How to make your living room the star of your home

If your grand designs for your home have stalled — either for financial reasons or simply due to a lack of time and motivation — how do you cope with living in a property that’s less show home and more rundown home while waiting to remodel?

One affordable solution that could save your sanity is to make your livingroom the star of the show. Whether you transform it into a sophisticated space for cocktails and conversation, a clutter-free calm cocoon, or a super-cosy family snug, by fully revamping just one room you’ll have created a sanctuary to escape the chaos of the rest of the house. And it might just motivate you to keep the faith with the bigger home improvement project.

“That’s the one thing that the pandemic did — it [made us] all realise that our homes are our sanctuary,” says interior architect Aoife Tobin of stylesosimple.com. “It’s so important that you have at least one space that’s comfortable, that you can go into in the evenings and switch off, especially with working from home.”

I think sometimes people need to embrace the darkness. It can be quite scary but your lighting and your textures and textiles, that’s what visually makes us feel more cosy

—  Sarah Petersen of Dan Éire Designs

Ideally, you would start with doing up the kitchen and creating a communal space, Tobin says. However, even at the budget end of the kitchen market, you’re looking at the bones of €7,000. “If you can’t do that, then definitely the livingroom is a close second,” she says. While you might feel like putting every penny towards the overall refurbishment, “you have to live as well” and enjoy your home. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going room by room.”

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If a client had a budget of, say, €5,000 to totally transform their livingroom, what would she recommend?

“It’s a good budget,” Tobin says. “If I had that, I’d be delighted.” All the same, it could go very quickly on things like joinery and a sofa.

Fortunately, there are some very good sofa companies that always have offers on. Tobin chose DFS’s Tom sofa in steel grey velvet when redecorating the livingroom of her rented apartment to achieve a Studio McGee (of the Netflix show) vibe.

A lot of her clients would have an existing sofa from Ikea, and if they’re not in a position to change it, she highly recommends a company called Bemz, which creates affordable linen-look covers specifically for sofas from the Swedish furniture giant.

Luxurious lounging seems to be the order of the day for livingrooms, with l-shaped, corner and chaise sofas proving popular family-friendly choices. Sarah Petersen of Dan Éire Designs says that in one project in Galway, her clients are opting for a U-shaped couch as they want their sittingroom to be “complete lounge central”.

If the room is used mainly in the evenings, Petersen says you can go darker on the walls, even in north-facing rooms. “I think sometimes people need to embrace the darkness,” she says. “It can be quite scary but your lighting and your textures and textiles, that’s what visually makes us feel more cosy.”

While a budget of €5,000 is generous for a livingroom, Petersen notes that built-ins (bespoke storage) could eat up most of this budget. Fortunately, there are clever ways to achieve this popular look for a fraction of the cost.

“You can get MDF shelves cut to size if you have a carpenter coming in ... and paint them the same colour as the walls,” she advises. “Just get them fitted into the alcoves and then start styling them with a mixture of books, plants, lamps and any bits and bobs you’ve gathered over the years.”

Candles lend a cosy glow, and a diffuser with essential oils will turn the room into a calming space

Jennifer Grace, director of Dublin interiors business The Good Room, says if there is already storage in the room, she would sometimes suggest painting it or adding LED lighting or new doors. “This can really transform a dated built-in unit and is very cost-effective.”

And don’t underestimate the transformative power of scatter cushions! “I have a summer set and winter set,” Grace says, “and I mix them up every year, keeping the same fillers but swapping out the cover.”

Meanwhile, Davina O’Connell Hanley of Dernish Designs suggests adding a rug to hide scuffs and stains instead of spending money on new flooring — just don’t scrimp on the size. “Opt for a rug large enough so that all the legs of your furniture are on or touching it,” she says.

When it comes to window treatments, you can create the illusion of height by hanging curtains as close to the ceiling as possible, and O’Connell Hanley loves adding a sheer curtain to create a luxurious feel.

She also advises choosing warm, soft lighting rather than anything bright or cool. Candles lend a cosy glow, and a diffuser with essential oils will turn the room into a “calming space”, she says.

Finally, add a chunky knit throw and a glass of wine, shut the door on the mess elsewhere, and there you have it: the perfect evening retreat.

Panel 1: My livingroom make-over

Even with all the inspiration available on Houzz, Instagram and Pinterest, it can be a challenge for the amateur decorator to achieve the look that’s in their mind’s eye, so I signed up for a mini consultation with Dernish Designs to help rescue our bland livingroom from its style rut.

Somehow, from the photos I emailed Davina and my vague request for a “cosy coastal” theme, she succeeded in creating the room plan I wanted but hadn’t been able to articulate — it was as if she had read my mind.

My favourite part of the design is the alcove reading nook for our children, and I also love the genius addition of battery-operated wall lights (£81 from amazon.co.uk) that will add to the ambience without the expense of running wiring to the alcoves. The acrylic painting is from Etsy (€482) and the lamp is currently on sale with EZ Living (€97.30). The mirror is from Ikea (€70).

So far, I’ve painted the walls in Colourtrend’s Sheepskin (finally my search for the perfect neutral is over!) and will complete the rest of Davina’s design bit by bit. It’ll take time, but the mood board is keeping me motivated. And after all, as Grace from the Good Room says, “You don’t need an Insta-fabulous house all at once”.

PANEL 2: Update your livingroom for less

Kukoon rugs is great for very low price, distressed rugs (from €35.64 for a 80cmx150cm rug kukoonrugs.com)

Soft Blue Distressed Abstract Living Room Area Rug | Ludlow | Kukoon Rugs Online

Marks and Spencers do nice cosy velvet cushions (from €20, marksandspencer.com)

Velvet Cushion | M&S Collection | M&S (marksandspencer.com)

A Himalayan salt lamp can add a cosy glow to livingrooms (€19.95, lirpharmacy.com)

Himalayan Natural Salt Lamp ~ 20cm Height Default Title (lirpharmacy.com)

Colourtrend Profound is a “gorgeous colour” says Sarah Petersen. “I love pairing it with teal, gold and touches of blush pink.” (from €35, colourtrend.ie)

Colourtrend Profound | Colourtrend | colourtend.com