Interior designer Chris Carroll’s advice on styling your loungeroom
Forget the kitchen – the living room is the hub of the home and a lot of us are making some major styling blunders, according to an expert.
Forget the kitchen! The living room is the clear hub of the home. But before you get too cocky about your design prowess, let’s examine some of the major style blunders you’re making in this space.
1. The sectional sofa is swallowing the room
It’s the equivalent of trying to get into pre-COVID pants; stuffing something too-big into something too-small and praying the stitching will hold. If you can’t fit coffee or side tables into the room because the sofa is too big, you’ve made bad life choices and should run away and start over.
2. There are no armchairs beside your sofa
You want guests to come over and be able to sit across from you to talk, not pack onto the one sofa like you’re perps in a line-up on SVU. This is why armchairs across from or beside your sofa are crucial. It’s called a conversation pit, and your living room needs one no matter what size it is.
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3. You have a socially distanced coffee table
You can’t catch COVID from your coffee table. Why is it 1.5 metres away from your sofa? It should be positioned about 50cm from the edge of your lounge so you can sit a cup or glass on it with ease.
4. The sofa has a table built into it
It doesn’t matter how designer the brand is, two-in-one furniture pieces are a bad idea. It’s the design equivalent of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner: not a good look. You wouldn’t have chairs fold out of your dining table, why have a coffee table built into your sofa? Avoid at all costs.
5. You own puffy leather recliners
The early nineties called and it wants its recliners back. Points are further deducted if there’s a crochet blanket involved. Recliners are the devil’s work, there’s no doubt about it, but they have gotten better. At least update yours to a more modern version without the old pokies-style side lever.
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6. The TV is mounted too high
Your living room is not a Hoyts cinema, you heard it here first. Why then, is your TV mounted halfway up the wall? You want to sit on your sofa and have your eye line roughly hit the lower section of the screen. If watching tele leaves you needing a neck massage, we have a problem.
7. The fireplace in the corner of the room
Nobody puts Baby in the corner. Except for some architects, who for reasons unknown, love to put fireplaces in this part of the living room. The best position for a fire is in a central location. You know, so you can actually gather around it.
8. There’s no rug in the space
Not grounding your room with a rug is like Caitlyn Jenner running for governor; pure madness. Furniture in a living room without a rug looks like it’s floating and disconnected. A rug pulls all of the pieces together and has them make sense. It’s like Karl and Susan on Neighbours; it just wouldn’t make sense without them.
9. Your cushions are flat and lifeless
There’s nothing worse than seeing a beautiful sofa with flat cushions on it. It’s like Jamie Durie wearing that leather getup on Dancing With The Stars. Sure the foundation is nice, but WTF is going on over the top? Cushions need feather inserts to ensure they look plump and plush. And yes, there are eco, animal-friendly versions available. There’s just no excuse for polyester.
10. There’s no mood lighting
Overhead lights at night: insomnia’s delight. You really need a floor or table lamp in your space at a bare minimum, so you can wind down at night and prepare for sleepy times. Not only does it take the severity out of the space, but it allows you to conceal the entire block of Caramilk you just demolished from your partner.
Chris Carroll is the Melbourne-based designer behind TLC Interiors; an interior design studio and home style blog helping everyday Aussies transform their spaces without breaking the bank. www.tlcinteriors.com.au | Instagram
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