How to Design a Classic Living Room – 8 Simple Steps
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Classic Living Room Design Ideas – Introduction Video
To understand how to design a classic (or sometimes called traditional) living room, it is important to first understand what the style entails. This design style is marked by its timelessness and conventionality. It is a well-thought-out and balanced design, with an abundance of accessories, materials, and decorative touches.
Interior design is a great way to reflect your personal style and create inviting comfortable spaces. It’s especially important when it comes to creating a classic living room that can stand the test of time. According to a study published by MDPI, interior design has been found to have an effect on wellness, mood, and stress levels in homes.
The study further states that while certain choices can be overwhelming, understanding the basics of good design helps people make decisions easier when it comes to their homes. When considering a classic living room design, one should consider the environment, functionality, and style.
According to a research paper published by Science Direct, classical design elements like symmetry, rhythm, and order are essential for achieving the perfect balance between beauty and practicality in a space. These elements help bring together all the aspects of design – from furniture arrangement to color palette – into an orderly whole that looks great and feels comfortable at the same time.
Another key element for designing a classic living room is lighting. According to a study published in NCBI, natural light has many beneficial effects on people’s health, including improved moods and better sleep quality, among other things.
Therefore, when designing a classic living room, it is important to plan out how natural light will enter the space through windows or skylights, or any other features so that these benefits can be enjoyed by everyone in the house while maintaining an orderly look throughout the room during different times of day or night when artificially lit rooms may appear disordered or uncomfortable without proper attention to layout and color palette choice as advised by Research Gate.
To further understand how to design your living room and how to pick classic living room furniture, we’ve put together these guidelines. By following them, you can create a beautiful and inviting space that has a timeless air of elegance.
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8 Steps to Create Traditional Living Room
1.- Create a Focal Point in your Living Room
This style is defined by its symmetry and order, which can be achieved by arranging the furnishings to draw attention to a featured item such as antique furniture, a work of modern or contemporary art, or a fireplace. If your home doesn’t have an existing focal point, you can find the room’s center line and center your arrangement around that.
Once your focal point is determined, it will dictate that the rest of the room’s furnishing balance and lead the eye back to the central focus. Additionally, you can help achieve this by keeping colors muted and patterns minimal. So let the simple elegance of classic interior design shine through for a timeless look that will never go out of style.
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2.- Matching Furniture in a Traditional Living Room
Matching furniture is vital, which is why many people opt for symmetrical arrangements, with two identical couches facing each other or a long sofa flanked by two single armchairs.
As you start with the largest pieces and work your way around the room, you can add smaller pieces of art and accessories in pairs. This creates a cohesive look that feels both stylish and timeless.
Of course, interior design isn’t just about matching furniture. Well-made pieces often have exquisite carvings, turned or carved legs, and floral or faunal motifs. These details come together to create an elegant and timeless look.
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3.- Subtle Color Palette for a Timeless Living Room
One of the most important is the use of a subtle color palette. Often, colors inspired by the outdoors and nature are used in classic settings, including muted tones of yellow, blue, green, and brown.
These colors are preferable to bright ones as they help emphasize the classic living room style’s historical underpinnings. Additionally, emeralds, plums, and bold patterns are often used in these settings; while off-white is more traditional.
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4.- Importance of Art and Accessories in a Living Room Design
Creating a classic and timeless living room design in your home doesn’t have to be difficult. With a few key pieces of furniture and some well-chosen accessories, you can achieve a stylish and elegant look.
After you’ve added the basic classic living room furniture, add some interest with accessories. Just as crucial to creating a balanced look is where you put your accessories. Place one huge piece of art in the middle of the space over the sideboard, and flank it with two similar table lamps.
To mimic the proportions of a bigger piece of art, you might hang two identical pieces of art on each side of a doorway or use four or six smaller works arranged in a simple grid.
Pillows are your friend. It’s crucial to coordinate the color and location of your pillows. Place them next to one another for a more formal look, or set them at an angle in the sofa’s corners to mirror the colors and designs of the opposite end.
It may be a good idea to arrange the furniture on the other couch in the same way. Make use of sets and pairs to simplify your life. If you’re feeling more daring, mix and match different patterns and colors for a more eclectic look.
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5.- Don’t forget to add Accents Pieces to your Living Room Furniture
Accent pieces are essential in tying a living room together and giving it a complete look. Without them, a room may feel bland and unfinished. Adding classical pieces is an easy way to raise the style of your home without undertaking a major project.
Some great accent pieces to consider are throw pillows, vases, and rugs. Throw blankets and pillows can add a touch of elegance to any room, while vases can be used to add a pop of color or interest. Layering multiple rugs in different textures, shapes, and sizes is a great way to add depth and visual interest to a room.
Or, if you prefer a more coordinated look, you can choose matching rugs. Pet-friendly rugs are also an option for those with furry family members, as they can handle daily wear and tear better than other materials.
The size of the rug needed will depend on the size of your space — remember, when buying a rug, it should extend slightly beyond the boundaries of the furniture in order to bring a sense of harmony and balance to the room. If you have an awkward room shape or size, custom rugs may be worth considering so you can create something that perfectly fits your space.
For those with hardwood flooring, area rugs can provide protection against scratches while allowing some natural beauty of the wood to show through. Also, remember that wool rugs require special attention when cleaning — vacuuming only goes so far, so you may want to look into professional steam cleaning every few years to ensure its longevity.
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6.- Include Dark Wood Finishes
Some of the best color choices are deep, dark hues for an inviting look in the living room. When purchasing end tables, coffee tables, and other accent pieces, look for hardware that doesn’t draw too much attention to itself.
Shiny hardware, no matter how small, can take away from the more traditional living room elements in the room. Instead, go for simple and appropriate burnished or matte metals.
Use the aforementioned accent items in dark tones to create a subtle contrast against the dark wood furnishings in your space. For example, suppose your couch has arms that are elaborately carved and legs that bend inward. In that case, you can offset the furniture’s formality by draping a plush throw blanket over the back.
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7.- Focus on a Symmetrical Layout
Designing a living area that is classic and elegant in style does not have to be difficult. One important aspect to focus on is creating a symmetrical layout.
Creating a living space with symmetry can have powerful psychological effects on its inhabitants. According to Gestalt Psychology, interior design choices that result in balanced visuals attract people and are associated with feelings of order, harmony, and stability.
According to the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, symmetrical houses communicated wealth and beauty while creating pleasant emotions for those inside of them. Meanwhile, asymmetric designs may be perceived as stable due to their arrangement, offering an extra layer of security and protection.
The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture project has considered how humans respond emotionally to interior design elements, particularly examining symmetry or asymmetry in space planning decisions.
Symmetrical forms may create feelings of openness and comfort. In contrast, asymmetry might generate excitement and surprise – allowing for more exploration of textures and materials within the environment itself.
Adding elements of symmetry into a living space can add visual interest without overwhelming the senses, according to an article published in the Journal of Vision.
Therefore when thinking about designing a living room for well-being, incorporating various forms of symmetry can be beneficial not just for yourself but those around you – resulting in an environment where everyone can feel safe and at ease!
This can be accomplished by arranging furniture and décor in a pleasing and well-balanced manner. For example, placing a coffee table in the center of the room with a large sofa on one side and two smaller chairs on the other side creates a symmetrical look. Another way to achieve symmetry is to position an object across from another object of similar size or shape.
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8.- Work with a Variety of Textures
A classic design style is characterized by uniformity, making a room look elegant. However, this doesn’t mean that your living room has to be boring. There are many ways to add some spice to the room and give it a fresh lease of life.
Classic living rooms often feature unique textures like wood, velvet, or silk. Adding texture to a room can bring warmth and depth to the space while also creating an interesting visual dynamic.
As suggested in Frontiersin, texture is a critical aspect of interior design in classic living rooms because it conveys “information about the material properties and tactile experience of surfaces” that can be used to create beautiful and inviting designs.
Another study by the Journal of Wood Science looked at the use of texture in interior design. It stated that “the arrangement, selection, combination, and control of various materials and elements create a rich diversity of spatial atmosphere.”
Accordingly, combining different textures, such as hardwood floors with soft upholstery, can give any living room a classic feel with depth and personality that will make it stand out from the rest.
Finally, according to The National Library of Medicine, “texture is one of the most significant components associated with aesthetic evaluation,” which shows its importance when designing a classic living room space that stands out from others for its aesthetic quality and warmth communicated through its textural elements.
One way to do this is by altering the texture of the room’s walls, furniture, or colorful artwork. For example, hardwood usually has natural graining that gives it plenty of character. Mixing in some suede or velvet can help to soften the look.
Finally, decorating your mantle with needlepoint stockings is both decorative and thoughtful. With a little creativity, you can easily give your classic living room a new lease on life.
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Final Thoughts and Conclusions
The classic interior design style is all about creating a feeling of tranquility and elegance. It relies on elegant furniture pieces, warm hues, and subtle Art Deco or Victorian touches to achieve its goal. If you’re looking to inject some timeless style into your home, there are a few easy ways to get started.
You can begin by incorporating some timeless furniture pieces into your layout. Swapping out your current furniture with new pieces that convey a feeling of antiquity may also result in a noticeable transformation. You can easily give your home a beautiful and timeless look with just a few simple changes.
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Design a Classic Style Room -FAQ
Which materials should I use to create a classic and timeless living space?
A home that is timeless utilizes living room decor such as natural resources and fibers such as woods, stones, brick, and natural fibers such as cotton.
Are solid antique pieces and traditional home décor suggested to create a classic and timeless design?
Yes, designers suggest investing in these pieces to create a timeless and traditional living room design.
What are some key elements to creating a classic interior look?
Some ideas living room designers will advise are to add some dark greens, art deco, formal furnishings, architectural moldings, classic colors, a neutral wall, a functional space design, and perhaps traditional living room lighting.
Is art deco considered classic?
It is a combination of the Art Deco and Classical styles. While Art Deco might be significantly different from its predecessors, a great deal of Art Deco architecture is essentially the old classical style with a contemporary twist.
Do classic and traditional homes have architectural moldings?
Yes, in timeless living room decor, you’ll find wainscoting, trim, and other architectural moldings in these types of homes.
Why is the classic design still popular today?
Because this timeless décor style resists trends, it is quietly understated, simple and sophisticated.
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