Our living rooms all need a helping hand from time to time. When it comes to interior design, it’s always nice to have something different. Our homes need to stand out from the crowd and look different. After all, there is no point having a home that is akin to the neighbours. You want to make sure that your personal touch is added. But, you also want to break away from the interior design rules and trends.

Now is the time to implement and ethnic feel into your home. You should aim to change your living room into an ethnic retreat.

Here is how this can be done:

African Vibes

Adding a touch of Africa to your home doesn’t have to be difficult. The key to keeping this bang on trend is to add bright yellow tones, coupled with black. This looks positively fantastic. You want to aim to keep the colour palette bold. But, incorporating dark tones is an excellent way of keeping this look bang on trend in your home. Adding bright yellows, reds and oranges are a good look. Opt for minimalist detailing when it comes to fabrics. Ornate wooden ornaments are perfect for the mantelpiece. Add swathes of material to form a swag around windows. This will give your home a truly opulent look.

Indian Summer

When it comes to adding an Indian feel into your living room, it’s always best to incorporate bright jewel tones. Pinks, reds, oranges and purples are the keys to pulling this look off. Make sure that you are going to gold and adding gold touches to your home. Ornate silk cushions and bright, bold rugs are a keen feature. Add lots of pillows in different colours to pull this essential look off with aplomb. This look is not for the faint hearted, so if you prefer a muted palette, this will not work for you. Add touches of glass and big chandeliers. Glitz and glamour are the keys.

Photo credit: Flickr

Perfect Persian

For those that do prefer a more muted effect in their homes, Persian is the way to go. You need to ensure that you are keeping to earthy tones of reds, browns and oranges for this look to work well. Daub your walls with buttery yellow colours and add essential features. Wall hangings should be ornate and intricate. Wooden features look perfect. Go for patterned rugs that are rich and luscious in their colour palette. The key to making your home look perfectly Persian is to add antiques. See the antique Persian Afshar for more information on how to pull off this look. Dark furniture and distressed tones look fabulous in your home when you are adding this critical look.

Opt for hand carved wooden wall hangings for the key look of this room. Make sure that you have bright lanterns in metallic’s and glass. These should be hung from the ceiling as opposed to being rested on a shelf. Delicate fabrics can make your home look truly Persian. But, do ensure that you opt for a thick antique rug on a bare floor. This will make your home look the epitome of Persian design.