85 Beautiful Living Room Ideas You'll Want to Copy ASAP
They're stylish, comfortable, and trend-proof.
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It's safe to say your living room sees a lot of foot traffic. These spaces also tend to be very communal. Some families do everything but sleep in there; other people are constantly entertaining guests who lovingly take over the space. Maybe for you it's a mixture of both! No matter how you use your living room, you deserve one that makes you fall in love with it every time you step through the doorway. So if your love is slowly fading, or if you were simply tolerating your decor before, we've gathered plenty of living room ideas that are sure to leave you feeling positively giddy.
We all know that design trends come and go, but they're useful in that they can help us figure out what our preferred decorating style actually is. Plus, some of them, like the stripes trend, are really just revivals of classic design concepts. We have a lot of helpful resources for you depending on which project you want to tackle first—from deciding which color to paint it to how to spruce up the ceiling—but you'll want to check out the curated list below first to find general living room decor inspiration. If you're not sure exactly what you want to do or want to see a range of ideas in different aesthetics, like modern or minimalist, you'll find plenty below. Read on for designer-approved living room ideas and decorating tips you'll love.
Take Inspiration From Outdoor Furniture
Create the illusion of a swinging couch in your living room by attaching a rope from the arm to the ceiling, as Michael Ellison did in this Nantucket home. However, if you can't or simply don't want to go that far, you can still take inspiration from outdoor furniture pieces to create a more whimsical space.
Embrace Multiple Patterns
Don't be afraid to use multiple bold patterns in one space. The. key is to find the combination that works for you. "It takes confidence to let things not match," Nick Olsen says of every room in this Los Angeles bungalow. The fruit wallpaper is just muted enough that it looks beautifully eccentric with the vintage geometric-print rug.
Choose Pastel Paint
A pastel paint job isn't exactly revolutionary, but it's a great way to add some color to your space if you're a bit nervous to add too much. It's also a great color option when the rest of your items are extremely bold, like in this living room by Melissa Colgan. The lavender helps to balance the colors of all these books.
Stick to a Color Palette
If you're struggling to figure out what your aesthetic is, start with a color palette and go from there. In this jewel-toned sitting room by Fran Keenan, a traditional, eclectic design style emerges from the colors in the space.
Show Off Your Special Interests
If you're a huge fan of animals, find decor that fits your interests and use it to decorate your living room, as Tom Scheerer did in this Florida den. The designer found woven animal heads made of straw in France and just knew that his clients, a family with two equestrian daughters, would love them.
Hide the Ugly Bits
There are some parts of a house that simply aren't aesthetically pleasing, but you can do your best to make them so by thinking outside the box and covering them up in unique ways or decorating on top of them. Take a note from our 2023 Whole Home, specifically from Rasheeda Gray, and cover a less-than-pretty radiator with a custom window seat.
Decorate for Sensory Sensitivity
Choose calming colors, soft lights, pleasant textiles, and soothing scents when planning how your living room will be experienced, especially if there's someone in your life with sensory sensitivity. While this living room by Studio Plow wasn't designed with someone who has a sensory processing disorder in mind, it's a good visual example of how plush furniture, mellow colors, and soft textures can look elegant together.
Take Inspiration From History
You can do more than admire historical decorating styles from afar. Choose your favorite time period, and remake your living room in that style. It's your home—you can do what you want! For the 2023 Whole Home, Caitlin Wilson took inspiration from Downton Abbey. Sure, the family in the television show is fictional, but the time period was not.
Take a Modern Approach
Curved couches, statement accent chairs, and oversized mirrors add up to a modern living room—even if it's in a 1920s-era San Francisco townhouse. Brit Epperson of Studio Plow remade this home, which had recently been renovated with more traditional materials, to suit her clients' contemporary aesthetic by filling it with undeniably modern furnishings.
Add Bohemian Accents
Add an accessory with boho vibes, like a tasseled chandelier, to make your living room more playful and cozy. Cortney Bishop wanted to make this new build feel lived-in and give it a sense of place by incorporating natural materials and tones. This soft light fixture is a beautiful way to bring in natural yet modern energy.
Paint the Fireplace
If you're not a fan of the color of your fireplace, simply painting it a different color can transform your living room. Amanda Jacobs
had this red brick fireplace painted white to make the beautiful woodwork stand out even more.
Choose a Scandi Aesthetic
If you want a living room with clean lines that's still cozy to lounge in, start researching Scandinavian design. Brian Paquette's goal was to give his clients a living room "they could sink into," he says. To do that and please the fans of Nordic design, he chose warm patterns, light woods like oak, crisp whites, and varied textures.
Play With Neutrals
Textures are the secret to giving a soft white living room a refresh. Take it from Sharon Rembaum, who dressed this living room in textured neutral pieces to boost its overall coziness.
Aim for the Sky
This grand double-height living room by Liz Hoekzema features a chimney with a hand-applied limewash treatment that introduces warmth and texture. "We love the wabi-sabi informality it lends, especially compared with the richness of the soapstone fireplace surround," Hoekzema says.
Deepen the Tones
Skip brighter hues for a living room that exudes a sultry and mysterious air. If you want a break from bright colors, take your cue from this treasure of a space by Rupp Studio. It combines olive limewash walls, a terra-cotta velvet sofa, and eye-catching teal accents.
Add Unique Seating
A multifunctional classic, a nap bench can make lounging in your living room look twice as chic. Here, Zoë Feldman used a Serena & Lily rattan piece to divide the large living area of the 2022 Whole Home without blocking the sculptural window. A cushion upholstered in a Sanderson fabric gives it a bespoke look.
Play the Piano
Sometimes your favorite piano is the elephant in the room due to its size. Instead of hiding it in your basement, give a grand piano the spotlight it deserves. Corals, grays, and brass tones work well to give this living room by Mona Hajj a more dynamic yet also more approachable color story.
Build a Bar
Get the most out of your living room with a home bar stocked with your favorites. John Fondas turned a shallow closet into an out-of-the-way bar nook with tons of wall storage by removing the doors and building in cabinets as well as shelves. The nautical and aquatic motifs are perfect for a Palm Beach party house.
Refresh It With Accent Paint
We're loving the dark blue-green color in this living room corner by Avery Cox. It's stylish enough to hold its own against the rich chartreuse velvet fabric and the layers of quirky prints. She painted only one of the walls along with the door and moldings so that a complementary wallpaper could be applied on the opposite side.
Put a Record On
Victoria Sass of Project Refuge Studio snuck a record player into the corner of this texture-rich, minimalist living room. It opens right up into the kitchen, where the side of the island facing the sitting area contains ample exposed shelving for an extensive record collection.
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