Make your living room your own

When you move into a new house, one of the most important rooms to stamp your own personality on is the living room.

It's here where you and your family can relax at the weekends, and unwind at the end of a busy day. If you've got a whole house to redecorate and refresh, then starting with the living room makes sense as you can use it as a sanctuary while you sort out the rest of the house. Once decorated, the living room can double up as a pro-tem dining room and guest room if need be, until you have worked your way through the other rooms.

You may have brought some of your old furniture with you from your last house, or perhaps you're starting afresh. Most likely is that you'll be mixing some favourite old pieces with some new. Go and have a look at a furniture sale or two, and get some ideas of what might look good in your new living room.

You may have always had fabric sofas, but now might be the time to switch to a leather sofa - it depends on the style of the house and what kind of ambience you want to create in the living room. Some leather sofas can appear quite formal, but you can also get more casual looking leather sofas that have recliners - ideal for relaxing at the end of a hard day's decorating. Make sure you change out of your painting gear before you get settle down on the sofa though; paint is one of the most difficult stains to remove!

Don't forget to look out for some clever storage units to create order and space in your new living room, and find a nice coffee table and some table lamps to add some extra homely touches.

Photo credit: Allison Choppick

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