Architect's T Home space designOP 10 Living Room Design Mistakes

Seeing as every home has different needs and every room has different features, furnishing a living area can prove challenging. So seeing as I've ran into a lot of these kinds of hurdles over the last 10 years while practicing architecture, I thought I'd share with you my top 10 living room design mistakes and how to fix them. Now specifically when moving into a new space it can be very tempting to get everything together as quickly as possible as nobody wants to be left with an empty room without a sofa for more than a couple of weeks. Now during this period planning ahead can make a lot of sense and if you do your due diligence and don't get too attached to a particular furniture item you can end up with a really nice space as long as you plan everything out properly. But the only way to know that you can get all of these items to fit together in your home perfectly is if you have a knowledge of CAD. But the thing is none of these things are foolproof and I've even made mistakes like this in the past with certain chairs, bringing them home only to find out that they look just a little bit too big and awkward for the space and I would end up hoping that I was really the only one who was bothered by it. So as a great alternative I think it's a really good idea to practice something called slow design when it comes to furnishing a new space where with this home we actually haven't purchased any new furniture because we want to understand how we inhabit this new space before we start investing in new pieces. And thankfully because a lot of what we already own is so versatile it really made it easy to bring this space together because everything we have easily expands or contracts which ended up saving us a ton of money paired with the odd bit of serendipity and resourcefulness by finding a set of four dining tables being given away at the side of the road. Now when it comes to slow design it's all about testing which is best done with the things that you already have. However if you don't already have a lot of furniture the next best thing is to use your imagination by finding the things that you want to buy online and testing how they feel in the real space by using painter's tape which allows you to mask off the exact dimensions of that item of furniture to get a real feel of how it would occupy the space that you're inhabiting. And the best thing about this strategy is it helps you establish exactly what you want before you go ahead and purchase it which can save you from experiencing that horrible feeling of buyer's remorse. Now if you've ever moved into a new space even if it was something as humble as a new bedroom or dorm room you'll know that there's nothing quite as exciting as starting with a blank canvas but as this frantic curation ensues browsing online and visiting in-store showrooms it's very likely that you're going to end up falling in love with one dream furniture item obsessing over the idea of bringing it home because you simply have to have it. Now this can actually be a great thing as it can provide you with a north star that guides your style layout and the furniture items that you choose to pair it with but the thing is when you're in a professionally curated and well-thought-out showroom it often shows these furniture items at their best which can make it a little bit confusing as to why they end up looking bad when you bring them into your own home. Now this may not even be because the furniture is inherently bad as you may have gone as far as measuring the space up to ensure that it fits perfectly while consuming hours of reviews and then even going into the store to analyze its construction to ensure that it's perfect for your needs. However the real problem usually tends to be around context as furniture is rarely often enjoyed in isolation and it can be easy to forget about all of the other items that you need to consider such as lighting, tables, rugs and lounge chairs. This is myopia which essentially means nearsightedness or narrow-mindedness where we can be prone to losing the forest for the trees which can lead us to not consider our living areas as a whole. But what's so bad about this mistake and the reason why I'm saying this first is because it's simply so common as this can also be because you found something for a great deal online or because someone's giving something like a sofa away and you're simply unable to say no. And when this happens with a large enough furniture item this can leave you handicapping an entire room forcing you to leave everything else as an afterthought which unfortunately is painfully obvious. So to avoid this what I would recommend is to draw up a budget and try and evenly spread it across your living area which can really help you to reframe the value that we place on things. Now this one's a little bit close to home and perhaps a minor niggle but on the four walls of an ordinary living room you usually have one window and one entryway into the space as a minimum and with any remaining space you can do several things. You could open up one side to make it an open plan layout. You could add doorways through to other rooms in the home. You could add wall storage for things like art and books. And what most people do is dedicate one wall to a feature usually with something like a fireplace or a tv which gives the room a sense of purpose and a direction for its layout. But the problem is is that when there's too much going on you can be limited as to what you can do with the layout. So for us in order to face the only wall that's available for a tv and to avoid blocking the view out of the window with a sofa the only place for us to place our sofa is in the middle of the room which isn't really all that comfortable when there's a bunch of movement and energy going on behind your head. Now saying this having really big windows or having an open plan layout is never really a mistake per se but when the remaining wall space becomes occupied by other things it can have a big impact on your layout and this is something that a lot of people tend to overlook when knocking down walls in their home. So seeing as this is something that a lot of people tend to struggle with in small living room layouts, one solution that can sometimes work is using a blackout blind as a projector screen which allows you to use the window and the projector as the room's focal point. And if your room is lacking a sense of enclosure one thing you could consider is adding in curtains as a movable partition. However in some circumstances you simply can't have everything and many times the pros of an open plan layout simply do outweigh the cons. Now unless you have a carpeted home it's likely that you've considered putting a rug underfoot in your living area and what this essentially is is a large piece of loose carpet usually in a rectangular shape left unfixed to the floor. However there is almost unlimited choice when it comes to a rug's material, size, shape and colour. Firstly choosing to have a rug in your home does a number of things. It creates a little bit of warmth and softness underfoot which is a lot more comfortable to walk on and it also helps to absorb a lot of the acoustic reverberations that tends to bounce off hard surfaces which can make rooms feel a little bit hollow when doing things like watching tv or holding a conversation. But aesthetically the main reason to get one is that it stops any furniture in a room looking like it's just floating in the space by visually grounding any furniture that's placed on top of it. But because rugs can be expensive people are often tempted to buy a rug that's too small and when you do this it's almost impossible to get the feet of all of your furniture items on top of it which doesn't really solve any problem aesthetically and just makes the rug look a little bit dinky. And additionally certain rug materials can shed leaving lint and hair finding its way onto everything for around a year or so. And then also if you're to choose a rug that's pale in colour these are incredibly vulnerable to stains which can be a huge problem if you have a rug that's unwashable where some materials are even prone to deforming when they come into contact with water which does make some rug colour and material combinations particularly flawed in logic. So to avoid mistakes when it comes to rugs make sure that you buy the right size as proportions are incredibly important and then on top of this if you can go for a textured or a patterned rug these tend to be a lot more forgiving when it comes to staining as well. Now it goes without saying that as soon as night falls we can no longer rely on our windows to provide us with light so because of this most living rooms come pre-equipped with spotlights, ceiling lights or pendant lights that are all connected to a single light switch usually at the threshold of the space. Now these are an incredibly efficient and unobtrusive way to provide light to a room and when compared to other types of light fixtures these save on space and cost and really they just fulfill the basic need of being able to see when it's dark. But the thing is when it comes to living areas a ceiling light fixture can feel harsh which stops the space feeling cozy and doesn't really flatter anyone or anything inside of it which can make you want to spend less time in the space. But these days when it comes to lighting efficiency is a lot less of a concern as with the advent of LEDs these have a 75% reduction in energy costs and a 25% longer lifespan when compared to incandescent lighting. And when you combine this tech with smart lighting what it allows you to do is have various more interesting and flattering light sources placed around the room connected by one single switch which means that you no longer have to go around and independently turn each one of them on. But what I think is most amazing about smart lighting is that it often gives you the ability to even dim your light sources and change their color temperature which is huge because it now allows us to use lighting in a far more intentional and cozy way. Now I love natural light and this is actually the main reason why we chose to rent an apartment over a house as usually the windows are much bigger. Natural light boosts your mood makes your space feel bigger and is generally a great thing to maximize in your home and this makes it an important consideration especially if most of the work that you do is from home too. However despite it being great it still needs to be controlled as with west facing windows these can easily turn your house into a sauna and any views across to neighboring properties can compromise your privacy too. Now in an attempt to control this natural light one of the worst things that I see in older homes are net curtains. Whilst despite doing a great job of providing daytime privacy and tempering any harsh natural daylight they do look incredibly dated now and because of the way that they're usually hung to the exact dimensions of your window openings they don't really do any favors in making your windows appear larger a bit like how sheer curtains can. And to make things even worse on top of this some homes have awnings for additional shade and shelter from the elements which when combined together can make a home incredibly dark and dingy. So despite awnings providing you the ability to leave your windows open during a downpour they really make little sense for rooms with small windows as the summer cooling benefits are really so minimal compared to the year-round compromise of natural light. So instead as a far better alternative cellular blinds venetian blinds and daylight blinds like these ones do a far better job of maximizing natural daylight and views out of the home whilst simultaneously providing shade and privacy in living areas that don't need a blackout solution. Now shelves are particularly good for displaying things like books, lamps, ceramics and plants as these can really elevate the look and feel of a home when simply compared to hanging frames and artwork on your walls as treasured objects can often convey a lot more nuanced character. But seeing as shelves are such a good place to put items by utilizing your walls and the height of your room this can be a blessing and a curse. The first problem is that because they're open surfaces they do attract dust and because they're usually inhabited by lots of separate different items these can be incredibly frustrating to clean around. And then thanks to their open nature they're also prone to becoming clutter magnets. As with many households any open surface will become a place to put things. So if you're finding yourself short on storage space in a particularly cluttered environment enclosed storage is a must where things like sideboards and consoles are a particularly tasteful way to conceal clutter. With cabinets and under seat storage solutions underneath things like sofas benches and ottomans being particularly efficient. If you have a keen eye for design you'll know that paler colors do a great job of bouncing natural daylight to make a room feel a whole lot larger and brighter. But when it comes to furniture white and paler fabrics are incredibly vulnerable to wear and tear as even something as simple as your friend's pair of blue jeans can completely ruin a white sofa. And this is especially true of furniture items whose covers aren't removable or machine washable. Now I get that sometimes you can fall in love with an image of someone else's living area so much that you want to replicate it. But then this can come at the cost of it being simply so pristine that you're afraid to use it. And this is because there's a tendency for us to be overly optimistic about how clean we are or how little we value comfort. But as a general rule of thumb when it comes to good design form should always follow function and not the other way around. Because really when functionality follows form you're actually straying into the realms of art. Which isn't always entirely practical sitting underneath your bum. So instead when it comes to living areas I think it's a lot more logical to follow the Japanese wabi-sabi ethos which prioritizes materials that age gracefully. Where you're much more likely to end up loving your furniture for longer. Which is a lot better for your wallet and the planet too. Now there's nothing quite as satisfying as kicking back in a nice sofa or armchair. So seeing as living rooms are primarily for relaxation it makes a lot of sense to make sure that what you're sitting on is as comfortable as possible. Now I personally enjoy watching the odd movie or tv series and there's nothing quite like recreating a cinema experience in the comfort of your own home. Especially when you have nice comfortable furniture which allows you to put your feet up after a long day at the office. But sometimes it can be tempting to prioritize comfort and convenience a little too much at the expense of versatility. Now for instance when it comes to extra comfy furniture like reclining armchairs and sofas these actually require a certain amount of space around them in order for them to function properly. Which may require you to sacrifice circulation space in your home in order to navigate around their bulky arms or even sacrifice the convenience of having side tables as a nice spot to place your coffee or tea when compares to reaching over to something like a coffee table. And the one thing that people tend to overlook when it comes to side tables is they actually help to temper the proportions of the furniture in your room. And despite having a coffee table myself these are actually furniture items that do take up a lot of space whilst not really being a hundred percent necessary. Along with the fact that they can also be hazardous for small children and pets while removing the possibility to utilize your living room for things like exercise or certain types of play. Now this is especially important if you're short on space. So as an alternative by prioritizing versatility and usability over cramming as much functionality and comfort into a room as possible you become a lot less likely to fall into this trap. Where for instance things like ottomans can provide a place for you to put your feet up instead of having to purchase a recliner whilst also being lightweight movable and even multifunctional. Or for instance instead of a coffee table things like nesting or handled side tables can be a great alternative as they also provide a handy surface for things like drinks and snacks whilst also having the ability to be moved out of the way. And the principle remains the same for things like modular sofas or lightweight armchairs where by considering versatility while retaining comfort it keeps your home adaptable to change which can save you space and even money in the long run. Now when it comes to having a clean home there's nothing better than hard resilient surfaces with materials such as high pressure laminate being an affordable furniture and flooring solution that's also incredibly durable and easy to clean. Where you also have materials such as metal and plastic being great solutions for items like chairs. But the problem that you tend to run into with these materials is despite them being affordable and durable they do tend to lack texture and character which can tend to make a home feel quite sterile. On top of this these materials aren't very sound absorbent which means that if you use them too much they can cause a lot of reverb which can make your living room feel incredibly hollow. So because of this despite them serving a very functional purpose they can make a space feel quite unwelcoming and uncomfortable to spend time in. And if what I said about reclining sofas and armchairs is focusing on comfort too much this is focusing on it a little too little. Now despite cleanliness and affordability being quite high on people's priority lists you probably don't want your space feeling like a hospital. So to avoid this it's wise to choose materials with some visual texture as well as ensuring that you have enough soft furnishings in your space to absorb any reverb. Which also aid in adding some visual texture too. Where as an easy fix things like rugs and cushions can do a great job in helping a space feel more welcoming and warm non-reflective natural materials like wood and plants can stop a home from feeling lifeless Because I often have my everyday carry out on a table in front of me when I'm working the way that it looks and feels is something that I care about just like the other parts of our home as just like with your furniture there's no reason that your EDC shouldn't look cohesive too. Where the cases that I use for my devices can ensure that my phone, wallet, airpods and keys all look like they come from the same person's pockets. In particular as well as being soft to the touch I love that my current wallet uses a rail system to align perfectly with my case while doubling as a stand. Which are two things that my last MagSafe wallet didn't do. Which makes it incredibly handy for things like video calls and watching content. As the sponsors of this video and the manufacturer of these cases Bellroy are hooking us up with 10% off their entire site where they offer a lot more than just cases. And as a registered B Corp their products tick all the boxes for both sustainability, functionality and aesthetics. So in case you're interested be sure to check them out using my link in the description down below. And finally thank you guys so much for watching and I'll be sure to see you in the next one.