A sitting room you will want to showoff

The accesories in the sitting room need to have colours that blend so as to bring out the beauty of the room. Photo by Rachel Ajwang

What you need to know:

Any addition to a room can create a dramatic effect and the sitting room being the common room, you need to play around with the different accessories to create a perfect look as Christine Katende writes

Any addition to a room can create a dramatic effect and the sitting room being the common room, you need to play around with the different accessories to create a perfect look as Christine Katende writes.

When I was growing up, a beautiful sitting room was one that had a sideboard, a big television, coffee table and maybe a few portraits. However, most of the homes I went to and they had all of this in place, the room almost looked plain.

But Janet Tumwebaze, a showroom manager at Life mate Furniture says, without art, something expensive might look vague. She explains that you should put some things into consideration before thinking of how to organise your sitting room. These include the size of the room, colour of paint on the wall, colour and design of the curtains and sofas, coffee set and the floor type.

Room size

The size of the sitting room suggests the size and number of sofas one should have among other items. This will give you the chance to play around with the sofas being the main item in the room. Having a small sofa set in a big sitting room will make the room seem empty just as a small sitting room will look congested with a big sofa set or even large wall hangings.
“Do not over crowd the room because the beauty will be lost,” says Resty Namuddu of Foot Steps Furniture Company.

Colour of the wall

The colour of the wall is the lead theme colour, it has a lot to say about your sitting room. Janet Tumwebaze, a showroom manager at Life mate Furniture, says before you decide on the colour of items to have, you should bear in mind whether the sofas, curtains or even the carpet colours will blend with that of the wall in order to bring out the beauty of the room. “Plain colours such as cream can easily blend with dark colours depending on the items in the room,” Tumwebaze says.

The sofa set

In this case, the size of the sitting room will determine the size and fashion of the sofas to be used. “Buying a suitable sofa set gives one an easy way of organising the room”, says Tumwebaze. She adds, “It is also advisable to have the organisation plan in mind because the effect of the sofas will automatically depend on the arrangement.”
In addition to the size, Namuddu notes that you need to consider the sofa colour which has to blend with the other accessories in the room such as the area rug, curtains and the wall to avoid clashing. There are two types of sofas and these are leather and fabric that sometimes come with designs. But in case of a plain-coloured sofa set, you can accessorise it with designed cushions or pillows since crochets are out of fashion. Tumwebaze advises that in case of a small sitting room, use an L-shaped sofa set to provide space for other decor items.

Area rug
The beauty of the area rug depends on the colour and the design. “An area rug is only used on a tiled floor and the colour should blend with that of the tiles to bring out the beauty,” says Tumwebaze. She adds that the rug will bring out the beauty of the room if used in a big sitting room. She cautions that you should not add an area rug where the room is covered with a carpet.

Coffee table
The beauty brought in by a coffee table as an item also depends on its type and the colour. For example, the leather sofas match best with a wooden or marble coffee table while fabric sofas blend well with glass coffee tables. It’s is true that the glass table portrays elegance but wood also brings out the natural bit. Additionally, display the small coffee tables in between or besides the sofas since fixing them under the main coffee table is out of fashion.

The television and curtains

For a sitting room to look brilliant, it must have a television. The TV position can be played around with according to one’s desires or the space provided. You can use a TV stand that is attached to the DVD and movie discs space or mount it on the wall and use a flat stand where the television accessories are put. Namuddu, however, notes that the type of television and where it is placed matters when it comes to the beauty of the room. In most cases, you will need a fashionable stand or a peak wall unit with a TV space for that matter. The curtains, apart from covering the windows as a tradition, curtains have a lot to say when it comes to the room beautification depending on the design. Away from blending the colour with other items in the sitting room, Namuddu advises that you use curtains with designed edges along with designed rods.

Wall unit
This comes with a TV space; mini bar and it can at the same time be accessorised with family portraits, ornaments and small vessels or wine glasses. The colour and design of the wall unit also matters when it comes to beauty.

Wall hangings
These can be art paintings that are arranged in a step or L-shaped form depending on how you want them. Apart from the beauty impact, these paintings can be used to design the wall. In the same way, the size of these items will also matter depending on the size of the room. It is not about the cost of the item but the impact it makes on the room.

Pots and vases
These are normally long and are put in the corners of the room. Although people can afford to buy natural flowers, Tumwebaze says it is better to use artificial flowers because they are easy to maintain as compared to natural flowers.
Because vessels come in different sizes, colours and designs, so the beauty effect is realised depending on where you place it according Namuddu. The small ones can go on the centre table, wall unit space and the heavy ones on the small coffee tables that are placed besides the chairs.

Lighting
“A sitting room will look nice with a chandelier type of light”, says Tumwebaze. Apart from the light provided at night, the frame design alone makes an impact on the room no matter the time of the day. In the same way, the colour and the design of the light frame matters a lot. Wall side lamps are other items you shouldn’t over look, she notes. They create an amazing difference given the fact that a living room provides perfect space for everything right from reading books to watching movies. In that way, the lights can help you create a new room and mood every time.

Portrait stand

This is only used to hang portraits and it accommodates all size but it should be placed in a convenient position where everyone can clearly see the pictures. The way one plays about with the pictures matters a lot.