How to make your living room sociable

Your living should be the heart of the home! It is definitely the heart of social entertainment and what makes the first impression of your home for visitors and guests! To make your living room sociable, you need to think about aesthetics and functionality! Here are some tips on how to make your living room sociable.

Lots of seating

The first step is to create your living room space that has lots of seating options. When it comes to just you and a few members sharing the house, sprawling over your sofa seems more than enough. However, a home that caters for everyone in a social gathering would need a more thought-out seating arrangement.

So invest in a sofa with lots of seating such as a U-shaped sofa, an L-shaped sofa, or a collective set of a three-seater sofa and two-seater sofa. A popular, chic, and practical sofa you can get is a modular sofa- they are adjustable and movable sofa pieces that can be assembled/rearranged into many styles such as a 2-seater, large modern L-shaped or a compact chaise style- which makes it perfect for hosting! Assure that whatever sofa style you go for, you pair it with a comfortable armchair, a sofa bed, or even a small upholstered bench which is fantastic for extra seating!

Comfort

The next thing is to drape comfortable throw blankets, quilts, and comforters over your sofa’s arm to ooze luxury and add that homey feeling to your social space. You don’t want your living room to be too modern as this can come across as too bleak and empty. A homely, intimate and welcoming space is created through comfort, making your living room a social space no one wants to leave! Add some throw cushions too to give some accent, flare, comfort, and style to your sofas, sofa beds, armchairs etc too!

Get the fire going

There's nothing more comfortable, cosy and aesthetic than getting a fire roaring! Especially when it comes to socialising, it is always nice to be welcomed into a warm, inviting and intimate home when coming from the cold outside and your guests will be grateful!

Put your feet up!

Use footstools, or a smaller pouffe to create that feet-up, homey mood. The great thing about pouffes is that they can fit in small areas and can be easily transported to your liking as they are lightweight and small.

Coffee table

Another must when it comes to setting up a perfect sociable living room is creating a focal point with a coffee table! Make the coffee table the centre of the room, with your sofas side by side or framing one side of the table! This will really transform the setting, great for hospitality, serving food, snacks, and drinks. Make sure you set the table with a few accessories such as a coffee table cover, some coasters and even a plant centring the table!

Don't forget to place side tables at the ends of the sofa, which is a great tip for hosting. It makes it easier for family, friends and guests to rest their drinks on- especially if they are seated on the edge of the sofa!

Add a touch of plants

Your living room should have some natural earthy touches, in the form of live houseplants and flowers. Place them in the centre of a coffee table, a shelf, or window sill. Plants and flowers really add a modernist style, aesthetic and calming touch to your living room. You could use artificial ones, but having real-life live plants is much more pleasant, natural and healthy for the environment and you!

Sentimental touches

Add personality and intimacy with a few sentimental touches- but don’t go overboard!

For example, stacking a few of your favourite books on a coffee table, shelf or bookshelf, hanging meaningful art pieces or displaying sentimental collectable items. Whatever you are proud of or give positive energy is great to add to your living room!

Ambient lighting

Ambient lighting is also called ‘mood lighting’, which is the use of soft, warm and welcoming light to evenly fill out the room. Mood lighting is not harsh or blaring, but relaxing. Light can be in the form of centrally located pendants, chandeliers, track lights, and dimmers. Ambient lighting aims to illuminate the whole room, so adding additional lighting in the form of table lamps, floor lamps, and wall-mounted fixtures in those darker corners and areas where light doesn't reach also are important to add for ambience.

Ambient light is usually warm white, with hints of yellow! A lighting fixture that can be adjusted with its intensity or direction is great as you can choose the amount of light needed for the event, task or activity, mood or time of day! For example, toning down the light in the evening for guests for more relaxation.