While browsing the web, we are often attracted by those exquisite living room designs and dream of moving these perfect layouts into our own homes. However, these desirable "influencer" living rooms are often just elaborate model rooms, and it is almost impossible to replicate them in reality without a sufficient budget.

Today, we're going to dive into the four key elements of a living room – those pieces of furniture and décor that are both beautiful and expensive. In order to achieve results comparable to those of a showroom, we must recognize that high-quality input is essential. Choosing an affordable alternative can end up bringing more annoyance and dissatisfaction. So, let's find out how to create a living room space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, within your budget.

1. Projection ceremony

The budget is not too much, stay away from the projector.

When choosing a projector, we found that low-priced products often struggle to meet the needs of everyday use. The lack of brightness caused the image to be blurry during daytime use, and the curtain needed to be relied on to create a darkroom environment. At the same time, the clarity of the image is difficult to compare with that of traditional TVs, and the details are poorly expressed, and the picture often appears blurry. Therefore, when choosing a projector, it is recommended to consider a more cost-effective product to ensure a better viewing experience.

In the pursuit of an "oversized" projection experience, we found the limitations of inexpensive projectors. Due to the strict requirements for projection distance, our living room space often cannot meet its needs, resulting in a limited size of the projected picture and cannot achieve the expected visual effect. In addition, inexpensive projectors come with problems with heat generation and noise. Mounting the projector above the sofa is not only aesthetically pleasing, but can also cause discomfort. The heat and fan noise generated when the device is running, as if a small airplane is hanging overhead, can affect not only the movie-going experience, but also the peaceful atmosphere of the home. Therefore, when choosing a projector, you should consider many factors such as size, distance, heat dissipation, and noise to ensure a satisfactory viewing experience.

For the best movie-watching experience, a projector doesn't stand alone. To achieve the best results, it needs to work in tandem with accessories such as speakers, stands, and curtains. A solid bracket is the foundation, and its price is usually more than a few hundred yuan. A curtain that can significantly improve the image quality can cost thousands of yuan. As for sound systems, the price range is much wider, ranging from a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan, and it is crucial to choose the right speaker for your individual needs and budget. Therefore, in order to enjoy a high-quality home theater experience, it is essential to invest in these supporting equipment.

If your budget is limited to a few thousand dollars, there is currently no better option on the market than a TV.

2. Leather sofa

The cultural toys in the furniture, you have to be able to buy and play.

Nowadays, the price of leather sofas is getting lower and lower, which corresponds to the decline in quality. The leather sofa that was out of reach back then can now be bought for three or five thousand yuan.

Despite the increased availability of inexpensive leather sofas in the market, the gap between the two is still significant compared to high-end leather products. In terms of appearance, cheap leather appears to be thinner and harder, lacking the soft touch characteristic of high-end genuine leather, but reminiscent of the hardness and coldness of park seats, lacking a warm and comfortable experience.

In the process of use, the durability of cheap leather sofas is relatively poor, and even in the absence of obvious external forces, problems such as peeling, cracks, and color changes may occur after a year or two of use. At the same time, the maintenance of leather sofas cannot be ignored. Owning a leather sofa is like collecting a work of art and requires regular care and maintenance to maintain its beauty and longevity.

Leather sofas require regular care, such as oiling and waxing, to keep them shiny and soft. A high-quality leather sofa will become more comfortable and shiny over time after a long and careful care. However, for a cheap leather sofa purchased on a limited budget, it is difficult to achieve the use effect of a high-quality leather sofa, no matter how much maintenance work is invested.

3. No main lamp

The design without main lights is a test for designers.

Rather than simply omitting the main light, a headlight-less design requires careful planning of details such as color temperature, brightness, illumination angle, and power of each lamp, and the precise placement of each lamp accordingly. Many users design their own headless lights based on the brightness concept alone, resulting in rooms that appear to fit the concept of no main lights during the day, but at night, the lighting effect is very different from what they expected.

Designs without a main light often face a dilemma: either the light is too harsh or not bright enough; Either the light spots overlap or there is a blind spot for illumination. In addition, poor selection of luminaire power can also lead to overheating problems, and it is not difficult to see many signs of blackening due to overheating of wires in the ceiling of a room without a main light.

無主燈設計對設計師的專業技能要求極高，以至於許多設計師對此持謹慎態度，甚至不願輕易嘗試。一位優秀的設計師為一個房間進行無主燈設計的費用可能高達近萬元，因此，若預算有限，建議慎重考慮是否進行此類設計。

Fourth, customized furniture

Practical meets good-looking, and the price has doubled.

The advantage of custom-made furniture is its high level of practicality, which can significantly improve the efficiency of the use of space in the home. Therefore, in our homes, custom furniture has become an integral part, such as a custom wardrobe in the master bedroom and tatami mats in the second bedroom, which are tailored to the characteristics of the space and the needs of use.

Custom-made furniture is good, but it should be used in moderation and is mainly suitable for intimate spaces such as bedrooms to maximize space utilization. As for the living room, as the façade of the family, the choice of furniture should not only consider practicality, but also aesthetics. If you want to customize the furniture to achieve the aesthetic effect, you need to have the corresponding budget support to ensure that the design and quality are both satisfied.

Upgrading custom furniture involves a number of aspects, including door panels, cabinets, colors, and hardware, each of which comes at an additional cost. In addition, minor changes such as adding decorative lights and replacing glass doors can also incur additional costs. In the living room, the size of custom furniture is usually larger, and an increase in size means an increase in price. When the size exceeds a certain standard, the cost can even increase exponentially. Therefore, when upgrading and choosing custom furniture, it is essential to consider both budget and actual needs.

Given the budget constraints, it is advisable to give priority to the purchase of finished furniture in the choice of living room furniture. Without adequate budget support, custom furniture may not be as beautiful and functional as it should be, and may end up being neither practical nor aesthetically pleasing.