Creating cozy atmosphere in your living room Debbie A. Lubis Contributor Jakarta

Tired of the current image of your home and looking for a change? Don't recite any mantras. Let's start with the place where the most people will see it -- your living room.

Adding some trendy decorative items or changing conventional furniture with contemporary furniture in your living room will give your home a new look.

The living room represents the owner's personality. Furniture and decor in this room determine whether guests will be welcomed in a formal or a casual manner. Chairs with straight backs, made of solid materials, will create a stiff feeling, while chairs with a simple, but functional, design will make guests feel at home and encourage friendly gatherings.

"The living room does not need to be spacious, because guests do not always drop by in large numbers. Nowadays, most families, especially young families, tend to have a small living room but with furniture that reflect their characters, and are simple and dynamic," said Lisa Miranti, an interior designer.

Character, she said, is seen in contemporary-style furniture that denote simplicity, functionality and color. "A kidney-shaped coffee table with tiny legs or a trendy sofa inspired by bean bags can be the centerpiece of the living room. They bring something different to the room and their addition is a fashionable way to prove the owner's flair for style.

Bean bags were designed by an Italian designer in the late 1960s. The bean bags are made of polystyrene and are filled with small plastic beads, so that when a person sits in it, the bean bag molds itself around the sitter's contours.

Contemporary sofas are made of soft fabrics and are quite solid, but still make comfortable seats.

To save space and allow for flexibility in arranging the furniture, many like to place small side-tables at corners between chairs and so link them in an arc. Lisa said backless sofas are a new trend and function like a bench or chair, but provides more space.

Firman Agus, another interior designer, said chairs with a simple and solid construction are much in demand, especially those with flexible curves. "Such chairs do not have many complicated details that can cause strain to the eyes," he said. Chairs upholstered with velvet can give a luxurious impression, but Firman said they should still be imbued with the comfort and simplicity of design.

Adeline Monike of furniture company DataScrip said chairs and sofas in earth-tones were much preferred, because they could be matched easily with other pieces in the living room.

She said fully upholstered sofas with a clean, crisp, aesthetic and modern shape are much in demand, particularly those made of 100% soft polypropylene or a mixture of polypropylene with springs and Dacron, with legs of polished aluminum or wood.

"Besides being stylish, these pieces should also be durable and ensure lasting comfort. You shouldn't feel the hardwood when you're sitting on them," she said. Customers, though, should choose chairs or sofas that best suit their wallet and tastes.

Firman believes that it requires extra effort and attention to detail to arrange living-room furniture to achieve a pleasant, cozy atmosphere.

First, the owner should determine what style they want -- modern, contemporary, classic, neo-classic or a mixture of several styles. The shape of the windows, curtain motifs, color of furniture and the number of decorative items should be kept simple, too.

Then, take in the size of the room, the placement of doors and windows and the flow of movement through the room. A linear arrangement of chairs, for example, would make for a small, cramped living room.

Firman advises that one chair should face the front door, and the others arranged in a circular or rectangular shape facing the single chair to instill a sense of communication between the host and guests. If the size of living room does not allow for this arrangement, two single chairs, a sofa and a coffee table can also lend a cozy atmosphere.