Styling Your Living Room | Koala Sofa

On our return from our month-long trip to Victoria, I started feeling quite down. Let’s call it “Post- Travel Depression” for want of an explanation. But then I was hit with the styling bug and over the last fortnight, I have been busily pulling things together to completely do over our living room space. Can you believe it? Me, the woman who aspired to travel vast distances whilst totally ignoring the home front.

So what initiated this tidal wave of styling action? What stimulated that innate yearning to nest? The kids of course. As I mentioned in my recent Koala Sofa Review, both Sunshine and Striker have hit the age of double digits and with the teen years ahead of them, are seeking out more opportunities to stay at home. Can you believe it?

So I have come to terms with the kids need to spend more time at home chatting with their friends, engaging in their creative pursuits and reading (and even playing Roblox), and have turned my attention not to Skyscanner, but to styling our home, starting with the living space.

So Let’s Talk Styling

As a total Netflix addict (this is what happens when you spend more time at home!) I have been watching Interior Design Masters to develop some idea of styling interior spaces. What I’ve learned is that textures are key to defining the space that you want to create. 

I’ve noted that when defining one’s style there are a whole bunch of words thrown around: boho, minimalist, Scandi, neo-classic, coastal. I have no idea what they all really look like, do you? What I have realised is that I like contemporary spaces that have just the right pinch of oomph to give it a little jazz. Perhaps I am more Scandi than anything? I have no idea – have a look at my living space images and let me know what you think.

Styling a Living Space

Like all good nerds I have resorted to reading a whole lot about interior design to help fuel my momentum forward. I wanted to get it right and provide a sense of space and youthfulness to our living space. I’ve realised that styling is quite straight forward if you stick to the basics: colour, texture, focal point and accessories. Keeping it simple is important.

Colour

From all of my styling observation I’ve learned that it is generally best to stick to two or three colours. Building from a block colour with overlaps of the other colours is a winner. These colours can then create warmth and pull the eye to key parts of the room (whilst distracting from the eye sores that you might not be able to change).

The Koala Sofa in Brushtail Grey was the perfect block colour to start our colour scheme. We added pinches of blue with cushions and artworks. Using the legs of the sofas as inspiration, we invested in a Tasmanian Oak TV stand, side table and also sourced picture frames that were a similar wood grain.

Ignoring the old adage green and blue should never be seen is important if talking about the addition of green, leafy plants. After finding the perfect plant (more on that below) I sniffed out the perfect large pot in a funky grey/blue pattern to complement the colour palette and breathe life into the room. 

Texture

So what did I mean by texture? Texture is critical when designing your space and is all about the surface quality of particular pieces, be that silky, rough, woven, smooth which will then directly impact the perceived feel of the room.

Using key textures in your space provides the eye with a feel of the room, warm, cool, moody and so forth.

Natural materials are important for that sense of warmth. I purchased a range of cushions in 100% cotton with a high thread count, silk/linen blend and merino wool blend. I was loathe to spend a lot of money on cushions, especially as all expenditure depletes my travel fund, so I hunted around and found these for 70% off (I’ll talk more about that over on our Instagram Stories if you’re keen to learn more)

Consider the Focal Point

The focal point of a room is incredibly important in anchoring the furnishings and decor of the room. Identifying your focal point and building around that dominant feature will also prevent the room from being disjointed. 

Now if we had a beautiful view from our living room I would have definitely used this as a focal point, but alas our view is of our neighbours roof and our street. I was tempted to make Astroboy the focal point, but I don’t think a shrine to my favourite anime would be popular, so instead I relented to another popular culture icon….. the humble television. To be truthful, I’m not too keen about the television being the star of our living space but truth be told, it is often what draws us together these days, favourite Netflix shows, Home & Away and even the latest news. I feel that the positioning of our Koala Sofas also allows us to comfortably sit together and read too, so balance / balance!

Accessorise – But Not Too Much

Accessorising was never going to be an issue for us as we have collected a number of pieces during our travel adventures. I used my favourite Astroboy keepsake for the side table and paired him with a plant I received as a gift from one of my students when school broke up.

It should be minimal to prevent clutter and an overabundance of distraction. I am thinking about adding a bookcase display to the side of the television, but I am worried about closing the space up too much. This will allow further travel finds to come out, like our Japanese katana!

Add Life to Your Room – Literally

I love plants although must admit to having a thumb that is far from green. I discovered the Zanzibar plant (Zamioculcas Zamifolia) which turns out to thrive on neglect, or so says the label. It is the perfect match for me! Paired with the right pot, an indoor plant provides a little sophistication to a space, what do you think? I’ve also read that indoor plants also provide a health benefit. The NASA Clean Air Study actually determined that the right indoor plants will clean the air within your home of a range of chemicals. Plants will also take in carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen, making it easier to breathe.  I might need to get a few more! (the Zanzibar plant was not in the official study, but there are an array of plants that were!)

The Finished Room

After receiving our Koala Sofas I realised that the whole room needed a makeover. I flipped the room and moved the television stand to the opposite wall, invested in a new stand, framed some travel photos, sourced some cushions on sale and found my perfect plant match.

Since the makeover, both Striker and Sunshine are spending more and more time in the living room rather than retreating to their bedrooms. They love the Koala sofas the most, particularly as they can lay across them fully and get right into the whole lounge movement that the tween/teen group seems to be on. 

What do you think? Does the new room look more spacious and more on trend?

Looking at buying your own Koala Sofa? I know you are! Click here to look at their range (they sell an amazing bed too which I hear is incredible) and use MATESWITHKOALA for 10% off everything (the discount code requires no minimum order, is applicable on all products, and has no expiration date. However the discount code cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer)

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