2016 Trend Report Part 3: Living Rooms

Style it up! Your living room is the face of your home, bare, laid out in the open. It is the space dressed to impress—whether you are hosting guests, or relaxing with your family and friends. In the third installation of our Trend Report series, we bring you two notable styles taking over today's living rooms. Take these looks as your inspiration and pick up designing tips on your next interior remodel! 

Cosmopolitan charmer

This living room design reflects the wanderlust, the jetsetter, and the extravagant. Bright and bold colours are set against a balanced symmetry. There is a heavy tinge of glamour, usually set dripping on luxurious couches, colourful decor and surprising accents. There's an international appeal to the entire construct; interior designers laden it with layers of patterns, a wild assembly of graphic textures, and eye-catching fine art .

This particular design is a curator’s den, ornate with hand-picked novelties as well as a busy shelf filled with books. Bright yellow illuminates the sullen grey hue, creating a youthful charm amidst the old, ornate florals embossed on the concrete slab. The salon-like feel of this interior is a perfect stunner and would have looked complete with an interior lighting, such as a floor lamp.

Designing tips

• Spruce up your living room with strong, impressive furniture. Bulky couches, ottomans, and elaborate lounges are perfect for the cosmopolitan look.
• Take a feature object and choose your colour palette from there. Try to keep things easy on the eye with a limited motif.
• Looking for an easy getaway? Hang a pop art painting on the wall and build from there.
• Make good use of graphic patterns! Place rugs and curtains with geometrical designs to stir up your interior.
• Throw a woolly rug on your couch for an added luxe.
• A fancy chandelier adds character to your interior; install one in black, white or gold shades. Our suggestion: a spider black chandelier that fits all themes.

Scandinavian sweetheart

Clean, crisp, and breathtakingly simply, the Scandinavian still remains as a top style in this year's living room interior. It brings in an unexplainable mix of quiet and loudness, balanced by a minimalist approach that makes it easy on the eye. The lightness is some sort of visual magic; it makes spaces appear roomier than it is. There is no surprise why Scandinavian is the style usually employed in small living room spaces.

The secret lies in picking the right form of furniture. By looking closely, couches and tables have one thing in common: slender legs. The light palette also helps in creating a gentle, mild imagery that is the source of its capaciousness. Lights are pretty basic, usually small pendant lights in rows or on its own, creating a task illumination. See this cord pendant light variety in our store. Alternatively, we have a similar pendant caged light you can also use for your interiors! 

Designing tips

• Choose basic furniture with slender, angled legs for that “floating” feel. The thinner the legs, the bigger illusion of space.
• Instead of strong colours, limit your palette to cold, neutral tones for that clean effect. Select pastels, blacks, whites and greys.
• Create a dash of accent with pillow play—find exciting covers with geometric patterns to break away from monotony!
• A throw rug helps in adding a bit of luxury in your room.
• Smart up on your shelving. Use your DIY skills to build rows of trays to place your favourite pictures and what-nots.
• Plants are essential to Scandinavian style. Place a vase of succulents or two and add a pop of green into the room.