The key to successfully pulling off the gray and pink color scheme is to choose hues that will create the ambiance that you are looking for, and this is exactly what can be seen in this living room. The lighter colors used in this color palette create an environment that is elegant, serene, and even romantic. At the same time, the contrasting shades imbue a sense of energy into the space.

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While the color combination is unconventional, it works. In this living room, gray is used as the base color, and gray can be used to complement a wide variety of different shades of pink. Here, we see muted shades of blush pink.

The use of natural elements in and around this living room provides it with depth and visual interest. The natural elements used in this living room include the wooden coffee table, the rug made from natural fibers, and even the amount of natural light that is used in the room. Subtle accents, like the texture throw pillow and the chess pieces in the window, provide visual interest without competing with the primary color palette for attention, and the modern architecture of the furniture keeps the room feeling fresh and contemporary.

A worn and outdated fireplace can certainly put a damper on a chic modern living room.  Refacing a fireplace can result in a cleaner more modern look.  When a fireplace is refaced, the surround or heath are updated.  Usually, tiles of some sort are used to reface a fireplace.

via diynetwork.com

While this is a rather difficult task to perform on your own, we did gather together steps for the process.  However, if you are a beginner and not very experienced with home improvement projects, you may want to leave this one to the processionals.

Step One:  The Fireplace in Parts

Image by Gregory Nemec via thisoldhouse.com

Before beginning remodeling a fireplace, it is important to understand the anatomy of a fireplace. See the various elements of the fireplace above.
[Read more...]

Modern coffe tables with storage are stylish and functional.  One of the biggest eye sores in a space is clutter.  While coffee tables are used to support sodas, remotes and magazine, it is easy to accumulate clutter.  Selecting a coffee table that offers storage is an excellent storage solution.  For instance, if you have a cable or satelitte provider that results in multiple remotes, these extra remotes can be stored in a small drawer until used.  Another item that can be stored in a coffee table is a throw or snuggie.  These items are not used daily but it would be convenient to keep them nearby.

These coffee tables are available in an assortment of styles and sizes.  Depending on the size and decor of your space, your options may include wooden, acryllic or glass coffee tables.  The price of coffee tables with storage options is comparable to the cost of a traditional coffee table.  Which style modern coffee table agrees most with the decor of your home?

Image source: Homefurnituretrend.com

Looking for a stylish storage option for your living room or dining room? Curio cabinets are a great storage solution perfect for storing and protecting your personal items. Family heirlooms such as china patterns, trophies and china dolls are examples of items usually stored in curio cabinets.
Curio cabinets started as places to keep curios – defined in the dictionary as curious or unusual objects of art or knickknacks and whatnots that are perhaps worthy of collecting because of their oddity. This definition could, of course, include silver spoons from Alaska, all assortments of wedding and christening favors, crystals, face masks from Africa and possibly even shrunken heads from the Amazons of Ecuador and Peru.
Nowadays, however, you can use curio cabinets for anything:

- Show off your family’s sporting interests by displaying your son’s bowling trophies next to your husbands autographed baseballs.

- House your priceless family heirlooms – such as, great grandma’s turqoise and silver comb, grandpa’s golden pen, mum’s old sapphire brooch which you wore on your wedding day and your son’s first baby photo.

- Or perhaps, protect from dust and grime the brass alto saxophone that you know you’ll learn to play one day in your retirement years.

But how do you choose the curio cabinet that’s just right for you? Ask yourself the following questions below and find out how. [Read more...]

Most people shy away from sectional sofas because of their size.  Sectional sofas are usually large and take up a large amount of space.  This can definitely create a hardship for smaller living rooms.  There are ways to make a sectional sofa work in just about any size living room.  When shopping for a sectional sofa consider the size of the living room, the other furitnure used in the living room and how you plan to use the room.

One huge factor when decorating any space is balance.  In order to acheive balance in a room, decorators often combine various pieces of furniture, such as loveseats and chairs.  Most sectionals are in a “L” shape.  Many designers would place a chair in the vacant corner across from the sofa.  This would create a more balanced layout. [Read more...]

When shopping for living room furniture, one of the first items on the list is the living room sofa.  It is very rare to enter a living room that does not have a sofa.  Designers are experiencing some difficult placing sofas in newer homes.  Many of these homes are designed in a manner that makes it difficult to place a sofa for optimal functionality.  A sofa is usually placed to encourage comfortable seating for conversation, entertainment and television viewing.  Many modern homes feature smaller living rooms and placing sofas for the best functionality is difficult at times.

Have you ever considered decorating your living room without a sofa? Although most homes are decorated with a sofa, there is no “requirement” that every home has a sofa.  If your space is limited in your living room, consider decorating your space with chairs, benches and perhaps a love seat.

If concerned about your guests, most guests opt for a chair or chaise instead of a sofa when visiting.  Sitting on a sofa with others is not as comfortable as chair seating and the later also encourages more personal space.

When decorating a living room without a sofa, select one piece of furniture to serve as the focal point.  Many times, the sofa table or coffee table can be used as a focal point.  Center all other living room seating around the table to create a stylish ad functional living room.

Still having a difficult time imagining a living room without a sofa?  Check out a few inspirational images below:

Image source: 1| 2| 3| 4

Shopping for modern and contemporary living room furniture can be challenging in smaller cities and rural towns. While my home town is not exactly small, there are not many stores that offer contemporary and modern furniture. We have gathered a few of our favorite styles of modern living room chairs.

If you live in an area with limited access to shopping, check out online stores such as Amazon and Modern Furniture Warehouse. Don’t think that you are limited to shopping at a physical store. The internet is a wonderful shopping resource!

Eero Saarinen Womb Chair & Ottman – Reviews and Other Details

Amazon Product Description:The Womb chair, with its matching ottoman, was designed in 1948, part of Saarinen’s breakthrough seating collection. The Womb’s steel rod base and polished-chrome finish, combined with its frame upholstered in fabric-all covering a fiberglass shell, highlights Saarinen’s brilliant design aesthetic and his architectural skills. The Womb Chair and Ottoman is a classic design, and one of the most comfortable chairs to lounge in. It envelops you in such a way that you feel completely relaxed. The Womb Chair features a stainless steel base and is made upholstered in wool material. This is a High quality replica of the original Eero Saarinen Womb Chair. [Read more...]

Just as there are luxury cars, there is also luxury living room furniture.  If you are one that appreciates the finer things in life, perhaps a luxury living room will resolve your search for living room decorating ideas. Luxury living room furniture is often unique and almost always ultra-stylish.  As the saying goes, you truly pay for what you get.

If you desire unique living room furniture, perhaps custom luxury living room furniture will fit the tab.  There are companies that specialize in designing custom furniture for people that appreciate custom luxury furniture. [Read more...]

The best part of creating a vintage style living room is the options of style that you have. You can go for a general vintage style with some vintage furniture surrounded by a generally chic atmosphere, or you can choose from your favourite era dedicating the room to nostalgic décor and accessories that are typical for that period.
For the general vintage look, consider buying old furniture from a flea market and repainting it white or pastel blue. Make sure that it’s a thin layer of paint, so you can still see the natural pattern of the wood underneath the paint. This gives it a whitewashed look, which is very vintage. Being daring with colours and patterns is very popular for creating a vintage look, so consider patterned curtains and patterned wallpaper in combination with bright accessories such as orange cushions. Having pictures of no longer used logos of famous brands such as Pepsi or Pam Air, or items with these logos on show off your awareness of the new trends but you’re preference for the vintage look.
Be sure that everything in your vintage look matches with each other, but isn’t old fashioned. There’s a large difference between vintage and old-fashioned, and the inexperienced vintage fan may make the mistake of confusing the two. Vintage is more about celebrating the past by combining it with the new. For your general vintage look, feel free to have a luxurious leather sofa, but add some colour to it like light blue or yellow to give it more of a vintage feel. The same goes for contemporary lamps and shades. They, too, can be used in a vintage living room with a bit of colour.
If you’ve chosen a specific era, then you will have hours of fun tracking down that perfect piece for your vintage style. If you like a quick design to your room, and are not keen on collecting, then you’d be better off with a general vintage look. Era specific vintage enthusiasts are all about finding that lost treasure from the right period that they can include in their collection.
For a 50s style living room think Pink Cadillac sofas, a jukebox, neon lights of old diners and framing old movie pictures of some of the classics like Casablanca. Any Elvis memorabilia has a home in a 50s style room, just like any Beatles memorabilia has one in a 60s style living room.
For the 60s, think more white accentuated with patterns or small splashes of colours. Furniture is no longer white washed, but pure white and plastic dominates the room in a minimalistic style décor. Long venetian blinds fit this era better than curtains, along with futuristic styled lamps and a funky globe chair.
Personally, I find the 70s very difficult to represent fully, as there are many negative associations with this style. Not to say that this is a bad style to mimic. It simply has a strong emphasis on eccentric patterns on curtains, carpet, wallpaper and clothes with tones of greens and browns being predominately used. It took a long time for printed wallpapers to get rid of their old-fashioned stigma, and I believe, this may be from overusing them in the 70s.
If you’re a 80s child, and love 80s vintage, then clutter and brands are your friend. Think neon colours, roller blinds, and brands all over. Funky phones in the shape of burgers or Mickey Mouse, old game consoles of Nintendo, Sega or Atari lying near the TV, posters (not framed this time) of classic 80s cult hits like ‘Back To The Future’, and of course at least one Rubix Cube needs to be a part of your décor. Fashion wise, the 80s are often dismissed as one of the dark periods, but home décor wise the 80s is a very fun period to experiment with, as there are many different paths you can follow depending on your taste.
The main advantage of vintage is that it’s up to you. If you’re a collector then vintage will work for you. If you like to keep things minimalistic, but you like colour and rustic styles then vintage can work for you, too.

Today’s guest author is Soxley, writing on behalf of Custom Curtains, a retailer offering cushions and curtains online.

Image via: Southernliving.com