Design
Furnishing the contemporary lounge
reading time: 6 minutes
Furnishing inspirations and decoration ideas for designing the modern lounge, with an ever-stronger dialogue with the entrance and the dining area
Given the reduction in the average size of homes, in most contemporary interiors the front door opens directly onto the living area, with no corridors or partition walls. Distinguishing it from the lounge, living area or kitchen has become superfluous in the current age of fluid spaces and multi-purpose rooms. Furnishing thus becomes a fundamental design tool for defining areas and functions, for dividing without structural separations, and for giving character to the interior. The choice of the colour of the walls and coverings is equally important.
Use this post as a source of inputs and ideas for furnishing a lounge in modern open space style, in line with the latest trends and able to meet the new needs of contemporary home lifestyles.
MODERN LIVING ROOM FURNISHING: DEFINING THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS
Designing the furnishing of a modern living room means bearing in mind that nowadays, in a standard flat the front door almost always opens directly onto the home’s living area. Corridors are very rare, and you almost never come across the traditional entrance halls of old-fashioned apartments, which often took up as much space as a whole room.
Therefore, the room’s functions have to be defined and then approached individually (although in combination):
- entrance area;
- lounge and relaxation area;
- dining area;
- kitchen and pantry.
Two design factors can be used for this purpose:
- Furnishing: multi-purpose furnishing solutions are an excellent functional and stylistic tool, able to furnish areas individually while maintaining a consistent style across the various parts of the room.
- Decorative aspect: good design of the room’s furniture goes hand-in-hand with the choice of its colour scheme and textures, which help to define the various areas with the aid of colour, visual tricks and the association of different materials.
There is also a third factor, very popular in the lounge area: furnishing with plants has now become common practice, and in the best organised projects, green areas are designed from the outset, to ensure that compositions become an integral part of the interior design, as well as providing elegant dividing features.
SEPARATING A NONEXISTENT ENTRANCE AREA: DEFINING FUNCTIONS AND ORGANISING SPACE
The entrance to a home is a more or less clearly defined and separate space, of vital importance in both aesthetic and functional terms. It generates the home’s initial impact, welcomes and impresses guests, and is also crucial for tidy stowing of everything required before we leave or re-enter the apartment.
Moreover, since the entrance is often integrated in the modern living room, in contemporary flats there are no real structural separations from the rest of the living area and lounge. However, this does not mean it cannot be visually divided using furnishings and decorative tools. Some ideas?
- Creation of a striking backdrop, by painting the walls and ceiling in the area immediately around the front door;
- Installation of modular wall furnishings specifically designed for the entrance, matching the furniture of the living area but with clearly defined function and intended use;
- Use of a different floor covering to underline the separation between the living area and kitchen: porcelain stoneware, for example, enables different material effects to be combined while retaining the same tile thickness and the same material (very convenient for cleaning)
FURNISHING THE LOUNGE AND DINING ROOM TOGETHER
In contemporary open plan interiors, the aim can be the same regardless of rooms’ size: to create a space for every functional area, well defined but communicating with the others. Coverings can be the main decorative feature for use when furnishing a modern, elegant lounge, with the creation of attractive ceramic carpets that define the dining area, the relaxation zone or a partially concealed entrance.
The mix & match of material effects and colour shades enabled by porcelain stoneware tile collections is the basis for imaginative use of sizes, joints and installation directions. But it does not end with the choice of floor: in a contemporary living area, stoneware can become the kitchen backsplash, the snack countertop or - why not? interior design slabs to be placed like works of art. Just one versatile, eclectic material that can furnish an entire room, defining its spaces and functions while delivering excellent performances and a constantly different stylistic character.
Explore all the Marazzi lounge tile collections!
