DESIGN HACKS! 5 Things Every Living Room Needs _ Julie Khuu

Hello , everyone .

Welcome back to the channel .

I'm Julie .

And today you are joining me on a brand new design hacks video .

It's five things every living room needs .

Today's design hacks video is part of a series where I essentially tell you the five fundamental things you need in every single room .

I truly believe that there is a foundation to interior design and you really just have to start with the basics and build from there , whether you're starting from scratch and a completely blank slate or you already have your living room set up , check out this video to hit the five things that I believe every living room needs .

How do you know what any space needs ?

The first step in creating a beautifully designed space is always determining the function of the room .

First .

What is the primary function of your living room ?

You must start by asking yourself this question .

So you can really figure out how to arrange furniture , what furniture to even purchase so that it supports the primary function of the room .

To me , the most essential thing that every living room needs is a conversation area .

What does a conversation area mean a conversation area could be created by anchoring the main sofa and flaking it with either a side chair , an accent chair , a lounge chair , some sort of alternate seating that faces that main sofa or sectional .

That is how you create a conversation area .

If you're living alone and you're probably thinking , you know , I never entertain , I never have people over .

Then you have to consider the primary function of that space .

Are you primarily watching television ?

Are you working ?

Are you relaxing ?

You have to sit down and determine what is it that you do in the space and look for the seating that supports that primary function .

Once you figure out what the primary function of the space is , now , it's time to place that conversation area .

I usually like to place the main seating group facing the entry of the room loves it when the main seating of the space is in a command position .

So in this case , the sofa would have a full view of the entry in the space .

If you have an open concept space and you're living in a studio apartment , you have clear vision of every single angle .

So of course , you have a little bit more flexibility on where to place this main seat .

The main sofa could be pushed up against the wall with secondary seating like an accent chair or a lounge chair floating in space to create this conversation area .

Remember that a conversation area is really conducive to a living space .

The main goal of creating this conversation area is to make the space feel a little bit more intimate , a little bit more conversational so that everyone present can enjoy each other's company .

Ok ?

If you're not quite sure about the size of the sofa or where to place that main seating group .

Definitely check out a couple of my videos .

Four ways to maximize your living room layout will help you determine the function of your space and the type of seating group that helps support that function .

You can also watch my video on common design mistakes for the living room .

So you understand clearances for passages , doorways , pretty much the amount of room and space that you need around your furniture so that it's still a usable space and everyone's not kind of bumping up into each other .

Scale and proportion will really make or break a room .

So in my how to create your Dream Space series , that is the very first episode , how to measure your space for the right furniture .

So you're still having a little bit of trouble , make sure you check out those three videos first .

Moving on to the second item that I believe every living room needs is a coffee table .

Why do you need a coffee table ?

Well , now that you have your main seating in space , where are you to set down all of your things ?

Where does a remote control go .

Where does your phone go ?

Where does a cup of water go ?

Where would you place your snacks ?

Where do you decorate ?

Where do you accessorize ?

That is what the coffee table is for the coffee tables .

Main function is to have a surface for you to set things down on the size of the coffee table can be determined by the size of the sofa .

I have a really in depth video about where to place a coffee table of the correct size according to your main seating group in the top coffee tables .

Roundup , I even source and link some of my favorite coffee tables and the vendors and talk to you through the pros and cons of each type of material .

The height , the shape pretty much everything you need to get that coffee table set up just right now that you've got your main seating group , the coffee table , the third most important thing that you should have in the space is overhead lighting .

What does overhead lighting mean ?

Overhead lighting is simply general lighting that lights up that main seating group .

Overhead lighting comes in many shapes and sizes .

It can start as recessed led cans that you have kind of dispersed throughout the space .

These are overhead fixtures that are installed right in your ceiling .

If you don't have any recess fixtures , overhead lighting can come in the form of a pendant light , a chandelier or a track light .

Essentially , it's lighting that comes from above and lights .

The general area of your living space , the placement of overhead lighting is really up to you .

Typically recess can , lights are distributed every 7 ft away from each other to properly light the space .

So you can place your first recess can light and then 7 ft apart , the next 1 7 ft apart , the next one from there and then 7 ft apart , the next one from there .

So you're creating kind of a square .

Of course , if you have a rectangular space , you can kind of disperse this out a little bit further .

But that's kind of the general rule of thumb when it comes to interior design .

If you're living space is a little bit smaller and you elect not to install recess can lights , you can also have an overhead pendant which is a light fixture that kind of drops and hangs down from the ceiling .

You could have a chandelier that kind of lights the entire space with swags and arms or you could have a flush mount fixture if your ceilings are low , that generally light up that main area .

So there's a variety of different ways that you could use overhead lighting to light the space .

We've got the fundamentals down .

You have your main seating group , you have a surface table top and now you have lighting to light the way what's next as an interior designer .

I find it essential that every living room has a focal point .

What is a focal point ?

A focal point is a singular point in the living space that your eyes draw to .

First , it allows the user to draw their eyes and focus on one point in the space first , it's called a hierarchy of design .

So you definitely want to have a focal point in your space so that the living room doesn't feel chaotic and your eyes aren't wandering around everywhere .

How do you create a focal point ?

Contrary to popular belief , a focal point does not start on the walls .

First .

It always begins with the main seating group .

The focal point is typically behind the main seating group .

Unless the focal point in your case is either a fabulous view or a really beautiful statement fireplace or in some cases , the primary function of the room is your television .

And you've created this really beautiful focal point with your television , your media console or an entertainment center .

If you need more tips and tricks on how to create a stunning focal point for your living room , definitely check out that video , I'll link it above and lastly .

But just as importantly , the fifth element , you need to create a beautifully designed living room is an area rug .

I know the area rug could be a little controversial because I get a lot of comments on whether or not an area rug feels like an essential aspect of a space and honestly do you really need anything .

Of course not .

But this video is all about five essential items that will help bring your living room to life .

You have all the essentials in place and now it's really time to anchor that seating group .

The best way to do that is with the largest area rug that you can afford .

I have so many videos on area rugs with the proper size , the proper placement , the right materials that you need to use for the living room , especially in a high traffic area or if you have kids dogs or if you're prone to accidents and spills .

I mean , there really is an area rug for every type of lifestyle out there .

So definitely check out all of my area rug videos .

I have an ultimate guide to area rug .

I also have a common design mistakes for area rugs videos .

So I go into deep , deep detail on the best area rugs for your space .

I do have a confession to make .

I am currently without an area rug right now .

After I custom made my sectional , I literally just threw my daughter's rubber play mat right where the area rug should be .

And I have to be honest , even though it is highly functional , it's really easy to clean up the living room just doesn't feel complete .

I mean , it feels like a daycare .

And even though I'm living through that transition right now , there is not one day that I don't think about my dream area rug .

So I'm definitely manifesting that perfect piece to really finish up my living room .

Now , you know , all the essentials of the five things that every living room needs .

Let's talk about the extras .

These extras are all about layering the space with dimension , with texture , with your personality and it's really going to help it feel like a completely beautifully styled space .

Of course , design is never done .

So don't race out and try to purchase everything from the extras list .

It's really about setting the foundation first and building your room with pieces that get layered over time .

The first item is ambient lighting .

General lighting will light the overhead space but ambient lighting will really make it feel cozy , intimate and moody .

Ambient lighting can come in the form of wall SCS , a really beautiful table lamp or even a floor lamp that anchors the corner .

A designer's tip is to place all of your lighting on dimmers , whether or not it's general overhead lighting or ambient lighting so that you have full control over the type of lighting in the space .

Another extra is a storage cabinet .

Now , if your coffee table has doubled as a storage space , then you've checked one thing off the list .

Think about how you live , the living room probably gets the most used of every single room in the home by a variety of family members .

There's always junk everywhere people are throwing their things around .

If you have some sort of storage cabinet , whether or not it's a storage ottoman or even a little basket or bin that you can hide all of your junk in plain sight and still make it look Uncluttered .

That is the goal of this storage piece .

Another extra would be a side table or an end table .

What is the difference between a coffee table and a side table and an end table ?

A coffee table is usually centered in the middle of your living room and is directly placed in front of the sofa or the main seating group .

The side or end tables are usually flanking the ends of the sofa or the ends of the sectional or even right next to an accent or lounge chair .

So side tables and end tables aren't central to the space , but it's a great way to have the users at the end of the sofa , have a place to set things down on .

If you have a reclining sofa and you opted not to put in a coffee table , that's probably the best time for you to use a side table or an end table on the sides of your sofa so that you can recline the sofa without any obstacles or hindrances .

You could also elect to have a long sofa table on the back of your sofa that's not on the sides and it's not in the front .

When would you use a sofa table , the sofa table would be flanked on the back of a sofa .

So just imagine if you're walking into the space and maybe you see the back of your furniture first because you want to enjoy the beautiful view .

But the back of the sofa isn't all that pretty .

This would be the most opportune time for you to source a really beautiful sofa table so you can flank the back of that furniture piece .

And that would be your first introduction to the space instead of the back of a sofa and finally , no living room is complete without something fresh and vibrant .

We're talking fresh flowers , indoor plants , fresh greenery , something that really helps the space come alive and feels like you're living in it .

I love the addition of vertical trees flaking an empty corner or maybe a really beautiful diy bouquet that you've placed so expertly in the middle of the coffee table .

Think about getting the essentials down first and then having fun styling the space with fresh greenery and flowers .

So that's it for this video design , hacks , five things every living room needs .

What did you think ?

Did you agree with my list or disagree with my list ?

Were there any elements that I missed that you feel must make it into every single living room ?

Let me know in the comments below and I'd love to get a conversation going if you like this type of video and you're loving the design hacks series .

Please give this video a thumbs up .

Definitely check out the entire series .

Five things , every bedroom needs and five things every home needs to get you all caught up .

Comment below and let me know what room you want to see me tackle next .

Share this video with anyone , you know , embarking on a brand new living room design and of course , subscribe to my channel if you haven't already click that little notification bell to be notified of new videos that we drop every Tuesday .

Thank you so much , everyone .

I hope you're having a fabulous day and I'll see you next week .