Bringing A Tropical Mood Into Your Living Room
Bright pattern, warm greens and a touch of jungle energy can lift a living room through the long summer months. Here is how to bring that tropical, sun-loving feeling home, with pieces that work well in compact spaces.
Let a strong theme do the work for you
A bold decorating theme earns its keep because everything in it already makes visual sense together. Tropical leaf prints, warm colours and graphic patterns connect naturally, so a handful of well-chosen accessories can shift the whole mood of a room without a full overhaul. This is especially useful in smaller flats and townhouses, where every surface and corner counts and a few confident choices go further than a room full of small, unrelated items.
Greenery is central to the look. Grouping plants of different heights near a window, with a tiered stand to lift smaller pots off the floor, adds depth and a sense of the outdoors creeping in, which suits the long, bright summer light found in most homes here.
Layer greens and pattern around the seating area
A living room built around deep greens feels calm rather than chilly, especially when patterned cushions are added to break up the colour. Placing a cluster of cushions with leaf and bird motifs on a sofa, alongside a tall plant or two, gives the whole seating area a lush, gathered feeling rather than a sparse one. It works equally well in an open-plan apartment lounge or a more traditional sitting room.
Lighting plays its part too. An arched floor lamp positioned beside a large plant or a day bed draws the eye upward and adds a soft glow in the evening, once the heat of the day has settled and the room is used for reading or winding down.
SKAFTET table lamp base, brass-colour, 30 cm
SKAFTET floor lamp base, arched, black, 143 cm
SKAFTET floor lamp base, brass-colour, 29 cm
RINGSTA / SKAFTET table lamp, white/brass, 41 cm
SKAFTET floor lamp base, black, 29 cm
RINGSTA / SKAFTET floor lamp, white/brass, 29 cm
Carry the mood into the bedroom and bathroom
The same tropical feeling can extend beyond the living room. A slimline metal bed frame dressed with patterned bedlinen in warm tones suits a bedroom lit by a tall arched window, giving a bright, airy start to the day. In the bathroom, a patterned shower curtain hung in a soft curve above the bath adds the same sense of pattern and colour to a smaller, often overlooked space, which is a practical way to bring the theme into a compact bathroom without major changes.
SILVERLÖNN sheer curtains, 1 pair, white/with heading tape, 145x300 cm
BENGTA block-out curtain, 1 piece, beige/with heading tape, 210x300 cm
VILBORG room darkening curtains, 1 pair, beige/with heading tape, 145x300 cm
STENFRÖ sheer curtains, 1 pair, white/with heading tape, 145x300 cm
ROSENMANDEL block-out curtains, 1 pair, grey/with heading tape, 135x300 cm
KORGMOTT block-out curtains, 1 pair, white/with heading tape, 145x300 cm
Finish with a sofa built for long, easy evenings
A generously proportioned sofa in a warm shade, such as IKEA's SÖDERHAMN range, gives a tropical-themed room its anchor. Scattering a mix of coloured cushions across it keeps the look relaxed rather than overly matched, and leaves room for a coffee table set up for drinks and a board game, the kind of easy evening this style of decorating is really built for. It is a good option for Maltese homes that lean on the living room for most of the year, from quiet winter evenings to long summer nights with the windows open.
SÖDERHAMN 3-seat sofa, with open end/Viarp beige/brown, 192 cm
SÖDERHAMN corner sofa, 3-seat, Viarp beige/brown, 192x14x99 cm
SÖDERHAMN armchair, Viarp beige, 105 cm
SÖDERHAMN 3-seat sofa, Viarp beige/brown, 198 cm
SÖDERHAMN chaise longue, Viarp beige/brown, 93x83x151 cm
SÖDERHAMN corner sofa, 4-seat, with open end/Viarp beige/brown, 6x14x99 cm
Small, confident changes in colour, pattern and planting can carry this tropical feeling through every room. Maltashopper brings these IKEA pieces to homes across Malta and Gozo.