Looking at Lounges - Part 4 - Cheap But Chic

Revitalise a tired, dull room by brightening up old furniture and accessories. With minimum cash, it's possible to create something really special.

The walls:
Paint the walls white or in pale shades of grey for a modern look, alternatively use creams or ivories to give a softer, more traditional look.

The floor:
Sand and paint your floorboards. Use a dark wood paint to give the impression of walking on a huge bar of chocolate! If you prefer carpeting lay down a textured, cream-coloured carpet to unify the floor space to compliment your seating.

Lighting:

Coloured candles to offset the colour scheme on the walls, not only provide a pleasing look, but offer an alternative to standard lighting. Cheap table and floor lamps are a great way to create a more subdued lighting effect.

Seating:
For an inviting living space that the whole family can relax in, indulge in some luxurious furniture. In the wrong room, one large sofa could seem overpowering, so think about something smaller, or maybe buy two, two seater sofas.

Window dressing:

If your living space feels enclosed and gloomy, think about trying something radical. Open up the room to a larger source of air and natural sunlight by extending windows or maximising the light from a bay window by only using fabric Roman blinds - it could change the dynamics of the room.

For a less radical approach take down the curtains and replace with adapted white versions finished with a faux suede border or patterned leading edge panels; there are some fabulous cheap curtain fabrics online to help you get the look. Choose faux suede Roman blinds and use these in conjunction with the curtains to give an on-trend look.

Accessories:
No room is complete without accessories to add that extra touch. In a neutral room, think about adding colour through accessories. If you've chosen to have colour on one feature wall, use pictures, cushions and vases to highlight and extenuate the colour theme. Make order out of chaos by turning a confusing area that lacks focus into a well-defined, cohesive and relaxing living space

Did you know?
The focal point in any living space is usually a central feature, such as a fire. For a more modern look, or if you want to keep your old fire place, painting it black will create the same point of focus for the room. Hang a large piece of wall art in a contrasting colour to drawn the eye automatically towards your focal point.