5 Revitalising Living Room Interior Design Ideas for a Fresh Makeover in Singapore
For many years, the function of the living room has been the same – to welcome guests. However, the role of the living room has changed a lot in recent years. It has become a place for friends to meet, for families to gather, relax after a hard day, do sports, play with children, and work. The latter is becoming increasingly popular – many large companies are transferring employees to work from home. Often in small apartments, it is not possible to allocate a separate room for each type of activity, so you have to think through your living room interior design in such a way as to combine everything you need in it at once.
There are many different styles of living room decoration. Some of them do not lose their relevance for decades. Others disappear under the influence of new trends but then quickly fade away. To help you decide on your selection, Swiss Interior has come up with several living room interior design ideas and styles. So, let’s look at them.
Scandinavian style: A Versatile and Clutter-Free Design
The main feature of the Scandinavian style is its versatility and devoid of clutter. It represents minimalism in a special way. You can even arrange a small corner in the flat and dedicate it to a living room.
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The basis of the Scandinavian style is light, mostly white tones and conciseness. Accents are placed not due to texture and finish but with the help of interior details, furniture, and bright color splashes – blue, yellow, or green. Wicker furniture will also fit in great here, and all-natural materials - wood, cork, stone, and moss - will come in handy. Living plants can act as decor and slightly refresh the interior.
An important component of the Scandinavian style is the presence of a large amount of light. This style is characterized by lightness and the presence of free space, so you should not clutter up the living room or use complex textures and heavy textiles.
The Scandinavian style has long been loved for its functionality, ergonomics, conciseness, and comfort. The main thing is that the interior in this style can be created even with a very modest budget.
Pros and Cons of Scandinavian Interior Design
Before deciding on whether or not the Scandinavian style is suitable for your living room design, it is a good idea to have an insight about its pros and cons so you can make an informed decision. Some of the benefits of a Scandinavian design include:
It gives a warm and welcoming appeal especially when adopted in the design of the living room. It can make a very good impression on anyone who enters the living room.
It has a bright yet cozy feel owing to the large amount of light.
With a minimalist touch, the space can easily be kept organized and decluttered.
Scandinavian look can be achieved in a tight budget as well.
By using different textures, patterns, and decorative items, you can give a personal touch to the space.
While the Scandinavian design lets you create a beautiful and stylish home, there are a few cons that must be kept in mind. Some of these include:
Since a Scandinavian design calls for light neutral colors with minimal furniture and decor, the space can become a bit cold and impersonal.
This design can cause a lack of storage since the interior needs to be minimal and clutter-free, all extra material has to be stowed away in storage.
Scandinavian design requires constant cleaning and maintenance to maintain its clean and elegant look.
Minimalism: A Trendy Living Room Interior Design Style in Singapore
Every year in the world, there are more and more followers of conscious consumption or, as they often say, zero waste. This trend could not but be reflected in the planning of interiors. Therefore, the style of minimalism is far from the last in popularity.
A minimalist interior is defined by creating an uncluttered and simple space that is functional with just the essential elements. It features bare essentials, clean lines, and a monochromatic color theme. A feature of this style is the minimum amount of furniture and decor - as the name implies - and the maximum space. At the same time, all furniture should be functional.
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Such an interior will look good even for a small living room design. The lack of frills and the restraint of the situation will help to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle. In such a room, even breathing is easier!
One of the branches of minimalism is the Muji style - ascetic but very thoughtful - which is increasingly attracting the attention of designers. This style is inspired by Japanese Zen philosophy that focuses on functionality and minimalist aesthetics. In this philosophy, less is more and a clean, simple space corresponds to a calm and cozy ambience. However, Muji style is not just about minimalism; it also involves using high quality, well-crafted furniture with lots of natural elements to further enhance Japanese Zen interior design and closer-to-nature living. Clean and neat lines, neutral colors, and natural materials are what define a Muji interior.
Pros and Cons of Minimalist Interior Design
Minimalist interior design is a trendy and fashionable statement these days, having its significant pros and cons. Some of the advantages of choosing a minimalist design for your living room include:
You can easily set up your living room with just the bare essentials.
It will cost you less to buy lesser furniture and other items.
A clean visual space offers greater clarity for the mind.
You can become a pro at being organized and disciplined because of this design.
The open space gives a very spacious and airy feel.
This design teaches you to acknowledge and enjoy the simpler things in life.
While there are many pros of having a minimalist HDB living room design, there are some cons attached as well. Some of these include:
A minimalist design can make the interior look too bland and cool.
This design can put you in a difficult situation of letting go of furniture and other materials that are not required.
Minimalist design may not be for everyone; some of your guests may not understand or appreciate your choice of adopting this design.
Eco-Style: A Sustainable Living Room Style
All the same followers of conscious consumption and adherents of an eco-friendly lifestyle choose eco-style. As a Scandinavian, it is about natural materials and green plants, and as a minimalist, it advocates zero waste. At the same time, unlike minimalism, eco-style is rich in details - the philosophy of conscious consumption is much deeper here and lies in something completely different.
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Eco-style calls not only to refuse unnecessary purchases but also to scrupulously approach the choice of things you need to buy. Thus, for an eco-style living room interior design, furniture and interior items made of environmentally friendly materials are more often chosen, the use and processing of which causes less harm to the environment. Often preference is given to furniture that has previously been in use.
Pros and Cons of Eco-Style Interior Design
Eco-style interior design is becoming more and more popular because of the positive impact it has on human health. But what are some other advantages of this design style? Here, we discuss some of the advantages of this popular design style:
Obviously, the biggest advantage of this style is the use of natural and non-toxic materials that do not pose a threat to human health.
The philosophy of zero waste in this style helps create a positive impact on the environment and can help play your role towards a sustainable planet.
The use of natural materials gives a very serene, relaxing, and calming appeal.
Natural materials also offer a sense of freshness and open space which helps clear the mind and uplifts the spirit.
Although an eco-style interior design in Singapore offers much needed relief in terms of its impact on humanity as a whole, there are a few disadvantages associated. These include:
An eco-style interior is expensive to adopt as natural and recyclable materials are mostly expensive than artificial and synthetic ones.
Natural materials are also difficult to maintain as they required adequate care and cleaning.
High tech: A Modern Design Style
Adherents of everything new should pay attention to high-tech style. The interior design of the living room will often be decorated in black and white with metal details. The decor is not expected - the main thing here is the rationality of acquiring each item and technical equipment. The use of concrete, marble, mirror, and glossy surfaces is welcome, which can visually enlarge the space and look great even in a small living room.
The color theme in this design is often monochromatic. It is important to arrange the lighting in such a room properly; otherwise, monochrome can make the interior boring and even oppressive. Typically, metallic colors and materials are used in such an interior with visible straight lines and angles. A few oddly-shaped elements may also be placed that are synonymous with industrial style. Moreover, a lot of modern technology is also visible in such an interior. Lastly, this type of interior is devoid of floral and motif patterns and other traditional room decor items. Everything has to be hi-tech and modern.
Pros and Cons of High Tech Interior Design
A high-tech interior design may be desirable by many because of their unique and sleek look. Some advantages of this interior design for a living room include:
A high tech living room design gives a very modern and technologically advanced look which cannot be achieved by other types of interiors.
With plenty of technological devices in this interior, this HDB living room design can make life so much easier with just a push of the button or through a voice command.
A high-tech interior is very clean and organized, thus creating an organized ambience in the space.
In spite of these advantages, a high tech living room interior is not for everyone. Below are some of the disadvantages of this design style:
A high tech interior can cost a lot to achieve because of the immaculate finishing of materials and abundance of technological devices.
A high tech interior is difficult and costly to clean and maintain.
Such an interior is not a kid-friendly space.
Eclecticism: A Unique and Personalized Interior Design
For those who cannot choose, the versatility of eclectic interior design is perfect - a combination of elements of several styles at once. The main thing to think through such an interior is not to overdo it. Otherwise, the apartment will turn into an oriental bazaar. Eclecticism is a whole system, so it is best to turn to the advice of designers.
The undoubted advantage of this style is its uniqueness and its huge field for ideas and self-expression. It is hardly possible to repeat the same interior twice - too many variations are possible here. But such a living room space will fit a handmade watch from the European market, a wicker basket from a village, or a totem from Africa.
Pros and Cons of Eclectic Interior Design
An eclectic living room is a highly personalized space that encompasses different eras and geographical locations. It helps to create a cozy and harmonious interior by mixing different elements from different styles and time periods. Some of the advantages of choosing an eclectic design for your living room includes:
The freedom of choosing literally any element, material, texture, or pattern just because you like it. There are no limitations of what you cannot incorporate in such an interior.
Eclectic interior creates a personalized space where one feels relaxed and ‘at home’.
Eclectic interior can be as easy and on-budget to achieve as is convenient for you since you have the liberty of choosing anything which is easily accessible and budget-friendly.
No two eclectic interiors can be similar; hence you get the chance to create a unique living room for yourself.
While an eclectic interior may seem like the perfect answer to your interior design needs, there are certain disadvantages, some of which are listed below:
An eclectic living room can become too cluttered because of the excess of materials and elements in the area.
All elements in this interior should create a balance and harmony with each other, otherwise the whole room will create a visual mess.
Sometimes, people may not appreciate the personalization that you have done in your eclectic living room and may label it as too much for the eyes.
Industrial HDB Living Room Design
For some individuals who like to think out of the box and transform their homes into a unique and out-of-the-ordinary abode, the industrial interior design theme is the right option. An industrial living room design features a raw and crude ambience that may not be expected in a residential space but definitely helps put an interesting twist in an HDB or condo. Characterized by its raw brick wall architecture, high ceilings, exposed pipes, and metallic elements, this HDB interior design theme can make any living room stand out.
The greatest significance of an industrial living room is that it gives you the option of staying away from the artificial and fabricated lifestyles and themes. It gives you the opportunity to express yourself and be creative in a rather crude and raw manner. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, an industrial living room doesn’t necessarily have to be cold and uninviting. You can create a modern-industrial living room like the one at INZ RESIDENCES 5 BEDDER MAISONETTE CONDO and manifest it in the form of a modern, elegant, and relaxing industrial space.
The high ceiling, full-length windows, brick wall architecture, and the exposed pipes in the form of track lights all give an industrial touch to the living room. On the other hand, decorative elements like wall hangings and other decoration pieces add a modern twist to the space, resulting in a highly elegant industrial living room.
Pros and Cons of Industrial interior design for a living room
The industrial interior design theme has a set of advantages that make it a good option for homes.
This design theme uses warm, earthly tones that exude relaxing and calm vibes. This helps in creating a warm and welcoming home.
The raw and untouched ambience that an industrial home gives out makes it unique and aesthetically appealing for anyone who enters.
An industrial living room features minimum furniture and decorations as it adopts minimalism to some extent. This helps in creating a simple, organized, and decluttered space.
An industrial home also features recycled items and low-budget furniture. Thus, it is affordable as compared to modern and luxurious homes.
Since an industrial design style comprises high ceilings, it gives the illusion of a much more spacious area.
All these advantages of an industrial home make it a good option for an HDB or condo. However, there are certain drawbacks associated with this style as well.
Creating a welcoming look in an industrial living room may become challenging as you have to stick to some raw and crude elements.
This style calls for rustic and raw decorative elements that may be a bit hard to get your hands on.
The exposed pipes and raw architecture may give out cold and uncomfortable vibes for some individuals.
Luxurious HDB Living Room Design
After the raw and untouched industrial interior design, let us take a look at its opposite: the luxurious interior design theme. As the name suggests, this design style features decorative elements and architectural details that all exudes luxury and class in all their glory. The furniture, fabric, upholstery, lighting fixtures, and decorative items all are chosen with reference to luxury in mind. Such an interior looks aesthetically beautiful and strikingly elegant.
The luxurious HDB living room interior design may be expensive to create but the result can definitely swipe anyone off their feet. The furniture designs are elegant and exotic. The sofa upholstery and curtains are made from luxurious and plush fabrics comprising exotic patterns and motifs. The overall color scheme in this design style is donned with touches of gold, black, and beige. Combine all this with statement lighting and you can get a highly luxurious interior with royal vibes.
One such luxurious living room has been designed at ROYAL GREEN, 3 BEDDER CONDOMINIUM. All the prerequisites of this design theme whether it is the gold colors or the statement lighting have intricately been met by the designers. This has made this living room an epitome of elegance and luxury which makes you feel as if you stepped inside a royal, 5-star hotel.
The intricate white and gold marble pattern effect on the walls adds to the luxurious ambience in the living room since marble has always been associated with class and elegance. There are different types of modern lighting clearly visible in the living room but what sets this interior apart from others in style and luxury is the addition of a crystal chandelier in the middle of the room. Adding such luxurious details and ornamentation can enhance your HDB living room’s interior to beautiful new heights.
Pros and Cons Of Luxurious Living Room Interior Design
Just like every HDB interior design theme for living rooms, there are bound to be some pros and cons. Some of the advantages of adopting this interior design theme into your home include:
One of the greatest advantages of a luxurious living room design is the comfort and elegance it offers. Luxury furniture often comes in ergonomic shapes and designs which further add to the comfort and offer you with a quality experience of living.
Another advantage of this design style is that it is more durable. Since luxury furniture, fabric, and other fixtures are often quite expensive, this also adds to the overall durability and longevity of everything in the interior.
One more benefit you can achieve with the luxury design style is that you can customize it according to your own taste and preferences so the final look resonates with your personality and perception.
Finally, a luxury interior can stand the test of time and remain timeless over the years. Luxurious ornamentation and fittings never go out of style. So whether it is today or ten years from now, your luxurious living room design will continue to turn heads.
Although there are many advantages of the luxury interior design theme, there are some disadvantages of this style as well.
Probably the biggest disadvantage of a luxury interior design theme is the expensive cost that it comes with. A luxurious interior is quite expensive to create since you have to invest in high-quality and luxurious elements starting from architectural details to fittings and furnishings, not to mention the decoration and ornamentation.
Another disadvantage of luxury design style for your living room is that every element has to follow this classy and luxurious theme. If you saw a piece of furniture or wall art that is a bit abstract and eclectic, you would not be able to add it to the interior as it would go against the overall luxurious theme. So your choice of elements gets restricted.
Key Considerations When Decorating Your Living Room
The interior design of the living room doesn't have to be pretty. First, let it be cosy and functional for family leisure and receiving guests. A space filled with positive emotions naturally seems beautiful.
Think about what will happen in this room depending on the time and day of the week: home music concerts, shadow theater, dance parties, noisy feasts, board game evenings, movie marathons, or simultaneous knitting sessions.
Plan the space based on the needs of family members. Consider a music corner for a piano, a comfortable bench, a shelf for music, special lamps, or safe candles. Evening concerts will be doubly atmospheric if the light falls only on the instrument and the hands of the musician, and everyone else in the velvet darkness will quietly clink their glasses in unison.
Or maybe the center of your living room will be a fancy floor lamp and the softest hanging hammock chair where you can climb with your feet, read a book, knit, or guess a crossword puzzle.
Minimum Visual Noise for a Relaxing Living Room
Living room interior design should not be overloaded. It is unlikely that after a hard day, you will fall on the sofa and begin to inquisitively look at vacation pictures, knick-knacks on the shelves, or an intricate wall pattern. Visual noise in the living room is unnerving, taking valuable time and effort to clean. However, for some, such intricate details and personal pictures may serve as a source of relaxation and calm. So find out what helps you feel relaxed and incorporate those details into the living room design.
Let the decor of the living room be restrained and in the interests of the owners: several flowers in pots, a composition of photographs on the wall, a shelf with books, a knitting basket, or an easel. Natural materials including plants and flowers along with earthly tones also create a very calming and soothing appeal. These should be adopted if you long for closer to nature interaction.
The modern design of the living room is far from the usual “sofa + TV console + feature wall” scheme. Today's halls are a point of attraction for the family, so the layout and design of this room should consider different scenarios for entertainment and general leisure. All the different living room interior design styles discussed above can serve as inspiration for people from all walks of life. In these different interior design styles, there is always something for someone; hence whatever your preferences and requirements are, you can seek inspiration from them and design the perfect living room for yourself and your family.
Swiss Interior is a recommended interior designer in Singapore. We also provide renovation, condo interior design, and HDB interior design services, as well as renovation packages for homeowners in Singapore.
About Swiss Interior
Swiss Interior is a leading interior design company in Singapore since 2012. Led by founders Jason and Ronnie, the Swiss team serves customers from all walks of life, delivering bespoke and dream interior design and renovation services to all homeowners in Singapore.
Accreditations & Awards:
- Singapore outstanding enterprise award (2013)
- HomeRenoGuru Most Trusted ID (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
- First ID firm to win 1 Week Kitchen Challenge by HomeRenoGuru (2019)
- Featured in NOC RenoKing (2020)
- HomeRenoGuru Top 10 ID Firm (2020, 2021)
- Featured in CNA Lifestyle Making Room (2021)
- Qanvast SuperTrust (2021, 2022)
- Featured in HomeStyle Magazine Year End Cover Page (2021)
- Featured in Sheikh Haikel & Anna Belle Francis DreamHome (2022)
- Sidac Accreditation (2022)
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