11/10/2013

How To: Decorate A Family Country Living Room


The living room is the heart of the home, a place where the whole family gathers round the TV on a Saturday night with bowls of popcorn and a place warm and cosy to relax.
 
When we first moved into our cottage it felt damp, cold and worn.  The layout and natural features of the place were beautiful but it was in need of some TLC.
 
I strongly believe just the smallest bits and bobs can transform a room, so here if how I transformed our bland, cold living room into a cosy family retreat.
 

 
We decided we wanted a natural rustic theme throughout the room to keep it matching with the cottage.  It just wouldn't look right if we decided the colour theme was luminous green, maybe in a modern flat you could make something that crazy work, but not in a 350 year old cottage!
 
We got these photo frames from The Range and added our favourite family photos to them to keep the room homely and family orientated.
 


 
I love little positive messages dotted around the house, just reading them makes me smile. We have this stuffed beige and cream heart hanging on the lounge door which we got from Dunelm Mill.  I love the textures of it, the softness, the rope and the wood.
 
We also got this light blue wooden message with 'Follow Your Dreams' written on it.  Even though its just hung up outside the lounge it sub consciously adds a positive vibe to the house.  This was purchased in Store Twenty One.
 

 
Candles were added to the room to create warmth, light and a gorgeous clean vanilla scent.  You can use candles to create different dynamics to the room by using candles of different shapes and textures.  The candles in the photos above were purchased from Tesco and Primark.
 
 
To make the room feel more 3D we added this neutral coloured candle bought from The Range that has a knitted texture to it with a suede feel heart tied round the top of it. 
 

 
Light is a really easy was to create a warmer more glamorous feel to a room.  To keep within a natural, country cottage theme we added a range of flowers to our twig/branch style lights which contrast slightly to the brassy rose gold coloured vase they're standing in.  We chose orangey red coloured poppies to add a little splash of colour to the room.  We thought poppies were the perfect flower as they're natural wild flowers which tied in with the country theme we were trying to create.
 
The vase and pot were purchased from The Range and the flowers from Dunelm Mill.
 
 
We used lettering placed unevenly on top of the fire place to make the room more homely and again, creating depth and texture by the use of the uneven placement of each letter.
 
We also added a cream fleece throw, a cream ribbed light reflecting square cushion, a cream teddy bear texture rectangle cushion and a soft beigey cream coloured faux fur square cushion to the sofa.  This added extra texture as well as homeliness to the room.
 
When creating a room it is important to remember that it is an experience to anyone that visits, and an experience is remembered through all five of the senses.  So when we added accessories to our living room we ensured we placed plenty of textures throughout the room for feel, light and warmth created with the candles and lights and a pleasant scent made from the candles.
 
Follow that simple rule and you will easily create a room that stays in a guests mind, for all the right reasons.
 
Remember to chose an appropriate colour theme that transitions from room to room appropriately so the whole house 'flows'.
 
I hope these little tips and photos helped any budding interior designers out there or anyone looking for inspiration to decorate their own living room.
 
 
 
You can find some of my favourite home shops below:
 



41 comments:

  1. Aw thank you I really appreciate that :D comments like this make my day :D xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the positive messages and candlelight. Feels like home. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's exactly what I thought :D Thanks for your comment :-)

      Delete
  3. Ahh this was a lovely post, and the pictures are wonderfu, but my favourite pic has to be the one of the candle. Candles are sooo beautiful. have you ever tried yankee candles? they're AMAZING and smell WONDERFUL.

    CharlotteHavs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thank you so much! I've only ever had one yankee candle!! I agree, they're amazing :D As soon as I'm off a student budget I'll be buying tones of them! Haha x

      Delete
  4. Great post! I love wooden trinkets like these, they really do make a house - a home! I love the heart <3 xx

    Gemma ♥ | Miss Makeup Magpie

    ReplyDelete
  5. The decoration looks so cute and cozy! <3
    xx

    http://be-your-own-hero-now.blogspot.pt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thank you, that was exactly what I was going for so that's made my day :D <3 xx

      Delete
  6. Amazing ideas!
    Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog! =D

    http://whattostyle.blogspot.com/

    xoxo,
    Jess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks :D and no problem, I love your blog xxxx

      Delete
  7. You're welcome! Thanks for stopping by Sofie xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely post! Candles, accessories are the things that warm our souls and our homes! Keep up the good work!
    ~We are following you...
    xo Glad & Cel
    junebugfurnitureanddesign.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love this so much :) I always adore the 'country' cosy look and I love the heart theme!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow this decor is amazing!

    Followed :)

    Also, I'd like to personally invite you to enter my international MAC lipstick and $40 MAC giftcard giveaway!
    http://mash-elle.blogspot.ca/2013/10/mac-creme-cup-review-mac-lipstick-40.html

    x Michelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah thank you :D I'll be checking out your blog asap :D x

      Delete
  11. gorgeous, Just my style

    New followers

    Carrieanne x

    http://beautiesunlocked.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Totally agree that an experience is remember through all five senses, that's why I always love to light candles and have nice fluffy blankets :) beautiful decorations :)

    Rebecca Coco

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your lovely comment :-) would love to see how you've decorated your house :-)

      Delete
  13. Love all these decorative items, definitely make things feel more homely! :)
    Spider Leg Lashes xo

    ReplyDelete
  14. very cosy and beautiful decorating ideas for a room or house, candles have always been my favourite <3

    Check out my new post partying with AX Paris! :)
    A
    xx
    http://epiquemoi.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/ax-paris-aw13-launch-party.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much :-) me too! I'll defo check out your blog, thanks for dropping by :-) xx

      Delete
  15. This looks so cozy. I love Los Angeles, but I miss this kind of living!


    Macie,
    Amen Fashion †

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love to visit LA, its got such a cool reputation :D thanks for dropping by!

      Delete
  16. Super sweet and romantic <3

    ReplyDelete
  17. It looks stunning! Will you come and decorate my place?! x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you! I'll definitely check out your blog :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lovely touches, makes the room look so cosy and snug! Perfect for this time of year :) x

    www.alittlefreckle.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment, I appreciate and read every single one! Please leave a link to your blog when you comment so others and I can take a peep! x