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How do I Choose the Best Elegant Living Room Furniture?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In order to choose the best elegant living room furniture, one must consider aesthetics, functionality, and price. The term elegant can be used to describe furniture from a number of eras. In fact, there are even many pieces of modern furniture that are quite elegant. One way to choose elegant living room furniture might be to choose an era, such as the Victorian era, that will inspire one's choice of furniture. Alternatively, one could develop an eclectic aesthetic based on a number of eras, perhaps incorporating styles that are quite current.

A good way to develop the intended look of a living room is to tear pages out of magazines and furniture catalogs and gather them together in a file or binder. Add to this swatches of fabric to show patterns that might be incorporated into the room, as well as paint chips for the current paint color of the room or the intended paint color of the room. It may also be useful to carry photographs of any current living room furniture, fixtures, and rugs that will remain in the living room so that it is easier to choose elegant living room furniture that will complement these pieces.

Decorated lampshades bring character to elegant living rooms.
Decorated lampshades bring character to elegant living rooms.

Once the intended look of the living room has been developed and decided upon, it is time to decide what pieces of elegant living room furniture need to be purchased and how these pieces of furniture need to function. For example, if it is important for a coffee table to include storage, then it only makes sense to look at options that are designed with drawers or cabinets that fit under the table top. If a book case needs to hold a stereo, it is important to look at options with shelves that are tall enough and deep enough for the stereo.

People who prefer an elegant yet contemporary living room may favor sleek furniture and refined materials.
People who prefer an elegant yet contemporary living room may favor sleek furniture and refined materials.

It is also important to take specific measurements before shopping for elegant living room furniture. Purchasing a beautiful couch only to find that it swallows up the entire room is quite a disappointing experience. For those who are looking to purchase a number of pieces of elegant living room furniture, it may make sense to bring a detailed floor plan of the living room with exact measurements. Being armed with all of this information and reference material will make it much easier to choose the best pieces of elegant living room furniture to match one's needs and aesthetic vision.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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    • Decorated lampshades bring character to elegant living rooms.
      By: Greentree
      Decorated lampshades bring character to elegant living rooms.
    • People who prefer an elegant yet contemporary living room may favor sleek furniture and refined materials.
      By: victor zastol'skiy
      People who prefer an elegant yet contemporary living room may favor sleek furniture and refined materials.