Decorating Living Rooms
When decorating living rooms, there are a few basic questions you have to answer before shopping. Does the seating recline, or will you need ottomans? What will you put in front of the sofa? What occasional furniture pieces do I want? Is there a fireplace? This will either create a focal point in the room, or conflict with the one you prefer. What should be hung on the walls? How will we treat the windows?
As you can imagine, there's an awful lot to talk about decorating living rooms. Since the typical reader loses interest in very long pages, I'm going to split things up. On this page, I will review the various options for "What to put in front of the sofa". If you don't have a sofa, move on to another page.
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Coffee Table Coffee tables (by far the first choice historically) are available in all the sizes, materials, and finishes imaginable. You can find the size, shape, and design that will complement any decor scheme. However, you should be careful to consider the proportion of the table to the other furniture, especially to the sofa that the table is next to. A large square room would not be a place for a small oval table.
And a small room, with a 2-person sofa (or love seat) would not be where you put a large coffee table in a dark finish. A glass top would probably be worth thinking about. When you shop for a coffee table, take a ruler, and the measurements of the sofa with you. Try to find a table that is about 24" shorter than the couch, leaving 12" of sofa past the table on each side. A relatively new option is the coffee table/eating table. This has a top which can be raised to eating height on adjustable hardware. Below the top, is an enclosed box which can be used for storage. This is probably the most utilitarian of all the options for what to put in front of a sofa when decorating living rooms.
The Coffee Table Ottoman You can't be decorating living rooms without including some way of putting your feet up. A large padded or upholstered stool or bench, a LARGE coffee table ottoman has several benefits. First of all, it's soft. Toddlers won't get hurt by banging into it like they might with a coffee table. If you need to serve drinks, use a tray, and place the tray in the center of the ottoman. Presto, it functions like a coffee table. When it's not servicing toddlers or trays, 2 or more people can reach it with their feet. This is really a very good choice for what to put in front of a sofa. It offers comfort for legs, it has fabric which contributes color and texture to the room, and the large flat top is a good place for trays or books. A Pair of Small Tables Two small tables, side by side, give a more formal look than the more modern large coffee table. A matched pair looks best, but a mismatched set, with the same height, can be used together with matching tops. If you have a pair of small antique tables, this may be the perfect place to use them. 15% off Lukas Sebastian Lighting – with code LSPLS9 And here is a short video you might find interesting.
Other Options If you have a rustic or cottage style house, you could use a wooden bench in front of your sofa. The long flat top works for books or drinks, and you don't have to worry about being formal when the boss comes visiting. When decorating living rooms, an old dining table, with the right size top, can be cut to coffee table height. Very inexpensive alternative, but be sure the four legs are cut to EXACTLY the same height (between 16" and 20"). This option will give you an over-sized surface for playing games, doing homework, and entertaining. Remember, decorating living rooms doesn't confine you to doing what you see displayed at the furniture store. I remember in the '70s when kidney shaped glass tables were all the rage. We had one - very modern, on a cherry base. The thing about glass tops is that the base is what people see. So the base is what should conform to the decor. It could be anything from wrought iron fence parts, to intricate woodwork, to cement blocks, to large pots from the kitchen. The glass should be 1/2 inch thick, preferably with a beveled edge. Glass can be cut to any size and shape. Keep in mind that the larger the glass, the heavier it will be, so the base has to be able to support the top. To sum it up, you can use practically anything for a coffee table. Keep in mind that the piece should be sturdy, have the right proportion, and functional. A piece like that can give you great wear and service in any room.
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Here are two other pages that might help with decorating living rooms: decorating walls - how to choose artwork.
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