How to create a stylish living room using inspiration from a rug or art

You’ve just moved into your new forever home or have finally saved up enough money to start that renovation you’ve been planning for years. You’ve bought every interior design magazine at the local news agent and you’ve lost count of the number of Pinterest boards you have now. It’s time to start, but wait... where do you start?

One of the best ways to begin decorating a space is to choose a piece of art or a rug and build up from there. While there aren’t any official rules on the order, the best way to look at it is from a longevity perspective. A rug, art and a great sofa should be at the top of your list, these are the items that are going to out last everything else, so it’s a good idea to really invest in these.

First thing’s first - when choosing art, there is one rule that you must follow - choose something that you love. Forget the trends and look for something that means something to you. Think outside the box of your standard countryside landscape and consider a beautiful abstract painting, a typographic print or maybe an unusual photograph.

Once you’ve chosen your art, take note of the colours and textures. Choose a colour within the piece and make that your hero – this is a colour that you can use as an accent around the rest of the room in things like furniture or decor pieces. Then choose some complimentary colours - these might be other colours within the artwork or a colour that works really well with your hero colour.

Decorating a room based off the colour palette isn’t the only way to take inspiration from your art. Rather than taking the subject matter really literally, reference it subtly. Imagine a photograph of the beach - a literal interpretation of this is filling your house with beach paraphernalia like bowls of sea shells and miniature ships in glass bottles. I’d start with textures and materials that evoke the beach like white washed wood or blonde wood a similar colour to the sand. Use shades of aqua or teal in some accent pieces, such as a decorative bowl or vase. Think of the beautiful pinky/oranges of coral and find a throw with coral coloured tassels or a bone inlay photo frame in a similar tone.

The next time you find yourself decorating a room, have a go at using this formula, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it really is. 

Let's put theory into practice - 

Firstly, pick a piece of art, then build your story around this. To create this look it started with drawing inspiration from the petals in the artwork, then the addition of  La-Z-Boy's Euro Modular Suite in ‘Esther Oatmeal’ fabric paired with the Marin Nordic Recliner in ‘Bermuda Aqua’ leather. Next a few cleverly chosen accessories in shades of blue were added with pops of greenery to pull the room together. This has created a calm, serene living space.

Hey Presto, you’ve now got yourself a beautiful lounge room!

Accessories – Stylists own