Sometimes the living room needs a little revamp. Maybe you hate the shag carpet that was left behind by the previous owners. Perhaps you despise the gross lime green color that your living room is painted, or there are frilly pink curtains that have to be from the thirties left up on your windows. Maybe it’s not as bad as all of this, and you just want a few tweaks to improve the modern feeling of your space. Whatever your reason for updating your living room, the following will explore some quick and easy alterations that you can make to bring your living space into this decade.

Declutter: This is the Age of Minimalism

Before you begin scraping off wallpaper and reupholstering furniture, take some time to declutter your living space. Modernity has a lot of different stylistic aspects, but one of the biggest ones is simplicity. Minimalism is the in thing, and it’s expected to stay that way. Put items away. Tie up the cords for your electronic devices into tidy bundles. Leave about half of the things you’ve got on display out and visible. 

Store items like DVDs, blankets, and video game consoles inside something like a basket or closed-facing shelf. Already, you might feel like your living room has jumped forward in time a few years. As for the items that you will no longer be putting on display, you may either dispose of them or store them in a self storage unit in the meantime. 

WhatStorage, an online marketplace for self storage in Edinburgh, London, and other cities in the UK, advises its clients, “If you are storing sensitive items like electronics, art, antiques, make sure to store your belongings in a climate-controlled unit to prevent them from being damaged.”

Understand and Improve the Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of ambiance, but very few people consider it when they’re working on a room in their home. Take a moment on a sunny day with all your lights off to observe how the natural lighting works in your space. You might want to place a mirror opposite one or more of your windows to maximize this fresh light. Studies have shown that natural lighting improves our mood and our health, so not only will things look good if you optimize your natural lighting sources, but they’ll feel good too. Once you get hooked on natural light, you’ll be paying attention to it in all your rooms.

This being said, the living room is often where we watch television or movies, and this means there will be times when you need to stop that luscious natural light from refracting off your screen. Experts at https://www.blinds-2go.co.uk/roman_blinds.htm suggest Roman-style blinds if you want to keep up with your minimalist/modern vibe. The texture is really important when choosing blinds or curtains, so if possible, take a moment to feel out the materials available before making your choice.

Our final point in lighting has to do with your lightbulbs. Overtime, light-color trends change, and so do the lightbulbs sold in stores. Consider getting new lightbulbs that lean away from harsh white (you don’t want your living room to feel like a dentist’s office) and towards a warmer toned yellow. This will make your space feel cozy. As a bonus, you could also seek out energy-saving bulbs because these will save you a bit of money on utilities.

Add Some Life With Plants

House plants are a cheat code when it comes to decor. Not only do plants add life into a room, but they also make things feel fresh, and the gorgeous shades of green complement greys, whites, and browns beautifully. Beyond this, house plants have been shown to clean the air of toxins and increase the oxygen levels in a space resulting in greater focus and concentration for those nearby. House plants have also been shown to improve mood, boost creativity, reduce stress and anxiety, minimize allergy symptoms, and increase productivity. That’s an insane amount of health benefits for something that is also aesthetically pleasing. If you’re someone who struggles to keep plants living, there are options available that require next to no care to thrive.

With the above tips kept in mind, you’re well on your way towards updating your living room into a fresh, modern, cozy space the whole family can enjoy. A big part of modern design and environmental psychology is acknowledging how our space makes us feel when we’re in it. As you make choices for your living room and the other rooms in your house, it’s important to consider the emotional and mental impacts your choices will have. This information is now widespread and easy to find online. Before adding something, take a moment to research it and see if there are any positive or negative benefits associated with it. Even things like the colors you choose can have a big effect on how people feel when they’re inside your space.