6 inspiring living room furniture ideas
Your living room is likely the focal point of your home, and the place you will spend most of your time. It’s where the family gathers to share experiences, relax and watch TV. It’s where guests are invited to make themselves feel at home.
For that reason, it’s important to create a warm and welcoming living room, designed to be visually appealing, offer the utmost levels of comfort, and perfectly accommodate your lifestyle.
But, where to start? Whether you already have a keen design eye or haven’t got a clue where to start, everyone can benefit from sharing design ideas and swapping tips when it comes to executing beautiful and functional interiors.
anaca studio has developed a solid reputation for creating some of the highest quality designer furniture Melbourne has to offer! We have taken our boundless experience working with clients on selecting the perfect shapes, colours, and fabrics, and pulled together a few handy tips to help you get the absolute best out of your living room!
Small living room? Be smart about your space
You only have to look around our cities at the number of tall buildings under construction to know apartment living continues to be a desired or necessary option for many Australians. Because the number of people living in more compact spaces continues to increase, it’s important to make decisions that will help get the most out of our spaces. For those with small living rooms, furniture choice is key.
Back in 2016, anaca studio owner and renowned furniture designer Anne-Claire Petre was driven by the shift towards cosier homes during the creation of a number of new pieces.
Taking inspiration from many years spent living in Europe where she found beautifully-styled apartments in abundance, Anne-Claire set out to design a line of attractive living room furniture for small spaces, that would simultaneously offer a sense of luxury.
The resultant Camille sofa, Felix sideboard, and Edgar table are proof that ‘going small’ with your furniture doesn’t mean foregoing a gorgeous visual aesthetic.
Each of these complementary pieces blends Scandinavian style with modern aesthetics, for a sleek and clean finish. Raised from the ground for an airy sense of space and light, the designs themselves are minimalist and uncluttered, yet the perfect amount of thoughtful detail remains.
Since their release the pieces - which come in a range of different sizes to perfectly suit any space - have been well-received in the Australian market, successfully adding a bit of European flair to the growing local trend of apartment living.
Creating extra space? It’s all smoke and mirrors!
Continuing our focus on the shift towards smaller homes, people often look to furniture and interior design options as a way to help create an illusion of extra space. And there’s no better way to achieve this than with a big, beautiful mirror!
The reflection of a large mirror such as our full-length timber-framed Narcisse will make a room feel much bigger, opening it up while beaming back natural light to brighten it up. What’s more, there’s no installation necessary, so what could be easier?!
Don’t be afraid to be a big softie!
It’s important to soften a lounge room, to balance out the hard angles that come with rectangular walls, sofas, side tables, and picture frames. Doing so will make the space feel warmer and generally more inviting.
If you’re looking for lounge furniture ideas, a brilliant way to give your room a softer look without spending a small fortune is to simply scatter cushions, throws, and rugs. When choosing these accessories, make sure to select colours or patterns that contrast with your existing items.
This is not only an easy, fun, creative way to add some extra dimension to your room, but it also allows you to interchange these items over time and at your whim, to create a variety of casual, traditional, or contemporary looks.
From floor cushions to ottomans… get creative with your space!
A perfect way to make the most of whatever floor space you have is using an oversized floor cushion to offer an extra, super comfy seating option.
anaca studio’s Phileas floor cushion has been designed precisely for this purpose! Available in three handy sizes, it’s a great family room furniture idea for those with kids and pets. It will also help soften up the aesthetic of a room, and can easily be cleared out if the occasion so requires.
Meanwhile, the humble ottoman is often the unsung hero of a lounge room, thanks to its inherent versatility. It can serve multiple purposes, from providing a focal point with a bright flash of colour, to providing an extra seat, or acting as a footrest.
Ottomans provide a great space-saving, cost-effective alternative to a coffee table, and add a softer touch. In fact, anaca studio has taken this concept and run with it, with the creation of our Zola range, which combines the traditional upholstery element of an ottoman with a timber tabletop.
Setting up your living room for relaxed lounging
When considering your living room furniture design, you’ll want to make sure the space provides an environment that’s conducive to relaxation - whether that be for a cold winter’s night snuggled up on the sofa, or a summer’s evening of entertaining.
If you ask us, any good modern living room should strive to achieve the perfect blend of luxury meets ‘hygge’. (For those unfamiliar with the latter term, ‘hygge’ is a Danish word meaning ‘a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.’)
The anaca studio Toulouse sofa is a perfect example of this. It has a casual look thanks to clean lines, the beautiful way it takes on linen, and the feather inserts in its cushioning.
Meanwhile, comfort was an equally important consideration in the design of the Toulouse. With a standard depth that allows you to relax while still feeling supported, deeper options are also available for those who wish to take lounging to a higher level!
Embrace the power of art!
A person’s taste in art is a very individual thing, so any tips on the specifics of what you should seek out for your living room would be futile. However, it’s important that you don’t overlook the introduction of artwork when considering ways to build the visual appeal of your space, alongside your furniture. Unless you’re going for a super-minimalist look, your lounge room is likely to look unfinished as long as the walls remain bare.
If you find a piece of art that you love, it is absolutely worth the investment, for a variety of reasons. And what better way to ensure bang for your buck than to display it in the part of your home where the most people are going to see it?!
Generally speaking, from a design perspective, when it comes to art, a good rule to follow is ‘the bigger the better!’ A large piece adorning the wall will make a statement while adding that all-important finishing touch to the room.
If you’re not feeling bold enough to ‘go large’ with your artwork just yet, another effective approach is to group smaller pieces together. This can be a particularly good way to get started for those with smaller budgets.
If you know you want to investigate art, but aren’t sure where to begin, the team at anaca studio would be happy to make recommendations based on our understanding of your tastes and what’s already in your space. We often have works from local artists on display at our showroom, including currently Dinusha Joseph and Elizabeth Tarrant … both talented Melbourne painters.
And when we talk about artwork, we don’t necessarily mean paintings. Photography can have an equally powerful impact and is sometimes easier to relate to than an abstract picture. At anaca studio we’re lucky to have collaborated with local photographer Elizabeth Bull from One Fine Print on several occasions, and have a number of her pieces on the walls at the showroom.
anaca studio is a trusted designer of luxury living room furniture. We are committed to creating pieces that perfectly align with clients' visions and needs, and the spaces they will call home. Discover more living room ideas with our free consultation service, delivered remotely or from our Melbourne showroom!