Living room trends for 2016

How to Decorate a Living Room

Whilst the living room trends you embrace will very much depend on your own personal style, your budget and the size of your room, there is no reason why the interior design trends that are popular right now cannot be adapted and selected in order to suit pretty much any space and taste.

This is a room where you can relax, entertain and hang out with family and friends and as such it needs to feel open and spacious, but how do you achieve that whilst still fitting in all the seating required?

Choose Seating Wisely

Anyone pondering how to decorate living rooms will have faced the age-old dilemma of seating vs. space. Thankfully, there are ways to combine ample seating for guests without making living rooms appear overcrowded.

Rather than attempting to wedge in a bulky three-piece suite, it is a far better idea to opt for one larger sofa combined with smaller seating options, such as quirky, delicate vintage armchairs, a loveseat or a padded ottoman than can double up as storage.

If you want to introduce some of the big living room trends of the moment, then perhaps opt for a neutral grey sofa and adorn it with cushions and throws in vibrant tropical fabrics — perfect for those after more classic decorating ideas for living rooms.

Anyone with an eye on contemporary design should consider the continuing trend for metallics such as copper, brass and bronze and add some glitz with fabrics that reflect the style — metallics are the perfect pairing for a grey backdrop too.

Caption: Rather than cramming in huge sofas, mix and match using pouffes, ottomans, floor cushions and armchairs

Think Practical

Whilst it can be tempting to think only of the finished look of a living room, it needs to work hard too. Remember the importance of smaller items of furniture such as side tables flanking a sofa, a coffee table, perhaps with storage shelves underneath, and possibly a console to sit neatly behind a sofa.

Handmade and folksy furniture is bang on trend at present, adding an eclectic, individual element to a space. Scour antique shops and one-off designers for inspiration. If you are worried about cost, a company such as Zespoke, will create a handmade and completely bespoke piece of living room furniture for you in any colour or pattern you please, taking the hard work out of co-ordinating your furniture with your living room design — plus their pieces are affordable.

Interior Design Trends

There are a couple of key living room trends for 2016 to look out for:

·         Metals and metallic fabrics and wallpapers — think copper, platinum, gold copper and steel

·         Fabric wall art

·         Blue and white ‘Delft-inspired’ patterns

·         Colourful woven fabrics with an ethnic or folksy feel

·         Shades of pink, red and peach

·         Accessories in deep green and navy — and the ever-popular palette of greys

·         Tropical prints and ‘bringing greenery in’

How to Use Them

Not all design trends appeal to everyone — and good job too, otherwise we would all be living in identikit homes.

But how to decorate a living room without it becoming a mishmash of the latest styles? The best way forward is to pick one or two that catch your eye and work them into your overall scheme.

For example, choosing a fail-safe backdrop of grey and combining it with a navy armchair complete with tropical-inspired throw and a rose gold side lamp atop a customised side table in a soft peach (see Zespoke’s range — their Amber Matt colour is great).

Caption: Peach, navy and grey, combined with a touch of greenery above and handspun accessories — bang on trend