Homes & Gardens: Living Rooms -- Use the Living Room to Create Great First Impressions

Your living room -- no matter what the size -- sets the tone for the entire house. The living room plays this important role because it is usually the first room your guests see after entering your home. Your living room, plainly speaking, creates a potential buyer’s first impression.

So it’s important that when you’re selling your home that your living room is an inviting space for potential buyers. Many of today’s home owners use their living room as a playroom, or perhaps a home office. A key to selling your home, however, is to remember that the way we live in our homes is probably different than the way we should market our homes. So pack up all the toys, and relocate the home office to a more appropriate space in the home. Turn the living room back into a space that welcomes guests.

Tips on ReDesigning your Living Room

Stay Neutral ...

Colour affects people in all different ways. To avoid any negative responses you should keep the walls in living spaces neutral. "How boring", you might say! Perhaps -- but the focus here is that you want your living room to be warm and inviting to potential buyers. Neutral tones are warm and inviting; feature many different shades, and are among the most flexible colors to work with.

Traffic Control ...

Consider rearranging your furniture, and while you’re doing so, think about traffic patterns in your living area. Does your living room have an uncluttered look, or do you have to maneuver around cramped furniture groupings to access another room?

Once again, try to think about the potential buyer when arranging the room. Does the room feel open and spacious? Avoid lining all your furnishings up against the walls. Create a cozy space by bringing furniture closer together around the focal point of the room.

Here are some guidelines for arranging furniture: 1) a comfortable space between the sofa and the coffee table is at least 14 to 18 inches; 2) where possible, guide traffic around the living room perimeter rather than through the conversational grouping, and; 3) make sure you leave a minimum of three feet for walkways to move from one area of the room to another.

Eye Catching Vista ...

Decide on one architectural feature that will become the focal point of the room. If you have a fireplace, it will be the most likely focal point. If you do not have an architectural focal point, other possibilities may include a grouping of art work over the sofa, an armoire or bookcase staged to complement the décor.

Light, Bright ...

Second to color, light is the biggest contributor to moods, and sets the tone of your living area. Lighting in a room can make a major difference in the way the room looks. When potential buyers are touring your home, lighting can be an instrumental tool to create the look you are after. For example, accent lighting is useful when you want to draw attention to a particular item or area in the room. Ambient lighting is all about recreating a room filled with daylight. Decorative lighting on the other hand, is all about décor and not too much about function. Decorative lamps are a great accessory to add punch to a living space.

The WOW Factor -- bringing it all together!

Accessorizing a room is like adding jewellery to an outfit. It complements the room, or sometimes, it’s used to make a statement. We know from previous articles that when you’re marketing your home, rooms should feature a neutral paint tone. To bring in the WOW factor, use accessories the same way you would add the final touches to an outfit. You can achieve your personal WOW factor by adding colourful accent pillows and a throw on the sofa, for instance. Or draw collections together with a common accent colour. Perhaps you could add an amazing piece of art work that complements the colour and décor of the living room. Alternatively, you could add visual interest with a grouping of glass vases and decorative candles placed carefully on a coffee table, creating images of warm and inviting evenings.

Room by Room - by Tamara Welbourn
FIRST impression ReDesign
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FIRST impression ReDesign

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