Fall in love with your living room with our inspirational ‘look book’

From large and luxurious traditional log burners to chic and contemporary wall-hung electric designs – there are so many different styles that can turn up the heat in your home.

Whatever ignites your inner interior designer, a feature fireplace is a sure-fire way to spruce up your living room (and keep you warm too!)

If you’ve played it safe in your lounge with a palette of creams and beiges but you still want to include your favourite tone of turquoise or beloved shade of scarlet, try adding accessories in your chosen accent colour.

The rule here is to keep it low key with only a handful of items scattered around the room. Things like cushions, rugs and ornaments are perfect as they aren’t overpowering, and subtle pieces of artwork also work well.

To achieve a formal feel in your living room, position your furniture in such a way that doesn’t allow people to be easily distracted. One way to do this is to place two sofas facing one another with a coffee table or footstool in the middle. Throw in a few scatter cushions for added comfort!

For a slightly more laid-back living room, it’s fine to stick to the tried-and-tested method of pointing your seating towards the trusty TV – just be sure to have a layout that still allows for small talk in the ad breaks! Large slouch sofas and L-shape designs are popular for a relaxed vibe.

In the daytime, try and keep your lounge bright and airy. Let natural light spill into the room through your windows, and fix a large mirror to the wall – this will reflect the light and bounce it back around the room.

Meanwhile as dusk sets in and the light fades to dark, make good use of dimmer switches and lamps. These will create a relaxed ambience in your living room for winding down after a long day. Candles are a great addition if you’re looking for a slightly romantic feel.

The easiest way to do this is to duplicate the colour scheme from your lounge into the next nearest room. This can look really effective if you use wallpaper...but only if you use it along the same wall – otherwise it will look disjointed and mismatched.

For a truly seamless finish, complete the look by having the same flooring in each room.

A simple solution here is to find some wallpaper you love and put it up on the most prominent wall in the lounge. This will automatically catch people’s eye as they enter the room.

Then, place a piece of furniture like a sideboard or an antique table in a central position along the wall (i.e. where a fireplace would sit) and add your favourite accessories that you want to show off. Alternatively, hang a striking piece of artwork or a large mirror on the wall.