The living room may be one of the most often-used rooms in the home. This is a space where families come together to relax or to entertain guests. It may be a place where holidays are shared and parties are hosted. It’s the heart and soul of your home, and that means decorating it well is important. One key element of a well-decorated living room is flooring that matches the living room furniture. Your flooring and your furniture can make or break a room, so make sure they match. By following a few key tips, you can make your living room a space that guests adore.
Take a Colour Sample to the Flooring Store
When picking out flooring, it’s useful to have a colour sample that you can compare with flooring options. If you’re not very enthused about the idea of hauling your living room sofa with you to a flooring store, there are other ways of matching colours to a sample. Many pieces of furniture have a small swatch of fabric in a hidden area, such as underneath an armchair, and you may be able to untack this to take with you. You may also take the fabric covering off of a chair in some cases. If these are not options, you may take a close-up picture of the colors with your cell phone.
Bring Samples Home With You
Flooring samples can look different in various forms of lighting. Because of this, it is best to select your favourite shades at the flooring store (as well as a few shades lighter and darker than your preferred options) and bring them home with you. Place the samples in different areas of the room and at different times of the day to determine which you prefer.
Get a Larger Sample
When you commit to a colour of flooring, you generally will be committing to it for several years, a decade or even longer in some cases. Because of this, you want to ensure that you love the flooring that you choose. While flooring stores may provide you with small samples for free, you may need to pay for a larger sample. However, purchasing a swatch of carpeting that is a few square feet in size or a few tiles that you can place over a larger area of the floor will help you to visualize what the full product will look like. When you have a good idea of what you’re buying, you can make a purchase with confidence.
Consider Area Rugs, Blinds and Drapes
Before you make your final decision, you should also consider if you plan to use area rugs, blinds, or drapes in your living room. Purchasing flooring that is a shade or two darker and brightening up the floor with a large area rug may be a great option. A bright area rug on top of a bright floor can be overpowering, so make sure you mix contrasting colours.
A Word About Wear and Tear
Keep in mind that some flooring types will get darker or lighter over time. For example, carpeting generally may fade slightly in colour, but it may have traffic patterns that are darker in colour. Wood and tile floors can fade with exposure to sunlight. Buying a darker shade of carpeting may prevent foot traffic and stains from becoming a factor, and lighter shades of wood and tile may minimize the effects of sun exposure. Take environmental factors into account and plan for some wear and tear to occur.
It can be a challenge to decide which colour of flooring to install in your home. With so many shades to choose from, though, you can mix and match and find the ideal combination for any room. The next time you invest in new living room flooring, keep these tips in mind and you’ll be sure to create a space that you can adore.