The living room is one of the most central and important areas in your home. And decoration and design are everything when it comes to making a house feel homely.
But the feeling of being “at home” and where this comes from is an elusive one, as IKEA's Life at Home report tried to pin down recently. In the report, 29% of people surveyed said there were places where they felt more at home than the space they lived in. This jumped to 35% of those who live in cities.
At Frenchic, we think your house should be the one place that always feels like home! One of the easiest ways to do this is through the colours you use to paint your rooms. When deciding which paint is best for your living room, it’s important to go for colours you love, while making sure the style fits the reality of the space you’re working with.
What do you use your living room for?
"The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what's in or what's out. This is not an easy job." ― Albert Hadley
When repainting your living room, a good place to start is considering what sort of activities you use the room for.
Living rooms are commonly multipurpose. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the amount of time we spend in our living rooms and the things we use them for has likely increased, so the term “living room” perhaps rings true in a literal sense for many of us today.
The amount of people working from home was already increasing before the pandemic started according to research by Finder, and now:
- 60% of people in the UK work from home today
- 26% plan to continue to work from home permanently or occasionally after lockdown
You may have already made your living area into a home office. On top of that, you might use it for eating, spending time with family and friends, relaxing, watching television, exercising and creative activities.
How do you want it to feel?
“Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” ― Nate Berkus
Aesthetics, colour and space deeply influence how we feel, particularly if we spend a lot of time somewhere. What look and feel are you going for in your living room? What moods do you want? Sociable, calm, peaceful, solitary, productive, loving, energetic? All of these things? This is definitely possible with the right colours.
Some ideas for colours to paint your living room
Whatever you want to feel and do in your living room, we’ve put together some ideas and inspirations for main colours to paint it with. Each idea is complete with advice on which colours to pair together, and how you can use accessories and furniture to accentuate style.
Light and airy neutrals
Feel closer to nature, create a calming oasis, and make the most of beautiful simplicity with neutrals. Classic neutrals like white, parchment and pebble are a perfect base to make your living room versatile. For a light, airy feel, pair these with muted colours like peach, dusky pink, pale green, lavender or duck egg blue.
Going bold with grey
Light grey is fab for a neutral look, but darker, smoky grey is often an understated colour for your living room walls. It can be very striking if you furnish the room with bright jewel colours. Pair painted walls with deep turquoise, ruby red, and emerald green homeware. This will make your room pop full of bold and exciting statements.
Warming purples
Choosing purple shades like plums, mauves, aubergines, and wine for your walls gives a dramatic, royal feel to your living area, without being too overpowering. Pair these types of colours with beiges, greiges, taupes and lighter colours for a nice contrast. Having one statement purple wall can be a great look. Wood furniture goes well with this colour scheme, too.
Graceful greens
Colours so graceful they will make people green with envy? Softer greens in the right shade can add a subtle splash of colour and energy to your living room, without being as boring as neutrals. You could try a darker, earthy green hue, a fresh mint green, or sage and pistachio type greens. Accessorise with a splash of navy for an extra elegant look.
Muted, modern mustards
Mustard is having a moment. A muted, golden mustard colour will add a lively, trendier and edgier feel to your living room, compared to something like a bright sunny yellow. Add modern white furniture, or darker, vintage wooden furniture for two completely different looks.
Try teal
Teal is a vibrant colour that goes well with equally and exciting, vibrant colours and patterns. Try a bold abstract art, florals, leopard print or paisley to go with teal walls. Or what about a mustard sofa and hot pink lampshade? You can also bring it down a notch and this colour goes lovely with muted, dusty pinks and raspberry tones.
Thinking about accessories and furniture
Once you’ve decided what key colours to paint your walls, you can think about enhancing colour and style with accessories. Here are a few tips:
Upcycle and repaint old furniture – Upcycling is in right now. A lick of paint can work wonders on an old piece of furniture, and the possibilities are endless to create your new dream colour scheme.
Enhance smaller areas of colour with accessories – Ever loved a tiny bit of colour in a picture hanging on your wall? Or a small detail in a throw you have on your sofa? Widen your colour scheme and bring it out by matching other accessories to that colour.
Mix up your textures and patterns – Mix up textures and patterns in your living room for a unique and interesting look. Use different materials, rough and smooth surfaces, and stencils. Why not try some cracked paint to make furniture look aged and distressed? Add some shabby to your chic!
Find the perfect colour scheme with Frenchic
“Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style” ― Billy Baldwin.
At Frenchic, we care about paint for your home. Our chalk wall paint is a luxurious, eco-friendly, practical paint that comes in a range of beautiful colours for every room. It gives superior coverage in only 1-2 coats, with virtually no odour.
We are also big proponents of the upcycling revolution, and we sell a wide range of furniture paints, so you can build the perfect colour scheme for your room.
Photo Credit: @hearts_at_claremont
