LIVING ROOM REDESIGN
A bit of colour livens it up
Sure, the kitchen is the heart of the home, but with the right design elements, the living room can definitely come in a close second. All it takes is a drizzle of texture, a hit of rich colour, a smattering of mood lighting and lots of comfortable seating.
“Of course, it is all about how you play with those elements,” said Jenelle Erickson, principal and co-founder of SmithErickson Designs, a Calgary-based interior design firm.
She and her partner Stephanie Smith recently transformed a traditional Willow Park two-storey home into a family-friendly, cosy and sumptuous retreat with the living room taking centre stage.
“The clients had three children ranging in age from three to eight and they didn’t want any limitation on where the kids could go or hang out in the home,” said Erickson.
That said, with its elegant esthetic, one would never know that the living room was designed with kids in mind.
It has a welcoming and sumptuous feel, a look created with punches of deep cobalt blues, plenty of texture and a range of rich materials, including an array of velvet.
“Many people think that if they have kids, they can’t have a beautiful adult space, but they can. Sure, kids love to run to a couch and plant their face in it, but you just have to be aware of the materials that you are selecting, that they are durable and wipeable,” said Smith.
Helpful hints? Nix the cottons and linens and add in some outdoor fabrics. They’ve come a long way, are soft to the touch, come in some great colours, are fade resistant and are built to last despite being consistently kid-handled into couch forts.
To add more of an adult spin, fold in some luxurious fabrics like velvet and chenille in bold and rich tones — navy blue, jade green and wine burgundy are all on trend and strong enough tones not to hightail it out of style any time soon.
“But really, the rule should be whatever resonates with you, go for it. If you love orange, then use it,” said Erickson.
In the Willow Park home, the design duo went with an off-white wall colour, even painting over a 1970s beige-peach stone feature wall.
“Painting the stone gave the room some depth and texture, while tying everything together seamlessly,” said Smith.
Punches of rich cobalt-blue colour in the mid-century style, custom-designed club chairs along with the use of rustic wood textures in the flooring and sideboard and the dazzle of different shapes in the lines of the furniture create interest and jazz up the neutral wall palette.
“Because everything else in the room is so minimalist, it really begged for a strong pop of colour and when you are in the space you just read it as richness. It doesn’t overpower,” said Erickson.
Functionality should also be top of mind in a living space, so it is important to look for different shapes in the furnishings and different types of seating.
In the Willow Park home, a few ottomans tucked in the corner for overflow seating work beautifully, as does the open-backed chaise.
“It creates more seating, but doesn’t cut off the room and you can see through it to the feature wall and fireplace,” said Erickson.
Designed with a one-cushion seat, the eight-foot-long Restoration Hardware sofa with its modern and clean lines is key to the room’s function.
“When you have multiple cushions, people are always falling into a crack and it limits seating,” said Smith.
Other types of seating to consider could include built-in window benches if the window heights allow for it. Although the window heights didn’t allow for it in the Willow Park home, the Smith Erickson design team incorporated a gorgeous window bench into a client’s home in Elbow Park, utilizing deep blue colours for added drama.
The final piece of the design puzzle when creating a sumptuous family-friendly living room?
“Definitely the area rug. A rug is like a piece of art and can be a great ending point to the design or a starting point to lift a colour palette for the room’s accent shades,” said Erickson.
But choosing a rug that is too small is a common faux pas, said the designers.
“A rug should be large enough for all of the furniture pieces to rest their front legs on,” said Erickson. Other elements to think about? “Definitely lighting. It sets the mood, so place it at different levels, heights and angles and use dimmer switches,” said Smith.
Arugislike a piece of art and can be a great ending point to the design or a starting point to lift a colour palette for the room’s accent shades.