How does this room make you feel? For most people, this space offers an invitation to walk in and make yourself comfortable.

The coffered ceiling, window casings, fireplace and built-in cupboard could be overwhelming with their strong presentation. However, gentle buttermilk walls contrast only slightly with the pure white of the architectural details, keeping every element low-key.

The flooring is a light oak. This is a perfect selection for the space’s traditional style. The oversize area rug has a soft tweedy pattern which adds another layer of design without outshining the rest of the room. Wood floors and area rugs are such a classic and inviting look and it works with almost any rug/floor combination.

One important element in creating an inviting space is light. By choosing simple light wood blinds, they can be pulled up during the day to take advantage of the sunshine and pulled down for privacy at night. In the evening, the ceiling light fixture combines with the lamp in the right corner to provide a warmly lighted space in the evening. Brightening up the corners with table lamps makes a room feel more welcoming.

Sofa and chair are of the same light sage green, adding color without taking over the room. The simple solid-color pillows can be requisitioned for a number of uses, but their gentle tones are also consistent with the soft nature of the room. Add in two round ottomans by the fireplace and this room is ready to make you comfortable.

What ideas from this room can you borrow to make your home more comfortable as well as lovely? Remember to design for your own comfort as well as your style preferences.

When it’s time to select an area rug, a little forethought will help you make just the right choice. This rug pulls all of the colors together to create an island in the middle of the room that really suits its style. With a few simple decisions, your rug can be just as integrated and effective as this one.

To start, determine the right size rug for your room. In this case the homeowners chose a rug that would add warmth to the space while still allowing the beautiful hardwood floor to appear. If you want to cover a floor that is not as lovely, consider a rug large enough to cover the entire conversation area. Of course, the larger the rug the more expensive it is, so be sure to factor your budget into your decision.

The second issue is color. This room has a lot of warm tones between the floor, the fireplace and the walls. The rug is primarily warm too, but it grabs the cool colors of the sofa and loveseat as well as the lamp bases and echoes them in the rug’s central design. The grey stripes in particular link the two seating elements together across the room.

Third is design. This room is fairly contemporary and the rug is a style match for that. Its central motif works because the coffee table is airy and simple. Many tables would hide that central design. In those cases, look for rugs with a border pattern or an overall look that won’t be hidden.

An area rug like this one can really pull a room together and provide the final element needed to make a room complete. Spend the time you need to find the perfect rug for your space.

This room from The Fairmont Orchid hotel in Hawaii demonstrates elements of a traditional style with a hint of its location in the floral elements. By taking a look at the design choices in this room, we can see how location shines in this space without losing the classic feel.

The strongly-defined molding supports a traditional look. This daylight photo doesn’t show it, but the design of the molding at the top of the wall would allow lighting to wash down the walls. Between the molding and chair-level wainscoting, simple grass cloth wallpaper creates an echo of the islands. The oil painting on the right is classically designed while adding still another floral element to the room.

The best melding of classic and island comes from the dramatic rug. Designed and sized to fit the room, the large flowers throughout are not something you would commonly see on the mainland. The colors are reflected in the furniture and the rug itself has a flexibility that allows room renovations and style updates without replacing it. This is definitely a case where the rug makes the room. Everything else comes a distant second to its attention-getting style.

Do you like a traditional approach yet want to find ways to reflect your region? Use decorative elements to bring your part of the country into your living room the way this space does.

This room, although clearly constructed of today’s materials, strongly echoes days of yore when a person’s home was his castle – literally.

Would you like to insert a medieval flavor to your décor? Take a few tips from this room to get started. Only a few of these touches will take your space back more than a few centuries.

To begin with, the slate floor helps to create the character of a castle while avoiding the problems associated with the reed floors popular at the time. Slate’s rich variety of color and texture adds a crafted mood to the floor that suits the Gothic mood of this room.

The window, doorway and fireplace surround echo a gothic mood with the classic arch shape. Although it is rarely seen, several window companies offer windows with this Gothic arch, and a number of companies offer window coverings that will work for this shape. The style certainly maintains the feel of another time.

Stone carvings and tapestries suit the space and keep to the medieval framework. Choosing tapestry throws to cover the upholstery and adding candles and greenery also complement the look. The balcony almost begs to see Shakespeare’s youngest heroine waiting for her Romeo.

While you may not want a room as strongly set in time as this one is, there are inviting elements for anyone who wants to echo another age while creating a unique space to suit their own tastes.

When decorating a room, it’s important to connect the design choices to the architecture of the space. When you don’t, you have a room like this one, where the style choices eliminate the charm and power of the space rather than support it.

What doesn’t work, and what needs to happen to make this room live up to its potential? Start with the easiest and most appalling decision – the valance. The bit of fabric cuts at a point that emphasizes the unfortunate delineation between the lower and upper windows, damaging the drama of the line and adding absolutely nothing to the potential charm of the room.

The black sofa has the power to live up to the space, but sitting alone in the middle of the room, it seems as if the movers set it down and no one has touched it since. It’s too far away from the other chairs to create a conversation center or support the fireplace as a focal point. It also needs some companion upholstered pieces to save it from looking bulky and overbearing compared to the other furniture in the room.

The other pieces of furniture seem to have been set to make it easy to vacuum. The plants feel like space fillers rather than an integral part of the design. The light walls and carpet increase the weakness of the look.

Let’s make some changes. Place a rich gold carpet in a slightly darker tone than the ceiling. Move the sofa within shouting distance of the fireplace, and add a couple of upholstered chairs to make a conversation space around the fire. Take the rockers and move them to the front of the room where their light weight will keep your eyes moving to the back of the space where the action is.

Finally, tear down that valance and consider replacing the ceiling fan with a darker and more significant light fixture. The addition of a rug or two would also anchor the space effectively. Suddenly you have a space that invites you in and makes you feel comfortable.

When decorating a room, it’s important to connect the design choices to the architecture of the space. When you don’t, you have a room like this one, where the style choices eliminate the charm and power of the space rather than support it.

What doesn’t work, and what needs to happen to make this room live up to its potential? Start with the easiest and most appalling decision – the valance. The bit of fabric cuts at a point that emphasizes the unfortunate delineation between the lower and upper windows, damaging the drama of the line and adding absolutely nothing to the potential charm of the room.

The black sofa has the power to live up to the space, but sitting alone in the middle of the room, it seems as if the movers set it down and no one has touched it since. It’s too far away from the other chairs to create a conversation center or support the fireplace as a focal point. It also needs some companion upholstered pieces to save it from looking bulky and overbearing compared to the other furniture in the room.

The other pieces of furniture seem to have been set to make it easy to vacuum. The plants feel like space fillers rather than an integral part of the design. The light walls and carpet increase the weakness of the look.

Let’s make some changes. Place a rich gold carpet in a slightly darker tone than the ceiling. Move the sofa within shouting distance of the fireplace, and add a couple of upholstered chairs to make a conversation space around the fire. Take the rockers and move them to the front of the room where their light weight will keep your eyes moving to the back of the space where the action is.

Finally, tear down that valance and consider replacing the ceiling fan with a darker and more significant light fixture. The addition of a rug or two would also anchor the space effectively. Suddenly you have a space that invites you in and makes you feel comfortable.