Home Decoration

Wicker living room furniture and rattan living room furniture go well with almost all type of living room decorating ideas. They can look elegant and formal and at the same time lend an oriental touch to the living room. The wooden-like finish makes it suitable country style living room furniture and best suited as rustic living room furniture. Rattan and wicker furniture is not only beautiful and available in various handcrafted styles, but it is perhaps the most versatile, strongest and durable furniture available in the market that is very easy to take care of. It requires very little maintenance. Wicker living room furniture is lightweight and hence can easily be shifted from one place to another making cleaning and sweeping much easier.

Rattan and wicker living room furniture has great endurance quality and can withstand the rough and tough handling and common problems of everyday usage. Unlike other furniture and accessories made out of wood, rattan and wicker furniture is environmental friendly too. It is actually made out of living vines that replenish themselves and grow up and are ready to harvest all by themselves in about each seven to ten year period. Versatile wicker living room furniture can be adapted easily to casual and informal living room styles and also to classic formal styles by just opting for the right fabric for its upholstery. Most of the wicker sofas, chairs and seats come with unattached cushions so that you can easily change their covers to match the color scheme and decoration style of the room without spending a fortune on it like re-upholstering the traditional furniture.

Fine quality and premium line wicker and rattan living room furniture usually have stained or natural though Southwestern living rooms often use new wicker living room furniture that has been white washed to match the living room color theme. The popular painted finishes for wicker furniture are either pastel in color or have darkest pecan color with smooth and consistent finish. Sometimes there can be some color variations with minor mineral streaks that just enhance the natural beauty of rattan and wicker living room furniture and lend uniqueness to every single piece of its handcrafted furniture. It is not advisable to use silicone based furniture polish product on rattan and wicker furniture as it can seal it and will not allow the poles to absorb moisture and oils readily to keep it strong.

All you need to keep your wicker furniture in good shape is to dust it regularly with a damp cloth and occasionally apply a light coat of lemon oil to protect it and give it sheen. Wicker furniture is also good enough to be used in outdoor living spaces such as patio living rooms or living area made on a deck. Rattan is actually a member of the climbing palm family found deep in the tropical rainforests of the Far East. This tropical vine grows as tall as 600 feet. It is solid and strong like steel but is pliable and flexible too and thus, can easily be molded into furniture and furnishings after heating. Wicker actually means woven furnishings.

Besides rattan, it can also be made up of other natural and synthetic materials such as willow, reed, twigs of other plants, sea grass, banana peel, leather, paper, metal or plastic. Wicker living room furniture also includes bamboo and cane furniture. Bamboo is a tropical grass that is hollow and not very flexible. Unlike rattan, it has limited usage and can split over time and is best suited as an accent on furniture or for unusual accent pieces. Cane is thinly split strips of the outer skin of rattan and its peel that has been soaked in water is often wrapped around joints and framework of beautifully crafted rattan furniture to give them more support after it dries. Cane is also popular for weaving chair seats and backs.

One never seems to have enough space but decorating small living rooms is quite a challenge. The first decorating idea for a small living room that you need to implement is to paint its walls and ceilings in a ‘cool’ color such as many shades of blue and green. Paint the ceiling in a color lighter than the walls to make the room look more spacious. Stick to one color family for your small living room makeover and create interest in the room by using combination of matte and glossy paints of the same color. Paint the walls in the matte paint while you can use glossy paint of the same color for window and door trims and for moldings on the walls.

Hanging window treatments right from the ceiling add to the room’s height while soft fabric or drapery that extends to the ground and then some more, add elegance and formal look to your room. Use of large-scale objects is a modern trend in small living rooms and makes it appear larger too. You may use an oversized screen, picture frame or pattern to make the room look more spacious. Screens help you to create a personal corner or a separate living space and are especially preferred in apartments where there are not enough rooms for each member of the family. Small decorating ideas can make a big difference to the look of your living room.

Small living rooms are such a problem because of the multitude of functions it is expected to perform and the number and amount of facilities we would like it to accommodate. Traditionally, living rooms have giant furniture pieces and oversized accents such as ten-section couch, bulky armchairs and even a big-screen TV. Yet, all these are not practical to use in a small apartment living room and one has to rely on living big small size tricks for making the best and optimum use of your small living space. Choose a decorating theme based on your favorite color, patterns such as Oriental or French and style such as rustic, formal, Victorian or contemporary.

You may choose a non-traditional and unusual living room decor and infuse your individuality in it but be cautious enough to remain subtle and not overdo it all. Magazines with your favorite superstar on the cover page or a Barbie dressed in Madonna style displayed on your shelf can be included in your living room decor to make it special and welcoming for you. Look for small-scale furniture that can be easily found these days. You may choose one large furniture item such as sofa to be the focal point of your small living room. If you want to have a sofa but want to shift your focal point too, add colorful or unusual accent pieces to take away the attention from the larger item.

Too many small items can also cause clutter, so use only what is absolutely necessary. If your living room has enough space, opt for lesser number of larger items that greater number of smaller items such as four chairs should be replaced by three loveseats and better still by two large couches. For efficiency sake, you may use different scale of furniture too. One tall cabinet, grandfather clock or a tall lamp in a small living room where all the other furniture is small and low, add height to the room and look interesting. Use combination of mirrors and light fixtures to open up the space in a room. One large mirror with ambient lighting or several small mirrors positioned strategically on a wall can create an unique look to your living room.