House Plants to Lighten Up Your Living Room

One of the best ways to lighten up your living room is to have house plants.  These will not only provide a fresher look in your room but will likewise disinfect the air inside it.

If you compare a living room with plants with a living room without plants, which one would you choose?  Although the presence of functional and elegant furniture provides a comfortable and pleasing appearance for the room, it is still different if you see some plants that blend with your furniture, furnishings and decorations.  Even though furniture adds to the aesthetic appearance of the room, the presence of plants adds a softer, cooling effect that is different with that of the furniture.  Resting your back on your sofa’s wide soft cushions and leaning your head on its adjustable headrests will be more satisfying and gratifying with plants inside your room.

Some homeowners fill their room with too many plants that it floods the room making it look like a greenhouse.  This tends to take away the attention from the furniture.  Plants must be placed strategically without covering the faces of each other when conversing.  It must not block entrances and walkways, too.  

If you intend to put more houseplants inside your living room, you can assign a corner and arrange the plants there to make a little garden inside your home.  Nevertheless, you need to make certain that these are plants can thrive even if they are situated inside the home.  These are called houseplants.

Some of the houseplants that you can have for your home are:

Peace lilies have anthurium-like white flowers and white big, green leaves.   

Poinsettias are well-known with its red flowers although it also has white, orange, pink and dappled.  

Moth Orchids bloom every 3 months and can be placed near the window or door to produce more flowers. 

Lady Palm has fan-shaped leaves and does not need to be repotted regularly. 

Surviving with less care is the Sweetheart Plant that need frequent watering, light temperature and shade.

Choosing houseplants that need less attention are good options if you do not have much time to take care of them or if you do not have a green thumb.  The aesthetic appeal of your living room will be further enhanced with their presence.

Which Sofa Materials Should You Choose?

When buying furniture, it is important that you choose the materials appropriately.  The material will be your gauge for its strength as well as the duration of the furniture.

However, you also must include other factors when choosing the sofa material such as presence of children and pets, the users and their built, the cleaning time and the frequency of use.

The different sofa materials

Natural materials.  Falling under this category is cotton.   They used to rip off easily but modern technology has made them more durable.   

Manmade materials.  These are stronger than natural fibers.  They do not easily get dirty and are stain resistant.   Included in this category are the nylon blends, polyester blends and rayon.  Nylon defies dust and smears.  Polyester is easier to clean but the most cost-efficient is rayon.  Rayon does not easily fade even exposed under direct sunlight, is soft and does not easily deteriorate.

Microfiber materials.  These materials are recommended with children and pets around.  They defy blemishes and dirt; hence, it suits a busy household.  They are also durable.  If you have a member of your family with allergy, choose microfiber sofas. 

Leather materials.  These are the best choices as they are hard-wearing and sure to last for a long time.  Maintenance is easy.  Full leather grain is expensive but other grains are cheaper.

Silky materials that are closely weaved are a perfect choice for a busy living room.  Choose the more closely weaved, as they are stronger.  

Do not choose materials that feature raised upholstered patterns, as they tear off quickly.   

Prices of furniture may differ with the materials used.  Nevertheless, always consider the durability over the price.  Saving a few dollars may only mean spending more in the end.  Remember, buying furniture must not be taken for granted.  Quality and durability are the most important elements that you need to look into first before the price.

Furniture Ideas for a Small Living Room

A small living room does not mean that you cannot have a nice-looking living room.  The secret is in knowing what furniture to have.   

Having furniture that is visually light in weight is one of the best ways to make a small living room look bigger.   This means that furniture is light and airy.  Choose furniture that has legs instead of the boxed type. 

Furniture with legs permits you to have visible space making the room to look bigger that it is.  You can have a glass coffee table top or accent chairs to establish a look of more space.  Select furniture that allows light to pass through the room as much as possible.

Colors also have a big effect on how small or big the room looks.  It can even make a small room look bigger while making a big room look smaller.  To give a breezy feel to a small room, choose pastel colors or neutral palettes of beige and taupe.  You can similarly use lighter colors to make things appear bigger.   

Do not choose stripe, big prints and plaids for upholstery but instead have the textured ones.  With textured upholstery, you get to have the look of a design without the room looking overcrowded.

Use the vertical space in your small living room to an advantage.  Opt to have a taller and narrower bookshelf. 

Have tall floor lamps to direct the eyes upward. 

When you shop for furniture, select those whose size are suitable in your space.  It should always be a rule of thumb to get the dimension of your space.  What seems to be a small piece may not be the same once you bring it home.  Always choose the sofa first followed by the other pieces.

Select your accessories cautiously.  You do not need to have a lot of display items in a small room.  This will only create clutter.   Display only a few striking pieces than complements the other décor.   

Furniture for Living Room with Brown Colored Walls

Brown represents steadiness and safety. When choosing it as your living room wall color, use its restrained hue such as light tan, mocha and beige.

Reserve the darker hues for your accents and ornaments. Apart from that, the dark hues of brown will make your living room look smaller. Having said that, dark brown must not be used for a small space.



A living room with brown colored walls can be combined with green. You can have one side of your wall pasted with green wallpaper. This combination suggests an earthy look and at the same time is eco-friendly. Both are also a good match for brown wooden furniture.

If a darker shade of brown was used for the walls, have your furniture in pale shades of brown.

Make sure that your living room set has the same shades. This includes not only the sofas and coffee tables but the TV stand and shelves, too.



Furniture in greenish blue or teal is a good match with brown. Use this color for the unfinished fixtures. Sofa cushions must be in identical greenish blue tone. Choose solid teal or brown hued throw pillows.

Furniture in white is another match for the brown- colored walls of your living room.
Should you prefer to have an all-brown living room, choose furniture in chrome and chairs in clear acrylic.



Use beige, white or cream if you want to have a table lamp.

Get brown or blue prints for your curtains or drapes. You can similarly use the neutral shade of cream.

Always have two patterns for your decorations to create more attention and to separate the strong shades of brown. For instance, your rug can have loop patterns.



Mix the various tones of blue such as teal or aqua to the creamy tones of brown. This creates a superb blend.

Use imagination and creativity for your accents and decorations. Use the different hues of brown: dark, middle and the pale hues. However, remember to use the main color for big furniture always.

Things to Consider When Buying Area Rugs

Area rugs are so adaptable that they can match with any home furniture and furnishings. It adds to your home’s magnetism even with simple adornments.

One of the things that stops people from having rugs in their home is the price. It can be that a few are expensive but you can still find some that is within your budget.



The most important thing is to buy a rug that will at least last you for two years. Buying rugs that are on sale is a good idea as long as you check its quality.

Get the measurement of the room where you intend to put the rug. Allot 12 inches of space between the walls and the edge of the rug. Should you decide to put furniture on the area rug, the furniture should take up 1/3 of the rug’s surface. Have a nice showpiece on your rug by placing your coffee table on the rug.



Colors should match those of the furniture, the walls and other furnishings. Since it will be the focus, ensure that balance is observed. Choose colors that are soothing, calming and reassuring. Green would be a good choice as it will add to the environmentalist theme of your living room. Red rugs project strong emotions. Affectionate and optimistic are the emotions establish by the yellow color. You get the feeling of security and peacefulness with blue. All of these sensations and feelings are ideal to have in a living room as well as in the bedroom.
If you have a spacious living room, you obviously would need big rugs. Get something that has a display of colors.



A small living room can look bigger with area rugs that are light in color and with small patterns.

Purchase rugs that include one color of your decorations. This will complement the design of the room.



Shapes come in varied forms. Always get one that suits your taste and style. A sense of grace or confidence is equated with an octagonal or round-shaped rug. You can also combine various shapes of rugs as long as they complement each other.



Rugs are made of various materials such as wool, polypropylene, acrylic, nylon and olefin. Sturdy is the best word to describe nylon rugs. They are likewise easy to maintain. Polypropylene or or olefin rugs are the sure bets for blemishes as they proved to be good in resisting stains.



Acrylic rugs are ideal for homes that have many windows. It is because these types of rugs resist staining and yellowing.

Rugs made of wool are not ideal if a member of your family has allergy. However, they are soft and durable.



Rugs are not just meant for the living room – your bedroom can have it, too.

Online furniture shops offer good varieties of area rugs and are even cheaper that those in the stores. However, you also need to remember that the color may be different to its actual color. Do not be discourage though as you can always call for an appointment to see the area rug “in person”.

Re-furbishing Your Man's Living Room

If you plan to redesign your man’s living room, you had better be equipped with the right information. What I mean by right information is you need to know him well like choice of color and the style that he wanted. Your choice may not be agreeable to him. It may be that he wants his living room that way.



Therefore, before you start on this project, it is better to let him know about it. Then discuss how he wanted this room to look like. It will also be nice if you can persuade him to join in refurbishing his living room. Just like you, your man wants his living room to be inviting and relaxing. However, it must have a manly yet caring appeal.



To get you started with decorating his room, here are some steps to make your task easier.



Let us start with the walls. Men would normally choose dark colors. Try to suggest neutral colors for the walls. If he still prefers dark shades, then mix dark and light shades of the said hue. The floors must blend well with the walls. They can adopt the same color but select the tone. Do not combine dark-colored walls and floors. Mix the dark, medium and light tones of his chosen color.



Accentuate the wall colors with well-designed and brawny furniture. Leather will suit any man. Black, brown, tan, beige, chocolate brown are color furniture that appeals to men.



Add throw pillows that are of vibrant colors but not too bright. Brown complements teal or green. Check the color chart to make sure you are blending the hues correctly.



Lights are important fixtures as it plays an important role in the setting of the room. You can use dug lights instead of the usual fluorescent lamps. Use the proper bulb though to illuminate the whole room. Make use of floor lamps and table lamps for reading. Wall sconces are good to spotlight works of art.



Since I mentioned art, have some art pieces such as sculpture or paintings. If he is not an arty person, then display photographs on the wall. Photos that display his achievements in his chosen sports will surely elate him as well as pictures of his work triumphs.



Men love watching movies, sports, music. Provide a good entertainment center where he can have his gadgets organized in one place. Choose one with drawers and shelves. This way, he can also put his books and magazine on one shelf while DVDs, CDs, etc. in the other.



Men do not want a living room that is frilly or filled with too much decoration. Practical is how they want it to be. If you want to add some decorations, make sure that they are essential to have in the room and that it will not look like a big clutter.



Try putting blinds instead of curtains and drapes for a change. Blend them with the theme and furniture of the living room.



Once your man sees the changes you have started, he will be more than willing to give his ideas to fit what he likes for his living room. Again, the key is to maintain the manliness of his room and giving the impression of his compassionate nature.