If you’re lucky enough to have a formal living room then it’s likely you want to keep this room looking good and ready for company…and not dread having to answer the doorbell and invite someone inside.
The formal living room tends to fall into one of two camps: super neat (because no one goes in there) or dusty and cluttered (because it’s an easy place to toss things till you know what to do with them).
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The first thing to do in this room is to go through and get out any clutter. Are there items that have been dumped here? Is this a room that tends to become a “catch-all” till you know where things need to live permanently?
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If so, it’s time to clear the clutter and find permanent homes for those homeless items. Yes, it’s time to make a decision about those stray items. No putting it off till the day finally arrives…because today is that day.
Once you’ve got any clutter and excess junk out of the room, it’s time to do a good cleaning. Pull out the vacuum cleaner or floor mop, gather your dusting supplies, and give this room a good cleaning. Don’t forget to clean the light fixtures and wipe off any surfaces that collect fingerprints (light switches come to mind).
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So now that the room is clean and clutter-free, take a look around. Do you love this room? Or are there things you’ve always wanted to do to spruce it up? This would be a good time to take measurements of windows in case you want to change the window coverings. If there are furniture needs then be sure to measure and record wall lengths and record door placements.
You might want to change out pictures hung on the wall or replace other decorative items. Our tastes do change over time and it’s okay for our home decor to reflect those changes.
If now isn’t the right time to make changes, at least let yourself do some dreaming and make notes about what you want to do to this room when the time and budget is right. That way should you stumble across a great deal you’ve got your measurements and room plan ready to go.
You can keep your notes in a paper file or a digital one that you can access from your phone. In fact, taking photos of different areas of the room will help when you’re shopping.
You never know when you’ll find the perfect thing at the perfect price so don’t get caught wondering if something will fit or match.
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Even if you don’t re-do the whole room at once, little steps to make this room function and look better will make a difference in the way you feel about your home. Little steps also go a long way towards preventing small issues from becoming big ones.
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