Living Room Accessories: How to Decorate with Sheepskin

How can I brighten up my living room?

If you want to instantly add brightness to a room then painting your walls white is a sure fire way to bring in light and instantly makes any colourful accessories in the room pop. With a white backdrop, you don't need to go for intense colors. On trend leather and natural woods are a great way to add interest. Adding just a few brighter accessories like gold and ice blue pillows, cream chairs and a white rug can also significantly lighten up a room. If going for a fresh, lighter look in your living room it helps to pay attention to wall colour, curtains and rugs, and mix any neutrals and darks you have with brighter colours.

How can I make my living room look more modern?

One way to always ensure your living space never looks out of style is to focus on interior design features that incorporate timeless living room decor - something like a sheepskin throw or rug. You could hang some modern wall art and combine it with sleek living room accessories like a minimalist coffee table or lamp to really make your living room feel contemporary and modern.

What sheepskin products can I use as accent pieces?

1. Cushions

Creating a sense of 'casual elegance' in your living room is key here - try to get it looking cosy and inviting without looking like you have tried too hard. Layer your cushions and use a variety of sizes and shapes, avoiding too much symmetry. Some say plain colours should act as a base, with patterns and textures going on top, but that's certainly not a hard and fast rule. Remember, the less symmetrical and more informal looking, the better.

2. Throws

A sheepskin throw is a piece purely designed to look great. It's a home decor accessory designed to bring a pop of colour to your living space and furniture. While great for the living room, a sheepskin throw can be used to bring style and comfort to any room of the house. You could use a throw as an accent on your bed to match some of the other items in the room, or perhaps as a stand alone piece to add a little bit of texture to your sitting chair in the corner of the room.

3. Stones

These sculptural sheepskin floor cushions are designed to fit your natural bends and curves. Firm enough to be used as a floor seat, ottoman and footstool yet soft enough to cosy up and lay your head on at the end of a busy day. A set of stones is the ultimate in living room accessories for maximum luxury and relaxation, and can immediately enhance any living room.

What size area rug should I use?

While an area rug helps to define a space and unifies your home, it should also be beautiful and enhance your decor, tying in colours and designs and softening hard surfaces. Choosing an area rug that is the correct size can be a challenging experience, and there are some simple steps to help you find the perfect sized piece for your home.

Many people fall into the trap of choosing a rug that is too small. The main reason for this is that high quality, long lasting area rugs that will stand the test of time are generally more expensive, and the bigger they are, the higher the price. A quality rug the right size and style for your space will last you years, so it is worth the investment, even if the price tag is high.

Bigger is Better 

The larger your rug, the larger the room will appear (and vice versa), another great reason why size really does matter when it comes to rugs. A few inches can make all the difference between the rug pulling everything together or making it feel disjointed.

Read the Room

When choosing rug size and orientation, make sure your selection is proportional to the design space, eg. large rugs for large rooms, and placed to mirror its dimensions, so a rug in a long room would be placed lengthwise.

Visualize the Final Look 

Use painter's tape to mock the rug placement before you buy. This is an easy way to find out if you have the right fit from every vantage point.

Should the area rug go under the sofa or in front?

A living room rug should ground the room, and to do this you should have at least the front two legs of your chairs and couches on the rug. By running the rug under the furniture it unites the setting, and can also add the illusion of a larger space. 

The living room shape should help you choose the rug size and orientation to make the space look larger and feel connected. There are three main layout options that work well:

1. All legs resting on the rug. This layout is the best choice for anchoring a living room for any grouping that floats (not sitting against a wall). You will find that placing all furniture on the rug will unify the pieces and create a defined seating area.
2. Just the front legs on the rug. You will find this option can work especially well when one edge of the grouping is against a wall. For a cohesive look, choose a rug size that allows for only the front legs of every piece of furniture in the grouping to be on the rug.
3. All furniture – except for the coffee table – off the rug. Perfect for small or narrow spaces, this layout plays off the room's scale to create space and make it feel larger. To get the proportions right, base the rug size on the interior dimensions of your seating area – and not just the coffee table – so it fills the negative space created by your furniture grouping.

Can I use more than one rug in the same room?

Absolutely! There are multiple ways to use more than one rug in a room - whether you want to go with matching rugs throughout an entire room or house, or complementary rugs to create a bold living space the possibilities are virtually endless. You can use patterned rugs in the same colour scheme or even layer rugs on top of one another. It’s all about picking patterns that visually work well with each other and sticking to a good colour story.

How do I contrast my area rug colour with the walls?

It all depends on the overall effect are going for - whether you want something timeless and stylish or bold and beautiful, make sure any rug you’re considering ultimately complements your sense of style. You may not think so, but you really do know your style better than anyone else. So don’t talk yourself into a popular pattern or colour if it’s really not you. Trust your instincts and you'll end up with a rug you will love.