How to create the ultimate living room

Breathe life back into your living room

For many Australians, the living room is the centre of home life. It’s where we relax, bond, entertain and create lasting memories. So, it’s important that it is a pleasant, functional, and inviting space for everyone who spends time in it. But if your living room doesn’t meet these basic criteria, then it might be time for a re-think, and dare we day it - a makeover. In this article, we’ll share some tips on how you can create the ultimate living room.

Start with a vision

Building a vision for your new living room is an essential part of the planning process. It could be a set of notes or a mood board with images, colour and fabric swatches and other elements that help you land on a desired look and feel.

It can also be helpful to look at your surrounding space for inspiration. For example, if you are deciding on an exterior paint colour scheme, have a good look at where your house is situated. If you live by the coast, deep blues and greens combined with soft, sandy tones can create a consistent, symbiotic look and feel.

But many find colour selection daunting and prefer to leave it to the experts. Even professionals look for inspiration and use basic principles to create dynamic interior spaces. A good starting point is to decide what will feature in your space. For a living room, a striking artwork or a brightly coloured couch can form the basis of a decorating scheme.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to bring this vision to life is with colour, and of course, paint! For example, complementary colours from a feature artwork can be used on your walls and soft furnishings. Design principles and repetition work together to create a cohesive aesthetic.

Create your own colour palette

If you’re tech-minded (or just really at a loss), the Coloursmith by Taubmans App can help you build a custom colour palette in a few simple steps. 

• Take a high-quality photo of the artwork in good lighting.
• Open the app and select ‘Create from match’.
• Select ‘Upload a photo’ and pick a photo of your artwork. A circle (or eye) will appear, and you can move it across the image until you find the desired colour.
• Once you are happy with your colour, press ‘Select’ and ‘Save my colour’.
• The next step is to name your colour. You can really personalise your space by coming up with a fun name!
• Lastly, press ‘Save’ and use the Order in Store function to create a QR code which can be taken to your local Bunnings, Bristol or Taubmans Trade Centre.

You can create as many colours as you like by repeating the steps. Or you can use the ‘Combinations’ function to create a colour scheme based on one colour. You can also play around with tone intensity. For example, if you want to build a monochromatic palette, create a colour and then select ‘Explore colours’. Select ‘Intensity’ and adjust the concentration for a bespoke set of tones.

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Make your artworks pop by using a deep wall colour. Darker tones can help turn your wall art into a focal point in the room, transforming it into a statement piece.

Colours: Blue Impact, Make a Statement, Neutrality

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Coastal interiors are very much on trend and this artwork is a great source of inspiration. Warm whites and neutrals with soft hues of blue/green are popular combinations for the ultimate coastal space.

Colours: Sense of Calm, Tranquillity, Sense of Calm, Washed Away

​Wainscoting, or decorative wall panelling, can become a living room statement piece with a strategic use of colour. Wainscoting creates a natural frame for artworks, and this allows you to play with contrasts. For example, if you have a relatively neutral art work with red accents, try painting the inside of the panel with soft pinks or deeper reds. This will make the background look like it is an extension of the artwork.

Colours: Elegance, Cabernet, Evening Cocoa

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How to create a vibrant, harmonious living room

Not only is a feature artwork a great source of inspiration for colour, soft furnishings like throws and cushions offer key colour insights. Again, you can use the Coloursmith by Taubmans app to create colours for your walls. A simple image can be transformed into a personalised paint colour, and you can do this at any time that suits you, when you’re at home or when you’re out and about shopping for accessories to dress up your space.

Once you have selected the paint colours for your living room, it is always a good idea to test them before buying. Within the , go to the ‘Menu’ function to order sample pots and have them delivered to your door. Make sure you test your colours on a large piece of cardboard, applying three coats. Once dry, move the painted cardboard around your space at different times of day to see how well it works with the artworks and interior design.

​With the lounge already a focal point, you can dial up, or dial down the wow factor created by such a striking colour. Use a deep blue/teal as a backdrop for a bold, high impact look, or use it strategically as an accent colour.  

Colours: Velvet Teal, Jaded Suede, Blue Suede

Creating your ultimate living room can be an incredibly rewarding project. The most important space in your house can also be the most personal, incorporating your favourite colours, furnishings, and design elements. Being able to craft your own paint colours can add that extra dimension of personalisation, giving you a sense of ownership over a room that is already the heartbeat of your home.

If you like any colour above, save the QR code and bring it to your local Bunnings, Bristol or Taubmans Trade Centre to get your paint tinted.