wall and put a lamp or plant behind it instead?
COLORS TO CREATE WARMTH
Colors have psychological effects on people and
their moods. When applied in your living area, colors can intimidate,
invite or irritate. Decorating using colors is also an inexpensive way
of decorating because it only involves painting or papering walls.
You want your living area to be warm and inviting, and one of the
warmest and most relaxing colors is green. Green has several shades and
it's one of the most flexible colors around. But whatever color you pick
for the color of your walls, make your carpets and furniture
coordinated.
MIRRORS FOR SPACE AND DEPTH
Create space and depth for your small
living area by positioning a mirror on a wall. Your mirror should
reflect something pleasing to the eyes. If you have more wall space, try
adding small painting on either side of the mirror.
ADDING SMALL FURNITURE
To create a "lived-in" aura for your living
area, position small furniture in the room. This can be a small bench,
or a low sofa table. Place magazines, journals and newspapers under the
table. Placing flower vases, baskets and small plants on your table also
creates beauty and livens up the room.
STATUES FOR ELEGANCE
Corners and tabletops are good places for small
statues. Statues, especially marble ones, provide aesthetic quality to
your living area. The statues at Portara portray the Greeks of ancient
times -- symbols, deities, objects associated with everyday life. The
Greeks used marble for sculptures for its strength, durability and
beauty. Portara continues this Greek tradition by creating long-lasting,
and genuine statues and capturing the beauty of the Early Cycladic
Civilization in its reproductions. Elegant yet down-to-earth, these
statues lend warmth to any living area.
UNIQUE LAMPS
Alternative to statues are lamps. Place them in a corner
or a tabletop and they can accentuate your living area. Second to color,
light creates moods and sets the tone of your living area. Portara's
lamps are not your ordinary lamps. They are unique lamps -- created from
polished minerals and stones. These minerals and stones can emit light
after exposure to day light or the light from normal light bulbs. When
the chemicals in minerals or rocks react to light, this reaction causes
the minerals or rocks to glow. The visible light emitted is sometimes
very colorful and it is often very different from the normal color of
the mineral. These unique Portara lamps will accent your living area.
Decorating your home, particularly your living area, allows you to
combine creativity, elegance and good taste. Make good use of space,
accessories and furniture available to you so you can create a living
area that is inviting, relaxing, homey and elegant.
About The Author
Helen Marakis runs and owns Portara, Inc., a company that combines
Ancient Greek history and art through its unique sculptures, dolls and
semiprecious stones that are hand-crafted and hand-finished. Portara,
Inc's products are being sold for the first time in the United States
and come with a 60-day money back guarantee.