What should be in the living room. Living room interior planning

If the kitchen is called the heart of the house, then the living room is its soul, which means that it should be extremely clean, kind and harmonious. Nevertheless, many people often make the same mistakes when arranging living rooms, which ultimately affect the functionality, aesthetics and character of a given room. What disadvantages of living rooms will be discussed, and how to fix them - we will talk further.

1. Incorrect placement of the TV monitor

One of the most common mistakes in living room furnishings is placing a TV or monitor in front of a window, or in close proximity to it. As a result, glare interferes with the normal perception of the picture, or tension appears in the eyes when a person looks at a screen installed directly in front of a window.

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The TV or monitor should be positioned so that the living room window is to the left or right of the person sitting in front of the screen.

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2. Lack of decorative lighting sources

Even if the room is well lit with overhead floodlights and spotlights, the lack of additional sources can be a significant disadvantage and affect the living room atmosphere in the evening. At the end of the day, you really want to relax, but in a brightly lit living room, this will not be possible.

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When planning your living room, be sure to include wiring under the sconces, and also get a pair of desk lamps for the console. So the room will certainly be cozy and conducive to good rest in the evening.

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3. Doubtful furniture design

Before you go to a furniture store, it will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with the current trends in product design. We also recommend flipping through thematic magazines, visiting several sites dedicated to interior design, or consulting with a designer who will suggest the best models of sofas, armchairs and dressers for your living room.

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Pay attention to laconic furniture with straight lines and a clear silhouette - such items will not go out of fashion for a long time. If you want to experiment, you can purchase furniture with original upholstery, which, if necessary, can be replaced.

Avoid bulky upholstered furniture with lush armrests and atrophied, overly voluminous backs - these have long lost their relevance.

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4. Dark furniture in a low room

If the living room has low ceilings, everything must be done to make the room lighter. But buying furniture in dark shades (blue, graphite, chocolate and marsh), you are on the losing side, because the room will become even more squat and cramped.

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The best solution for a low living room would be to place compact sofas, armchairs and neat tables in it, always raised on legs. At the same time, you need to make a choice in favor of neutral light shades of upholstery and the main material of the furniture.

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5. Lots of reflective surfaces

Many of you are very fond of mirrors, therefore, they are installed everywhere, and sometimes, in indefatigable quantities. This is a real mistake for any room, especially if you do not know the basic rules for using reflective surfaces. For example, you shouldn't place a large mirror or mirrored panel in a dark room, but also, you shouldn't broadcast it against a blank wall.
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In some cases, it will be better if, instead of a wall completely covered with mirror tiles, you hang one, but a large mirror in a beautiful frame, always in front of a brightly lit window. Thus, the living room will become lighter, brighter, and the furnishings - more harmonious and comfortable.

6. Many reflective surfaces

A beautiful window opening or an insufficient amount of daylight cannot be a reason for a complete rejection of the textile decoration of windows. Without curtains flowing softly into the floor, the rare living room looks complete, but fresh and cold.

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If you are afraid that blackout curtains will block the precious natural light streaming from a small window, you can supplement the opening with a Roman lifting mechanism with a light translucent fabric, tulle with a dense gather or a decorative curtain with a pick-up on one side of the opening.

7. Decorations without measure

A richly decorated living room does not mean: stylish and beautiful, but on the contrary, it can turn out to be tasteless and pretentious. It is not advisable to place all decorative accessories in a room, whatever size it is, at once: paintings, figurines, vases, panels, books and tapestries, awards and diplomas, candelabra, etc.

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Identify two or three areas that you think are worth decorating, for example: fireplace area, coffee table in the middle of the sofa group, walls between windows. Choose a pair of bright accessories, complementing them with several neutral objects of different heights and shapes, remember: moderation is important in decorating a living space.

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8. Pile of furniture

If you want to create comfortable conditions in your own living room, it is not necessary to occupy most of its area with furniture, which, as it might seem, would be very appropriate here.

As practice and experience of designers show, half of the total number of pieces of furniture in living rooms does not find a worthy use for itself, blocking the aisles.

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For those who are accustomed to gathering a friendly company in their own living room, we recommend, instead of various pieces of upholstered furniture (couches, armchairs and poufs, wide sofas and banquets), place a pair of equal-sized sofas in the room, supplement with compact mobile tables and chairs with soft backs.

This will create an equally comfortable, but more stylish and collected atmosphere.

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9. Blind adherence to a uniform style

A living room, in whose setting one can clearly feel the presence of all the main features of only one direction in design (for example, classicism, or minimalism), runs the risk of ultimately disappointing its owners with a lack of authenticity and overt stereotyped. It is not comfortable to be in a well-adjusted, pedantic atmosphere, let alone to live.

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If a specific interior style is especially close to you, for example, a classic one, it is better to combine it with other, less pretentious, disposing directions in the living space of the living room: multifaceted eclecticism, characteristic retro, stylish loft or grunge, refined image of Parisian apartments.

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10. A large number of variegated shades

Too bright decoration of the living room is the flip side of a boring monochrome interior. Catchy color combinations, displacement of ornaments and patterns, textures and materials in one space can be disastrous in the task of creating a harmonious, holistic image. In addition, the interior of a colorful room will not be able to successfully adapt to changes in design trends, seasonal holidays and your mood.

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Choose a light neutral shade for the living room walls, and a couple of basic, contrasting or matching colors to decorate the room. Now you can complement the space with shades (dark or light, monochromatic surfaces or with a pattern), which, in small quantities, will ideally complement the interior.

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Undoubtedly, the living room is one of the most important rooms in a house or apartment. First of all, because we spend the most time in the living room, not counting the time we sleep. It is for this reason that you need to create a comfortable and cozy atmosphere in the living room, it should be beautiful and functional.

Most often, the living room is the center of the apartment, it connects all the rooms and unites the whole family, especially if there is also a dining room in it. The living room is the most functional room in the house, it is fashionable to get together with your family, invite friends. The main life of the owners of any house or apartment takes place in the living room.

The living room is the most "crowded" room in the house, due to the fact that they often do different things in it. Everyone wants to somehow highlight the living room, place all the memorable interesting things in it. In short, everything that you like and everything you want to brag about is in the living room. It often happens that the living room eventually becomes a real warehouse of things, as a result, the entire original design that was conceived is hidden behind a bunch of commemorative figurines, photographs and other nonsense that prevents you from enjoying the room to the fullest. To combine business with pleasure, you need to correctly place all things in the room so that they do not interfere with each other and you.

What should be in the living room?

For each person, everything is individual - everyone gives the living room their role. Each family will find what they need. But there is something in common among all living rooms - almost every one has a TV or an entire home theater.

The TV is the center of the room, the whole family gathers around it every day, friends gather here, sing karaoke songs with the whole company. It is impossible to imagine people in our world without technology, all the more so it is impossible to imagine the home of a modern family without it. Any TV, large, small, flat or ordinary, becomes the center of the living room. As a rule, it is bought or simply chosen by the whole family, incl. and in the online store of household appliances. After much debate about its size, appearance, technical characteristics, comparison in other models and manufacturers, the family still comes to a common denominator and at one point in the living room appears, as we noted above, the center of attention.

In addition to the TV, there are several other things that are not much inferior in importance to it. First of all, a fireplace must be attributed to these things. Although city apartments are not very suitable for real fireplaces, there are other options - there are fireplaces with imitation of real fire, and such fireplaces are in no way inferior to wood-burning ones.

You can buy a gas or electric fireplace for an apartment, you can even buy marble masonry and put candles inside, in any case, your living room will be transformed, a fire, real or imitated, will give the room charm and comfort. And in combination with modern design, the fireplace can fit into any room.

The next most popular design element is the aquarium. He becomes a part of nature in the apartment, helps to relax after work, always attracts the attention of guests, besides, it is interesting to watch the fish.

It is illogical to hide a beautiful aquarium in the bedroom, because no one will see it. Most often they are placed in the very center of the living room, often it is even illuminated separately.

It's pretty hard to list everything that can find its place in the living room. It can be everything from paintings, sculptures and figurines, coasters, caskets, but you don't need to mix it all up and flaunt everything that you have in your home.

How to arrange things in the living room

Thinking over the layout of the living room, you need to immediately decide what you cannot do without. After choosing the entire list of items, you need to decide which of all will become the center of your room and its main part, on which the general appearance will depend.

Most often, such an object is placed so that when entering the room, everyone rested on it with their eyes. The place in which such a main subject will be located must be highlighted with a suitable background.

This technique is used in order to highlight not only the main object in the living room, but also some space around it. In this place there may be a niche for an object, or the texture of the wall in this place may differ from the whole room. All other items should be placed in the room depending on their importance. Their spaces should not overlap.

Each item needs to separate a part of the room, and in this part it should be the main thing. You need to highlight the subject with a background and a separate, small space. It is this space that should highlight the subject, and not vice versa.

Common mistakes when decorating a living room

- all the things on which you wanted to focus should be in their own space, they should not intersect, otherwise attention will not be able to concentrate on any of them;

- one of the most common mistakes is the arrangement of things in a row, regardless of their belonging, most often this is found in apartments with small rooms, when the owners want to show everything at once, but in this case beauty and the ability to normally use each thing separately are lost;

The simplest example - if you put the TV on the fireplace - the meaning of one and the other thing will be lost immediately. With the simultaneous inclusion of both things, their peculiarity will disappear, the eyes will not be able to enjoy both things at the same time. By looking at one thing, you will have a desire to look at another. All the same can be said about the TV next to the statue, the aquarium under the TV.

It will be better if all these elements are located on different walls, their functions will not overlap. The gaze will not rush from one thing to another and concentrate on exactly what he needs at the moment. In addition, you will not disturb other family members, someone will watch TV, someone will work on the fireplace.

Family photos

In addition to large items, there are also smaller, but no less important items that should find their place in the living room. These are shelves with books, photographs, sets, souvenirs from various trips. And other things that each family can place according to their wishes.

If you do not overdo it with the number of such things, then they can become a great backdrop for more important and large items.

If there are a lot of small items, then they distract attention from more important things that have much more functionality. If you can't help flaunting all your trinkets, then treat them as if they are very important, like the TV, and give them a separate place, table, shelf in the room.

Living room furniture

Furniture should also relate to specific areas or centers of the apartment. For example, there should be a sofa in front of the TV, a chair near the table, and so on. It is logical that the dining table has no place between the TV and the sofa, just as it has no place near the fireplace, which will simply close it. When arranging things in a room, do not forget about the aisles that should be between them.

Let's summarize

How to combine what in the living room? For each person and each family, everything is individual. The main thing that should be in the interior is the balance of zones, harmony of colors, the presence of sufficient empty space, and the location of some objects should not interfere with the use of others. Everything else depends on the imagination of the owners of the apartment and their requirements for the premises.

We equip the main room in the house

The colder the winds outside, the warmer the living room environment. In this room they spend time with loved ones, enjoy the evening broadcast and curl up in a ball on the couch with a good book. We have prepared 10 secrets for creating the perfect living room, and as a bonus - if you read to the end! - made up tips for creating a successful renovation plan. Just be careful - if you follow all the advice at once, the room may come out too soulful - and guests who come in will not want to leave it :)

Secret one: nothing is more important than comfort

The most important rule is that everyone should be very cozy... There are many ways to achieve this: throw a plush carpet on the wooden floor, put a soft sofa with colored pillows and woolen rugs in the center, buy an electric stove, do it all at once - the main thing is to make you and your family happy and comfortable in this room. The choice of color is of great importance. To each his own, so it is important to define yours - industrial design, bright colors, or gentle warm shades. One of the most comfortable, for example, is the combination of light wood color with lighter colors - yellow, pale blue, bright green.
Another way to add coziness is to decorate the room. fresh flowers- they will make the living room more homey and add freshness to the air.

Secret # 2: Living room is not just for guests

It happens that people spend too many resources on a common room - money, time, energy - and then save it for special meetings. Remember that every meeting (yes, and with yourself!) Is special, and the living room must be used and enjoyed. Plan a real life, in which sometimes there are nightly movie screenings with the whole family, and New Year's parties with all your friends at once. Choose good, high-quality things that can last long and lastingly, but do not be afraid of wear and tear - anything can happen in the common room. Choose wallpaper or paint that is easy to clean (especially if you have children) and furniture that is easy to maintain, such as a leather sofa or sofa with removable covers.

Secret Three: Everyone in the family should have their place

In a happy home, it's important to create a living room for everyone. Think in advance what the design style and furniture should be so that the room pleases every family member. Make sure that there is enough comfortable and convenient space for all the residents of the apartment and several guests, and if you assign their own place for the children, they will feel like an important part of a larger whole. It might be worth stocking up on a couple of folding chairs, just in case. And if there are several zones in your living room - read how to organize them correctly.

Secret four: add personality

It is very important that the room reflects the personality of the owner, that is, it is an extension of you and your loved ones. Whether it's a surfboard, pictures of kids, a large bookcase, or graffiti on the wall, accessories are more than just decorating a room. Whether it's gifts from loved ones or reminders of happy places, they all tell your story and make your living room even more loved.

Secret # 5: Invest in a Good Sofa

Let a large comfortable sofa be the first on your living room wishlist. A good sofa will give the family long hours of relaxation, accommodate everyone and save space. Of course, it should match the rest of the furniture, but if you find the perfect sofa ( and here we tell you how to choose it) - better if all the furniture starts to match it. Think about these numbers: the average living in one house or apartment is about four years, and a good sofa lasts for ten years or more. The choice of fabric and color of the sofa should be influenced by the lifestyle. For example, white mohair and small children or dirty dog ​​feet after a walk don't go well together.

Secret Six: Proper Lighting

When planning your room, try to maximize the amount of natural light: use reflective paints, glossy surfaces, or glass. The light throughout the room is perfectly reflected by the mirror, which is hung in front of the window. The next step is lighting design. Lamps and floor lamps zone the space and make the atmosphere more cozy and welcoming. Harsh lighting, on the other hand, makes the space unattractive and cold, so be careful with lots of chandeliers on the ceiling. You can read more about living room lighting here.

Secret Seven: Ideal Storage Space

If you are not striving for minimalism, you probably have a lot of useful gizmos - books, magazines, game consoles, children's toys that need to be stored somewhere. Take a closer look at the open shelving if you want everyone to see your vases, books, candles, photographs. They can also be used as partitions in open plan areas. Alternatively, you can choose a closed sideboard (or combine both), it will hide everything from prying eyes, and you will get another place for storage.
How else can you increase the space? Here is a small list of life hacks:

• Many coffee tables have drawers or shelves;
• There is a hidden space in ottomans;
• You can also place a shelf above the sofa ( Check out what else you can place above the sofa);
• The baskets look like a cozy accessory, but you can store something in them too!

Secret eighth. How to make friends with a small room?

If you have enough space (or even a bit too much), feel free to move on to the next item. For everyone else, do the furniture first. Discard the bulky coffee table, choose a small two-seater sofa, shelving all the way to the ceiling, lamps instead of floor lamps and table lamps. If you work from home, a fold-out table and laptop will come in handy. Colors matter too: dark colors visually diminish the space, as well as too many colors. Stick to light shades and natural tones. In a small living room, it is best to use no more than three colors, ideally if one of them is white. Check out what we wrote about the living room combined with the bedroom and the nursery.

Secret # 9: The living room is a great place for kids

Give your child one corner of your living room - put there a multi-colored chest of drawers on which you can draw, and a table with chairs. This will help you protect the room from the dominance of toys, because children will still strive to spend time in the same place as you. Also, check to see if the kids are comfortable putting away their toys at the end of the day. Sort toys into containers so dinosaurs have their own place and dolls have theirs. Tell the children a story about how important it is for the toys to always fall asleep in the house and ready - you can clean up twice as fast.

Secret # 10: Finishing Touches

Once you're done with the main points, add some brightness with colorful pillows, rugs and rugs, which brings us back to the first point. Don't be afraid to be bold, use them as a way to bring in color, new patterns and textures. All the same, pillows have a short lifespan. To help - a guide to bright colors. Hang posters, paintings or photographs, think over, what curtains will you have- long and dense, perfect for winter, keeping out drafts, while shutters and blinds give the room a modern look. Choose a coffee table, the eye will catch on it if the table contrasts with a massive sofa.
You probably already understood that the main thing in the living room is for everyone to feel good in it, the rest is the details. Instead of a conclusion, we have the promised bonus - we tell you where to start the living room plan.

First, decide what your dream living room looks like. Will it be the same style as the rest of the rooms, or do you want something completely new? Create a Pinterest board, put together whatever you want in your design. This will help you avoid costly mistakes and avoid buying too much from the interior design store. Another option is to collect a collection of your favorite rooms in magazines. At this stage, do not think about costs, allow yourself to dream - any colors, chandeliers, French doors, whatever you want - in the modern world you can get the desired look much, much more budgetary.

In your plan, be sure to take into account the available space and how the selected items will fit on it. You need to measure everything well in order to understand what and where will be. Important! Be sure to leave enough space between items to make the room look spacious and you can walk past furniture comfortably. The chair bed and extendable table must be fully retractable. Plan what will be the focal point and where the main communication will be. The focal point can be a sofa group, a fireplace, a large-screen TV, a window, or even an incredibly beautiful light fixture. Create a wow effect with one piece that catches your eye in the room and helps you choose a backdrop for the rest of the decor. Place furniture around your focal point and communication areas.

Interior

Styles such as loft, kitsch, grunge, eclectic, fusion can combine things from different eras and even interior design trends, but at the same time remain harmonious and complete. Trends and tastes change, no one forbids experimenting. If this is not your goal, stick to one style and stay on course!

2. Lighting

Just a ceiling chandelier? This will not work! You need to provide the living room with different lighting options. Top and side, that's at least. Chandelier, lamp, floor lamp, lighting in different colors. Thanks to the variation in lighting, the interior will not get bored for a long time and will fall into the mood. A certain play of shadows is created, the room looks different under different lighting angles. Ideally 3-4 options, at least 2. Again, the ceiling as the main one, and the wall as the evening one.

3. Carpet

A carpet can add coziness, create an accent, dilute the color scheme of a room. Or it may even spoil the aesthetics of the interior. And often, people simply do not understand what is the matter, why the desired result does not come to them. Small rugs can upset the balance and visually reduce the space. And a large rug of the wrong color or texture will take too much attention, be careful!

4. Sofa cushions

The interior begins to exist when decor comes in. If you don't have that much, cushions are practically the most important element. They should be combined with a sofa, curtains, carpet, other textiles in the living room, paintings and other decor. The listed elements can be in the same color scheme or in the opposite, everyone has their own preferences. If you feel that something is missing, first of all pay attention to the pillows.

5. Black color

Black is a bad joke. When choosing a basic color scheme, be sure to match the color to the size of the room. This rule applies not only to the living room, but to absolutely all rooms. Not only walls, but also furniture. Dark-colored walls will visually narrow the space in the living room, while black furniture can make it cramped. However, if you use the dark color wisely in the interior, you can get an amazing design.

6. Sofa

When the space in the living room allows you to put upholstered furniture in the middle, undoubtedly try to do so, especially if you have a studio. Firstly, it is modern, and secondly, what if not a sofa symbolizes the living room !? In large rooms, it is not scary to squander space, a wide open space on top eliminates the tightness. It can be a corner sofa or have the chairs facing each other. It is no longer fashionable to arrange everything along the wall.

7. TV

Returning to comfort, I would like to write separately about the TV, or rather about its size and location. When buying a new one or choosing a place for a TV, first of all, you need to consider the distance at which you need to install the screen. It should be at least three and preferably not more than five of its diagonals. In height, the TV should be located approximately at eye level, taking into account the place from which you plan to watch. And of course, do not install the TV against the window.

8. Paintings

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine a living room without a picture or photographs on the wall. Choosing the right picture is half the battle. It is also necessary to correctly position it on the wall. The same goes for photographs. As a rule, they are not large format. Photos must be in the same style. The height of the attachment depends on the size of the room and the image, as well as on the style of the interior. In some directions, large paintings look impressive even on the floor.

9. Curtains

Nothing affects the interior like curtains. They can turn everything upside down. How to spoil everything, and reanimate the sad interior. Better to take a few samples for fitting. In the living room, in most cases, the curtains should rest against the floor.

10. Plant

A home flower or tree is a very important piece of furniture. Not everyone will suit your home. Responsibly approach the choice, taking into account the style of the interior. An outdoor plant in a large pot will grow well in the living room. But what kind of plant? You can find the answer here.

Looking for inspiration to breathe new life into your living room? It doesn't matter if you're ready for a small change or a major makeover, your living room can look great. Just copy one of the ideas from the most popular bloggers! So, what thing should every woman have in her home?

Bar trolley

No matter what drink you like, the bar trolley is a great way to take your living room to the next level. You can prepare your favorite cocktails, pour yourself a glass of wine, besides, cute glasses and cocktail accessories will serve as a wonderful decorative accent for your home. You will be extremely popular with your friends!

Beautifully designed bookshelf

There is no better way to display your favorite books and trivia than on a bookshelf. From stacks of vintage first editions to collections of your favorite authors, there are loads of things that will find their place on the shelf. Find nifty book stands, pretty frames, and decorative items to add variety to your shelves. Make sure everything doesn't look too boring!

Artificial fur

If you want your living room to appear luxurious, the most effective way is to add some faux fur. But be careful, use it only as an accent, let it be a pillow or a small rug. For example, a white fur pillow will fit perfectly into any space! Feel free to add color if you like bright colors.

Metallic accents

If you prefer the traditional style, you will love gold and silver, and if you want to get creative, use rose gold. One way or another, metal accessories are an indispensable part of a stylish home. These can be photo frames, paintings, souvenirs. All this will add charm to your room.

Impressive sofa

Say goodbye to neutral sofas: A striking sofa in vibrant colors and striking upholstery is a stylish choice. This piece of furniture is surprisingly versatile. Start with the sofa and choose the color that suits your style best. Then add pillows and other decorative elements.

Exquisitely designed coffee table

Nothing enhances your thoughtful style like a beautifully designed coffee table. Find a piece of furniture that you like, add elements to it that emphasize your personality. Art books, decorative accents, fresh flowers, your favorite plate or cute tray are all good decisions. Keep it minimal, you want to use the table! While doing this, pick up several objects of different shapes, heights and textures to get a balanced look.

Stylish chair as an accent

A chair as an accent isn't just an extra place to sit. If you are looking for a more neutral sofa, you can show your personality with a quirky, vibrant chair. Choose a shape that stands out and complement it with playful pillows for a truly stylish look. If you want to use two accent chairs, you can buy two of the same or use your imagination and use different ones.

Slogan framed

If you have a favorite phrase that inspires you, you should use it in your living room. Hang a frame on your picture wall, place it on a bookshelf, or decorate a bar cart with it.

Stylish rug in vintage style

A high quality rug is a great way to enhance your living space. Choose vintage style options. They look great on hardwood or tiled floors, although some are fine for any application. Graphic designs and neutral tones are the most popular choices. Try to choose a rug that won't draw all the attention.

Wall with paintings

A wall that serves as a gallery is appropriate in any home. This is a great spot to grab your attention and is full of possibilities, so you can create your own. Use your artwork, beautiful drawings and favorite photographs. This is a great way to combine all the things you love into one whole.