Top Living Room Accessories

A Decorator's Dream Come True

Accessories are every interior decorator's dream come true! With the right accessories, you can transform, enhance, compliment or contrast any type of home, office, or home office décor. Accessories no longer sit on the sidelines of a room's larger furnishings; today's accessories can be showstoppers in their own right. Designing and decorating your living room is a great opportunity to show off your creativity and resourcefulness. The following are two top living room accessories popular today.

Living Room Carpets and Area Rugs

You can enhance, refresh, or decorate any living room space with a stylish carpet or area rug. There are hundreds of rug designs, sizes, shapes and colors to match any décor and to fit every budget. Rugs and carpets are not only a practical means of keeping feet warm and floors protected. Living room rugs and carpets receive a standing ovation for adding personality, color, creativity, and interest to your other living room elements. You can lay rugs on top of tile or hardwood floors, or you can place them over wall-to-wall carpeting. Whatever your living room décor, there is a rug or carpet waiting to bring fashion to your floors. Types of living room rugs/carpets include: sheepskin rugs, throw rugs, hearth rugs, heart-shaped rugs, Oriental rugs, contemporary rugs, braided rugs, hand-tufted rugs, shag rugs, Persian rugs, synthetic rugs, and many more.

Living Room Plants

Not only are plants and flowers a beautiful addition to a living room, but plants are known to improve the air you breathe, provide visual stimulation, and help people relax. Even if you don't have green thumb, there are many plant varieties that require minimal care and that can survive indoors. From the myriads of standing plants, table-top plants, and hanging plants available, some popular living room plants are:

•1) Spider Plant: To show off this plant's festive-looking, long stems (which flourish in almost any amount of light), hang it in an attractive hanging basket in your living room. Place matching baby spider plants around the rest of your living room for an eye-catching effect.

•2) Aloe: Attractive and easy-to-grow, this plant requires minimal water but much light. Many households keep aloe for its proven medicinal properties, as its sap can be used to treat burns, scratches, and other skin conditions. Try growing new aloe plants by detaching plantlets from the main stem and rooting them.

•3) African Violet: An all-time indoor plant favorite, African violets bloom year-round and come in a variety of colors. They grow best in small containers, require a significant amount of light, and should be watered from the bottom of the pot since wet leaves damage the plant.

•4) Parlor Palm: To bring a taste of the tropics to your living room, this palm tree is for you! Growing several feet tall, it tolerates low light/sunlight conditions and does not require daily watering.

Alternatively, avoid all toil and soil by livening up your living room with artificial/silk plants and flowers. Often indistinguishable from real plants varieties, there are artificial plants, bushes, trees, and flowers to choose from, or you can custom order a bouquet of your own design. Finally, to show off your fine taste in greenery, select a decorative plant holder that best matches or compliments your living room décor.