Golden Home Design

To decorate a room is based on the natural talent or learned from the decorator, in the instinct, in knowing how to read and listen to the spaces to know what they ask and need.

Yes, all this is true; it requires a kind of talent that is acquired over the years or in a natural way, as many people do.

But of course, in the decoration, there are also certain rules and universal parameters for all that, without having that talent of which I speak, make the spaces acquire balance and harmony when applied.

They are not complex but I do advise you to take note because when you have to decorate a room or your own, these rules will come to you very well.

That said, let’s get to know them.

Let the furniture breathe

It is not always possible to give so much space to the furniture of a living room, but as far as possible, always let the furniture breathe and have their own space.

If you want a measure to aim and have something more tangible to grab, leave at least 80 to 100 centimeters between each piece of furniture.

Why?

Well because in this way, you avoid that space seems crowded and overcrowded.

In addition, each piece will shine independently and not only as a whole and its real beauty will stand out.

If you have a room so small that it does not allow you to adopt this measure, let them breathe as much as possible.

And if you’re going to furnish the living room and it’s small, maybe you should contemplate the option of using less bulky furniture.

No less practical, or comfortable, or functional, but only less bulky. Never sacrifice comfort or functionality for aesthetics.

Let’s keep going.

Distance between seats

In addition to the sofa, many rooms have other seats such as armchairs or sofas that complete the seating area.

And here you must also apply some rule that makes the whole result cohesive and balanced.

And the rule is the distance between them: try that the distance between any of the seats is at least 90 cm. and never more than 3 meters.

If there is less than 90 cm. probably everything looks ornate, very close together.

If there are more than 3 meters, it will seem that each piece puts itself to set, without being part of a set. Too much independence.

Apply these measures to your space and gain harmony in the room.

Center Table

A sofa without center table seems incomplete.

In addition, the coffee table is useful and practical, since it offers comfort and functionality, in addition to some storage space.

It is an essential piece of furniture.

But which center table to choose?

Well, to begin with, the one you like and the one that combines well with space.

But beyond aesthetics, we must also take into account its measures.

To be balanced and keep proportion with the sofa, the coffee table should be at least half the length of the sofa.

If you have a sofa of 3 meters, a coffee table of 1.15 m, 1.30 m or 1.50 m.

It is not necessary to take out the calculator to divide exactly in half. But you can have half the length of the sofa as a very approximate reference measure to choose the center table.

In addition to the length, its height also matters.

The center table should have a height never much higher than the seat of the sofa, as it would be an incongruous effect in space, and not too low, as it would not be proportionate to the sofa and also would be uncomfortable to use.

So, a height that is between the seats of the sofa is the most appropriate.

If you apply these measures when you are going to choose the coffee table, this will keep proportion with the sofa, the set will look balanced and will be more comfortable to use.

How far to place the center table of the sofa?
Well, if space allows, at least 45 cm.

Why? So that we can pass comfortably and not be so far away that we find it uncomfortable to use when we sit on the sofa.

And the auxiliary table?
If you are going to add a side table, the only rule you should follow is that it is not deeper than the sofa.

Basically, it would be weird for noses if the side table were bigger than the sofa. Do you imagine?

Carpets

Carpets are a world apart, but I will try to give you some simple guidelines or rules to avoid getting too busy and that you can effectively apply them to your space.

Size of the carpets
The size of the carpet should be one that allows all the seats to step on the carpet with their front legs about 20, 30 or 40 cm of carpet.

There should also be something left over at the sides of the sofa at least. Let it never be smaller than the length of the sofa.

If the whole set of seats is too big you can also use two rugs.

Living room lighting

Here we enter a wide area that covers books full of theories, rules and advice.

But also, I will try to summarize a lot and give you some specific clear advice.

Size of the ceiling lamp
A rule that works very well to choose the size of the ceiling lamp that goes in the living room is to do this simple operation:

If your living room or sofa area measures, for example, 5 meters long x 4 meters wide, multiply each measurement by 3:

How long is it? 5 meters. Well, we multiply it by 3: 5 x 3 = 15

How wide is it? 4 meters. Well, we multiply it by 3: 4 x 3 = 12

Now we add the two resulting measures: 15 + 12 = 27

And now we multiply that result, always by 2.5: 27 x 2.5 = 67.5 cm in diameter that the lamp should measure.

With this measure, you make sure that the lamp will keep an exact proportion with the space of the room.

Do not get obsessed with the exact measurement either. If the result of your living room has given you 67.5 cm, and you find a 60 cm or 70 cm lamp, or something else, it’s also worth it.

Use this measure as an orientation rather than as an exact rule.

How high to place the lamp?
To make sure that we do not get in the head with the lamp and that we do not even have the feeling that we are going to give, the height of this should not fall below 2-15 meters.

If you have a standard roof, they are built at a height of 2.40 m or 2.60 m, you have between 30 and 40 centimeters left to hang the lamp.

If you have higher ceilings, then you can drop it more.

Likewise, do not obsess about these measures either.

If you have found a perfect lamp for your living room and when you install it, it will reach 2.10 meters or 2 meters, nothing happens either.

Unless there is someone in your family who measures 2 meters.

Take these measurements as a reference but not strictly.

Floor lamps next to the sofa or armchairs

Normally the height of the floor lamps is about 170 cm high. A measure that has been established so that when we sit on the couch, the lamp screen is more or less at the eye level or slightly above, and protect us from the direct light of the bulb.

But, depending on the height of the armchair or sofa, this measure may not be right for you.

So, what you have to take into account to choose the right floor lamp is that when you sit on the sofa, its light does not hit you directly in the eyes.

In addition to the height, you also have to take into account the lamp’s own screen and how it projects light.

If you sit on the sofa and the bulb hits you directly in the eyes, it is not a good lamp.

I do not think you’re very interested in wearing sunglasses in your living room every time you turn on the lamp, right?

Television

Since in a living room, what is most done is watching television and we can spend hours, it is convenient to be an appropriate measure to see it comfortably.

The ideal height is that the television is at eye level when we sit on the sofa.

To do this, you can add 70 centimeters from the seat of the sofa upwards. And the measure that I give you, is the height where the television should go.

If you place it higher and sit on the sofa, you will have to tilt the neck and look up. It does not seem like a very comfortable position to say.

Distance between from television and sofa

This is somewhat more ambiguous since we each have some preferences.

There are people who like to be closer to television, as if they were in the cinema, and others prefer to take some perspective on this.

In addition, there is also the factor of television size.

But if you are looking for an appropriate measure to aim, use 3 meters.

To tell you this measure, I base it on the average inches of the standard televisions of most floors, which are between 40 “and 50”.

As I have mentioned to you during the article, these measures and rules do not have to be carried out exactly, since each person, room, furniture and other elements are different in each case.

Use them better as a guide to help you when you have doubts. But a flexible guide that adapts to you.