The best living room ideas focus on making one of the most-used spaces inside a house appealing to everyone. Because it’s meant for gathering, it’s often the space that welcomes friends and family into your home.
Today, we’ve compiled 16 gorgeous living room ideas to use as a starting point for your next decorating project.
Living Room Patterns
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A neutral color palette, warm materials, and an array of patterns create a cozy atmosphere in this contemporary living room. A large sectional with plush cushions and layers of textured throw pillows set the tone for the room’s modern style and comfortable atmosphere. A rustic wood coffee table ushers in relaxed warmth, while a pair of retro-style armchairs upholstered in a bold black and white stripe adds color contrast and extra seating.
Layered Textures
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Layering is a clever living room idea to make the space look more interesting and to give it a comfortable, lived-in feel. Here, a textured cream area rug layered over a natural jute rug forms a soft base for the modern living room. A cognac leather sectional, Woven window shades, wicker baskets and rattan chairs offer a mix of materials and textural elements. While the majority of the living room features warm-toned neutrals, a wall of moss-green built-in shelves behind the seating area adds color contrast and depth, enlivening the space.
White Living Room
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A white color scheme accented with cool blues and shiny brass details creates an updated take on the coastal-style living room. Natural light pours in through the large windows, enhancing the bright and airy aesthetic. This modern living space holds multiple types of seating, which provides plenty of room to accommodate friends and family. The even distribution of seating elements throughout the room and their contrasting materials create intentionality and balance.
Go bespoke
Maximise every inch of space with bespoke joinery, as demonstrated in this project by Topology. A living room is an ideal place for open shelving: display photo frames, ornaments, vases, and a potted plant or two. This Bone China Blue paint by Little Greene (based on Wedgwood Jasperware), is down to earth and calming, perfect for a space designed for relaxation.
Bright and breezy
Here’s a lovely nature-inspired living room update in time for spring. Bright and breezy yet calm and nurturing, a crisp sage green is the perfect companion to fuchsia and warm oak woods, alongside natural textures like jute. A leaning ladder shelf is a great way to display trailing plants.
Modern rustic
This contemporary, open-plan living space embraces a modern rustic feel. The beamed ceiling is a nod to the rustic setting, while a mix of vintage pieces blend with contemporary designs including the sofa.
Jewel Tone Space
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A deep teal wall color fills this midcentury modern-inspired living room with a rich hue and unexpected warmth. When you’re using a highly saturated paint color such as a dark jewel tone, balance it with other more neutral room elements like the walnut coffee table, gray tufted sofa, and white curtain panels used here. A brass curtain rod stands out against the colorful walls and creates a sense of height, visually expanding the space.
Monochromatic Living Room
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A black and white color palette lends an air of sophistication to this open living room. To prevent a limited color scheme from falling flat, repeat colors through different shapes, textures, and decorative elements. Instead of introducing an additional color, bring in a metallic accent, such as this brass-base coffee table. A wall of black built-ins provides lots of functional hidden storage as well as plenty of display surfaces. Crisp white walls, marble table tops, and a linen sectional add stark contrast and timeless elegance.
Intentional Accent Color
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Artwork, accessories, and textiles are easy living room ideas for adding small doses of color. If you don’t want to commit to dark walls (or want to easily change your palette from season to season), incorporate an accent color sparingly. A cool shade of blue was strategically placed around this contemporary-style living room in the form of a hanging canvas and various pillows and blankets on the sectional. Using the icy-blue throughout the space helps it feel fully incorporated and intentional.
Simple Seating Area
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When using a variety of patterns, the key to maintaining a harmonious space is creating balance. To achieve this, mix large and small-scale patterns and distribute them evenly throughout the space. The large pattern of the living room rug contrasts the tighter patterns of the fireplace and throw pillows to add texture without overwhelming the room.
Corner it
The beauty of a corner sofa is that it enables you to make the most of your space and it lends itself particularly well to open-plan living. It’s a brilliant styling device to zone your living room. The bay window deserves a special mention here too: the simplicity of solid panel shutters mean they can either be opened or closed to let the light in or to block it out.
Refreshing teals
A contemporary choice, teal is an ideal colour for refreshing a tired room and, as seen here, it pairs wonderfully with warm woods. This living room music corner combines old and new to create a characterful space. Teal also works brilliantly with warm gold, and can be toned down with natural flooring.
A door curtain
Stylish and versatile, door curtains are ideal for zoning, creating privacy and keeping the warmth in, making it perfect for colder months. You can’t go wrong with vertical stripes either, it’ll create an illusion of height, making your living room appear bigger.
