Living Room Design and Decor – Tips and Ideas (Part 2) – as part of the expert series by GeoBeats.

One of the hottest trends right now is the color gray. I am the color diva, so I know all about color. And this color really excites me. It is warm, it is rich, and it is another way to look at neutrals. This color gray is a great backdrop to do a fun perky color for pillows. I love pillows on a sofa, or on a bed, for that matter. Pillows are the best way to add some spice into a room, and add your personality, all at the lowest cost possible, because there are so many pillows out there. It is 1, 2, 3, and you can change the room. Take these purple pillows. I know people who are afraid of purple. I am afraid to even say it to some of you, but look how fabulous it looks. It really creates a rich look on this sofa. It is really inviting. Take 2 colored pillows, and 1 pillow with a pattern like we did here, and give it an asymmetric look to the pillows on the sofa. And it is a very very chic look.

Talking about adding drama and interest. What I love to do on, above a sofa in a living room, is, I love to have a big piece of art like we did here. It really makes a statement. And it adds a lot of pow and pizazz into a room. Another option, of course, is to do a series of prints, or a series of art. Maybe 3 to 5. Always an odd number, because it is better with an odd number, it looks better. But that can also look great. What you really want to do is, you want to frame the centerpiece of the room, which is the sofa. Like we did here with this 1 big important piece of art.

Another feature in this living room is the coffee table. Coffee tables, to me, are critical in the room. It is not just a oh by the way piece. It should be as big as possible. Why? The reason I said a table 18 inches away from a sofa, which is what I call design by numbers, is because you can easily put your drink on the table, a plate if you are having a cocktail party. The book you are reading. Even your feet if you want to. You do not have to go reaching. It is all acout practical design. So something that I call design by numbers. It is how far away from sofa or chair should a coffee table be? It should be about 18 inches away, so you have room to walk. You have room for your legs to have some room. And you can also manage to put a glass very easily on top of it.

Let us look at this wall. It is an interesting color paint, and paint is a critical part of a home. It is very easy to paint 1 wall as a feature wall, like we did here. This is a grey/purple kind of a tone. Notice it does not match the sofa, it does not match the pillows. It just plays and balances that color. Painting a wall is inexpensive, easy to do, and and easier place for you to take a risk. Talking about using greys as a color palate for your home, it does not mean you have stay with the same value of gray for every piece. Look at this chair in juxtaposition with the grey sofa. They are not the same color. They are not even exactly the same tone. But the fact that they are juxtaposed against each other really makes it interesting. Do not do the expected all the time, do not play matchy-matchy. Design and Decorating, and having a beautiful home is not about everything matching. It is about everything feeling good together, and looking like it was meant to be together, as opposed to being matched together.

I love these ottomans. They are sculptural, they have a great look. They do not take up a lot of space. And they do add seating in a room. Ottomans across from a sofa, or part of the seating arrangement around a coffee table are a great way to be able to expand your seating arrangement, and they look so cool. Also, they do not have to match in color to everything else in the room. It is a great way to add another element in the room. In this case, we match it to the neutral rug.

Duration : 0:3:46

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