Holiday Entertaining with a Luxurious Living Room
Combining new design concepts with vintage artisanal furniture creates living spaces that are simultaneously more functional and luxurious than ever before. With indoor entertaining season around the corner, it’s the perfect time for a rejuvenation.
Update your space with these tips for creating a cozy, well-designed living room from Sharon Grech, colour and design expert for Benjamin Moore.
- Blend old with new: Make your blended space look considered and intentional, not chaotic. “Modern furniture answers the need for comfort and utility, while mid-century accessories serve as a base for creating an upscale atmosphere,” explains Grech.
“Mix contemporary, traditional, and antique pieces to create a layered, well-balanced space. Pay attention to clean, modern lines on items like picture frames or tables and pair with rich, weighty pieces like tufted sofas or mirrors with ornate frames. It’s all about mixing hard with soft, square with round, heavy with light.”
- Break the mould with moulding: Crown moulding always adds architectural interest and a sense of luxury to any room. For an affordable and easy update, consider polyurethane or MDF moulding. “Polyurethane moulding is especially lightweight and easy to cut and install,” says Grech. “Achieve subtle texture by painting moulding in a different sheen than the wall and ceiling. Traditionally, crown moulding is painted white to contrast the wall. To add even more contrast, paint the ceiling a colour as well.”
For the richest colour results, Grech recommends using Aura from Benjamin Moore, which is visibly thicker and produces the most saturated colour even in the deepest shades.
- Complement with cozy finishes: Vintage accessories, low-pile shag rugs, heaps of hand-sewn pillows in different materials, and old fashioned candle holders will give any living room a warm vibe. Grech suggests adding a bit of a rustic edge by stacking wood near the fireplace or making your own fall garland with dried leaves.
Source: Homeservice Club of Canada