Your living room is a special place in your home. It’s where everyone comes together to relax, unwind and socialize.
But sometimes, though, the room can feel like it’s missing something. For whatever reason, it’s just too sparse or doesn’t have the amenities you need.
Is your living room missing something? If so, this post is here to help. In it, we take a look at some of the things that you can add to the space to help it feel more complete.
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A Recliner
If you grew up in a family that had recliner chairs, your living room won’t feel complete until you add one. Recliners help you relax in front of the TV and can be a godsend for people with spinal issues.
While recliners are a little more expensive than regular armchairs, they make up for it in comfort. Plus, you can easily get them cleaned by hiring a professional cleaner to come and sort them out.
Leather recliners are the best in terms of longevity. But if you’re looking for something a little more affordable, fabric ones will suffice.
A Mantelpiece
Living rooms in northern areas center around the fireplace. But even if you live in a southern or tropical region, it still makes sense to have a mantelpiece. Otherwise, you can feel like your home is missing something.
Adding a mantelpiece is actually surprisingly easy. And you don’t need to have a real fire installed to put one in place.
Once you’ve added the mantelpiece, adorn it with things that are important to you. Add a clock, candles, or ornaments to make it look a little less sparse. Over the holidays, you can also add things like tinsel to help it fit your theme.
A Sideboard
People who can’t quite put their finger on what their living rooms are missing often lack a sideboard. These are extremely helpful for storing paperwork and the other things you need in the living room.
Sideboards come in various forms. Some are small and narrow, great for studio apartments or living rooms in which you don’t have a lot of space. Others are much longer and offer plenty of storage space and so on.
A Rug
Living rooms also need rugs, particularly if you have hardwood floors. Rugs add a sense of coziness and make the space feel complete.
When placing a rug in your rooms, make sure that you leave some bare floor space around the edge. Place the rug underneath your coffee table and seating, but don’t extend it right up to the walls. This looks a little odd and makes the room feel claustrophobic.
When choosing a rug, get one that’s easily washable and non-slip. The best rugs have rubber runners underneath that keep them in place, even if kids are running and jumping on them.
Art Work
A lack of artwork on the walls can also make your living room feel incomplete. Bare white doesn’t look great.
By contrast, cheap canvas prints can transform a room. All of a sudden, the space feels brighter and more vibrant. And it looks more professional, too. You turn what is otherwise drab space into something unique you can feel proud of.
Air Conditioning
Many people have air conditioning in the bedroom, but they sometimes neglect to install it in the living room, too. Because of this, the room can heat up so much that nobody wants to spend any time in it.
The fix is simple: install fresh air conditioning in the room. These days, you can get hole-in-the-wall units that don’t require extra ducting around your home, keeping their footprint small.
A Grandfather Clock
Grandfather clocks help to make living rooms feel complete, probably because many people grew up in homes that featured them.
Grandfather clocks aren’t just beautiful to look at, they sound great, too. Every hour, they chime, reminding you of the passing of time. It feels like you’re traveling back to a distant age, before the invention of smartphones and all the notifications they brought with them.
A Shelving Unit
While living rooms are mainly for entertainment and socializing, they’re also a great place to store things. If you have a large DVD collection or want to keep books in your lounge, then adding built-in shelving units is a great idea. These keep everything safely tucked out of the way, allowing you to enjoy the space more.
Units can also double as display cases. For instance, you might combine lockable cabinets with open shelving cubicles for vases, flowers, or other ornaments.
A Bay Window
Bay windows are a feature of many suburban homes. They help extend the space and bring more light into the room. As such, they are very desirable.
Unfortunately, not all properties have a bay window. But that’s okay: you can build one as an extension.
Adding a bay window isn’t cheap. It usually involves changing your home’s exterior walls. But the result is often worth it. You get a home that lets in more light and looks stunning at the same time.
You also get extra space in your living room: great for a reading nook or for simply getting more natural light.
A Tree
While it might sound a little strange to add a potted tree to your living room, it can make a tremendous difference in how it feels. Greenery elevates the space and makes it feel much more natural and special. It also helps to relax you: great if you’re one of the millions of people who use their living room as a home office.
Maintaining an indoor tree doesn’t take a great deal of effort if you choose the right species. You want a variety that can survive indoors for long periods and doesn’t require a lot of water.
The best policy here is to have two trees that you rotate. You keep one tree indoors for a week and then swap it with another that’s been replenishing itself outside and continue the cycle.
If that sounds like a lot of work, then you may be able to keep your tree healthy by placing it under a skylight. If keeping the tree in a pot, keep it well fed.
Candles
All living rooms need candles to feel complete. It’s always nice to have the option of lighting them, particularly if the grid goes down.
For some people, though, the main appeal of candles isn’t the light they throw out while they burn, but their scent. Filling your rooms with lavender, vanilla or orange blossom can be the missing ingredient, helping to make them feel more complete.
The great thing about candles is that you can add just about as many of them as you want. You can also put them in candelabras if you’re looking for extra lighting no matter what’s happening to electricity supplies outside your home.
A Toy Train Set
Adding a toy train set to your living room is a great way to make it feel more complete, particularly if you have children. High quality sets look beautiful and add a playful edge to your spaces.
A Bureau
Bureaus might seem a little old-fashioned. After all, who collects checkbook stubs anymore?
However, it can be a great way to add a little character to a room, particularly if you get an antique one. Older bureaus often feature stunning designs because the craftspeople who made them saw it as their vocation. Of course, such things don’t exist with mass production anymore, greatly diminishing what the lounge could be.
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