What do you ask of your new salon? You probably want it to be light and airy. But in addition to these two values, there are others that should be taken into account before saying “I do.”
1. ORIENTATION: LIGHT, COMFORT, AND ENERGY SAVING
It is not usually paid much attention, but the orientation of the house in general and the room, in particular, is very important. Not only because of the amount of light it receives but because important factors such as comfort throughout the year or energy savings and efficiency depend on it. It is a basic determining factor in the decoration of living rooms.
The southeast orientation is, in general, one of the best possible, since in winter the sun shines all day, especially in the morning. This will cause the heat to accumulate during the day, releasing in the evening. So the energy expenditure will not be very pronounced. And in summer, afternoon, the level of radiation received will be lower, so you should not invest so much in air conditioning.
2. FIND A PLACE FOR THE SOFA
The sofa is the king of the living room, but many times we do not think about it when we are looking for a flat. Ideally, reserve the longest wall for the sofa and, if possible, without windows, so as not to interfere with the passage of light. Tip: go meter in hand and measure the walls in search of their ideal location.
3. THINK ABOUT STORAGE
Once the sofa is (mentally) located, you have to look carefully at the rest of the walls to foresee what space you can have to store. If you need a lot of capacity, the ideal is a hybrid cabinet between a bookcase, a wardrobe, and a TV cabinet. Custom furniture is the one that adapts like a glove to space and your needs, but there are also modular solutions that offer flexibility at very competitive prices.
4. ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FURNITURE?
It is common, if not all, to keep some special pieces from the previous floor when we move. In this sense, if you are clear about what furniture you are going to take with you, it is essential that you go with the measurements of all of them well noted and look for them, a meter in hand, their new place in the living room. And nothing of “by the eye of a good Cubero”, that later missing centimeters.
5. COFFEE TABLE: YES OR NO?
Today, when the meters of many floors are scarce, dispensing with the coffee table is the order of the day. Think that the idea is to leave about 40 cm between the sofa and the coffee table and between it and the next obstacle, so if space is going to be very corseted, do not hesitate to do without it.
Still, having a support table or auxiliary is very useful. One resource is to opt for versatile pieces, such as a bean bag, which can serve as an extra seat or as a coffee table if needed.
6. WHERE’S THE KITCHEN?
The kitchen is increasingly taking center stage in everyday life at home, becoming in many cases the real heart of the home. If this is your case, it will be vital that the kitchen is as close to the living room as possible to facilitate the connection and dynamics between the two spaces. What’s more, although now you may not consider making reforms, perhaps later it can encourage you to do works and open the kitchen to the living room. So you will surely appreciate them being around.
