How to Make Your Living Area Lovable

Posted on Mar 01, 2018 Topic : Women's Christian Living

Perhaps no room causes as much organization confusion as the living room. It’s often hard to assess our needs in this space. Maybe you’ve been led to believe that every home needs a formal living room, so you’ve created just that, but then you find you don’t use it. Perhaps this space sits unused, yet the rest of your house doesn’t have enough space to accommodate your needs. Or maybe your living room has morphed into a catchall of activity, but it’s so chock-full of stuff that nobody can actually relax or accomplish much of anything in there.

Give yourself permission to repurpose this space in a way that works for your family. Make it attractive so you’ll be drawn to enjoy it, but practical and sensible enough to be useful for this season of life. A living room doesn’t have to be fancy, and it shouldn’t be just wasted space. Make this a room a room you can actually live in.

Do you long to gather some friends together to start a book club or other group? Do your kids need a good hangout space for their friends—or do you need hangout space of your own for when friends or neighbors stop by? Do you dream of family fun nights?

When you’re organizing your living space, focus on the word living. What kind of memories do you want to make? What will bring laughter to your home? What kind of environment will foster long conversations and sharing?

Set the Stage for Family Fun

If you dream of family game nights around a real board game, stop dreaming and clear out that armoire or those cluttered shelves in your living room and create an organized space for family games. Donate any games you haven’t played in forever and keep only your favorites. You can also swap games with friends to determine if you really want to own them (or just keep a lending library going).

Create an Inviting Space

People stay where they feel comfortable. Cozy couches and chairs need to be cleared of stuff before people will consider making themselves at home. Also, concentrate on eliminating the clutter from coffee tables or end tables. And sometimes a soft rug (again, free of stuff!) is the best place for a casual hangout.

Make Your Living Area Perfectly Imperfect

Don’t feel that you need to have a perfectly picked-up living room. Too pristine can sometimes be as unsettling as too messy. If guests feel uncomfortable sitting in your space, they won’t stay long. Scattered books, family photos, a game in progress on an ottoman, fresh flowers from the garden, or some knitting in a basket by the sofa all say, “We live here. We have fun here. We make memories here.”

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Set up your living room to be organized and used for what you truly need and love. Feel free to change things up as the needs of you and your family change. Surround yourself with things that matter now. Decorate with items that put a smile on your face. Organize with fun, communication, and connection in mind. Above all, your living space is for you. Make it your own, make it work for you, and make it work for your family.