How to Make an Eclectic Living Room Work
It's pouring rain and chilly on my Sunday right now, and the only thing that motivated me to get our of bed was the thought of my cozy living room and a "Bored to Death" OnDemand marathon. As I sit here in my funky living space thinking about living space, I found myself looking through some Houzz ideabooks I started when the site began. The living room section was getting chockablock full of images.
As I picked through the wide variety of living rooms, from one-room studios to elegant rooms with baby grands in the corners, and from industrial exposed brick walls to stark white walls, I wondered what drew me to each of them.
First I realized I needed to sort them a bit. I'll share some of my favorite modern living rooms at a later date. Right now I wanted to figure out which ones would inspire me to get out of bed on a cold rainy Sunday. It was the funky ones. Let's take a look at what makes these eclectic rooms work.
As I picked through the wide variety of living rooms, from one-room studios to elegant rooms with baby grands in the corners, and from industrial exposed brick walls to stark white walls, I wondered what drew me to each of them.
First I realized I needed to sort them a bit. I'll share some of my favorite modern living rooms at a later date. Right now I wanted to figure out which ones would inspire me to get out of bed on a cold rainy Sunday. It was the funky ones. Let's take a look at what makes these eclectic rooms work.
It's not too much. The patchwork sofa and the pattern around the fireplace get to star; everything else in the room is mostly black or white with clean lines.
This room has just the right amount of color. Throw pillows can be switched out to change the room's personality.
The use of a neutral palette allows for a wide variety of textures and shapes. Notice all the circles - that white chair, the floor lamp, the rug. They work well against the rectangular geometry of everything else.
This small living room works within its limitations to equal coziness.
Touches of yellow, warm beige, and natural light keep this modern aesthetic cozy instead of cold.
Floral prints warm up a space that otherwise could have wound up stark.
A celebration of color makes this room happy. Plain and simple.
The texture and colors added by the rugs and curtains keeps this room from being cold.
I cannot pinpoint what makes this room work; if I read its elements on paper I would think it would wind up a hot mess, but somehow it just works. The lesson here is that you can find the right balance through trial and error!