Lounge room inspiration...

Our lounge room is slightly separated from the kitchen/dinning area but still partly open. The hope is that this will create a intimate and inviting space without feeling like you are shut off from the rest of the house.
I'm a having a constant battle between practicality and aesthetics when it comes to this area. I love the idea of using a lot of light natural colours like oatmeals, creams and whites but the other part of me knows that those colours aren't very family (or husband) friendly.

INSPIRATION  

What I love about these rooms:

• The colours are so warm and inviting. 
• The soft furnishings make it look cosy.
• Neither of these rooms look sparse or clinical.
• The L-shaped sofas. Great for accommodating lots of people.

Things I would change:

• Carpet for the floor coverings is a must for us.
• Love the light coloured sofas but think going for a darker colour will be more practical.

What I love about these rooms:

• The combination of seating. L-shaped sofa and a couple of arm chairs.
• The neutral colours.
• The built-in shelves and cupboards. 
• The amount of seating, I want to be able to spread out if I want or accommodate a lot of people if needed. 
• The layout of the seating with a central coffee table or ottoman.

What I would change:

• Remove the fire place.
• Mount the TV on the wall where the fire is.
• Carpet for the floor coverings.
• Add a lamp or two for ambience. Either a floor lamp or lamp on a small side table.  

I love these built-in shelves and cupboards.

I love the detail and contrasting colours of the built-ins on the left and the size of the one on the right. In both cases I would make the space for the TV larger to provide more flexibility but also so it isn't so busy. The use of cupboards along the bottom to store all the ugly cords etc with the addition of the open shelving for displays at the top makes the space beautiful and more usable.