Seven Keys to Successful Living Room Design by Vickie Daeley

If your living room is the focal point of your home, the design and comfort of the space are crucial. Following seven simple keys will assist you in avoiding costly errors as well as saving you frustration from a design that simply does not meet your needs.

Designing the perfect living room depends upon many elements. Is the space going to be combined as a living-family room? Or will it be a living-dining room?

Before beginning any transformation, find your focal point. Usually the fireplace will be the first thing your eye moves toward. However, if you have no fireplace but you do possess a fabulous view from your windows, use that as your point of interest. If TV viewing is your most important usage of this room, then you are going to need an interesting cabinet that can conceal the TV when the room is used for other purposes.

If you have high, lofty ceilings, you may prefer to purchase fewer pieces of furniture but they should be larger in scale. Large rooms will simply appear overcrowded with dozens of tiny tables and miniscule seating areas.

Perfect flow is simple to achieve when you make a scale chart for every item in your room. Simply measure each piece and produce your room arrangement on paper prior to purchasing your furniture or taking the time to rearrange your current pieces.

Neutral colors on the walls are a good background choice for most families. But if you want to express an outgoing personality or just feel great in yellows, reds or oranges, by all means, find the perfect bright and load your walls with color. If your schedule is hectic and you desire peace and quiet but don't want a neutral, consider the softer, muted blues, greens, grays and browns for your wall color choice.

Don't forget that floors and ceilings are also important elements of your room. Whether you choose carpeting, tile or wood, they should be an integral part of your design. Consider painting the ceiling a color other than pure white. If you have beautiful wood trim around your ceiling, consider a color that will complement your walls.

Variety is said to be the spice of life and mixing fabric patterns can certainly bring a lively atmosphere into your living room Coordinating florals, stripes, prints and plaids can be an invigorating and interesting way to spice up your space. But soothing solids are a good option if you require a calm and sophisticated tone in your living room.