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The living room is where you probably spend the most time kicking back and entertaining guests, so it’s always important to come in with a plan before you decorate living room spaces or rethink your setup to ensure that it feels as unified and inviting as possible.
On AD’s first episode of “Re:Design”—a series where designers take turns putting their spin on real spaces that desperately need a refresh—we focused on a some unfocused living rooms. We enlisted the help of New York–based interior architect Darren Jett, who knows a thing or two about punchy living spaces. As he previously told AD on a tour of his splashy Brooklyn apartment, “I don’t want to create just a beautiful space, I want it to be a space that transports you. It’s really doable for any budget or scale. You just have to have an imagination and a willingness to go there.”
Jett notes that the living rooms in question have one common thread: Each is a white-walled space that features incoherent furniture arrangements and varying degrees of clutter. Unlike projects he’s worked on where there’s an actual blank slate of a room in need of furnishings and character, he explains, there is a lot of life happening in these rooms, but not a clear sense of direction. His goal was to figure out how to make each room operate better within a tight budget.
One of the most important things he considered when reimagining each room was: What’s not working from a functional standpoint and where can we improve upon aesthetics according to each individual and their needs? For one bachelor with a cluttered living space, he thought of *American Psycho–*esque interiors with chromed-out ’70s finishes, while he prescribed storage and sofa slipcovers to ground another living room that had become dominated by kids’ toys. For another imposing space with high ceilings and dramatic fixtures, he suggests heightening the cozy factor with a darker, warmer color on the walls.
“With every project, big or small, no matter what the budget is, we have to understand who the person is and [add] a little bit of psychology behind who they are and what they’re into.”
Following a brief from a handful of different homeowners, he offers tips on furnishings and paint and maps out new design schemes for each of their living rooms. Minor touches like lighting, curtains, a fresh coat of paint, and a few key pieces of new furniture can transform even the most lackluster living room, as you’ll find out. See how Jett takes the wheel on reimagining five different living rooms with simple upgrades that anyone can implement when dreaming up how to decorate on their own.
1. Carve out a bar space, if you plan to entertain
Jett’s first project is a barebones living room with a fireplace as its focal point. The homeowner, Carrie, wants this living room (one of two in her home) to function as a space for entertaining guests, so Jett suggests a dedicated area to mix cocktails and store liquor bottles. He recommends rounding out the space with a handsome bar cart and a fun lamp for extra charm.
2. Play with texture
For a room that doesn’t have anything in the way of window or floor coverings yet, Jett recommends drapery “with a rod that hangs higher up beyond the window” for added softness, and a textured rug (consider jute, hemp, or sisal) underfoot to tie the room together. To punch up the bare white walls, Jett suggests a fresh coat of paint with faux texture. His trick? Limewash paint keeps the walls from looking “so flat and so new.” Then complete the living room by placing artwork for a dose of interest.
3. Add curves to seating arrangements
The next homeowner, Carol, describes her living room as “stiff” and wants something fresher that will flow into the adjoining dining room. To update the boxy sofa and chairs in the room, Jett suggests a new seating arrangement around the fireplace, something like a serpentine Vladimir Kagan design or a neutral off-white sofa with gentle curves that could help draw people into the space. “When you walk in the door, you see this form that takes you around, almost like an arm giving you a hug,” he explains. For the other chairs around the fireplace, he prescribes softness, like what you’d find in an upholstered bouclé armchair.
4. Dial up the contrast with earthy paint
A room is “much more impactful if [you] aren’t afraid to play with color,” Jett notes. His suggestion? Painting all the walls and ceilings terra-cotta to warm up the “imposing architecture” of the space. “When you have something that’s light and white, sometimes it can feel too big and a little bit too impersonal,” he explains. Plus when everything on the walls is richer and moodier, it heightens the feeling of lightness evoked by the creamy seating arrangement.
5. Fix messy spaces with sleek storage
The next homeowner, Brandon, primarily has a problem with having too many things in his living room, so Jett focuses on ways to tidy up some of the clutter. “Everything needs to have a home and everything needs to have a place,” he explains. His solution is a minimalist ’70s bachelor pad look that centers clean lines and references Joe D’Urso’s modern “high tech” designs. Jett suggests adding bolder, edgier elements to the space—like a big black leather sofa, a wide credenza underneath the TV for additional storage, and a sleeker standing desk—to clear some of the clutter around the workspace.
6. Streamline with a set focal point
The next homeowner, Dan, wants a living area not dominated by his kid’s toys, so Jett focuses on consolidating the multiple storage units with one comprehensive bookcase to house toys and beyond. Another tip for recentering the space is to implement a traditional sectional sofa under the window as a focal point—a kid-friendly slip-cover model, specifically, to protect against spills and stains—plus a neutral rug underfoot to balance out the “visual headache” of having a bunch of toys strewn all over it.
7. Make impactful color choices
Our last homeowner, Mona, has a playful personality that isn’t reflected by her drab studio apartment, which has an odd shape to boot. In order to help her utilize the cramped space, Jett suggests softening up the stark walls with sheer, colorful curtains on the big windows. To add in even more personality, he recommends investing in some statement pieces like a colorful table.
