Your living room is where you, well, live. It’s the place where you and your family watch movies, host friends for a game night, cozy up with your favorite books and spend countless hours simply hanging out. It’s important that this living space feels comfortable and welcoming.
But, what makes the perfect family room? And how can you achieve this look without losing your HGTV-loving mind? We’re here to answer these questions and provide guidance on all things living room design.
The Elements of a Beautiful Living Room
Every living room is different because everyone’s personal style is unique. For example, a bohemian and rustic farmhouse living room will look drastically different. However, some key elements should be included in each space for the best look and feel. Think of this as a recipe for the perfect living room, providing you with all the ingredients necessary for a five-star finish:
Comfortable Seating
A living room is meant for relaxing, gathering with people and lounging with the TV on. You don’t want to do any of those things while sitting on uncomfortable living room furniture. Selecting high quality and comfortable pieces with a variety of sitting styles that compliment how you and your family like to relax, such as upright chairs for structure (and back support) chairs with ottomans, chaise lounges, or recliners for reclined seating to put your feet up, and a sofa for laying down, stacking people in, or snuggle options.
Harmonious Color Palette
Whether you love a bold color or more subtle tones, ensure all the hues work together for a balanced look. A great room follows one of the numerous color palette options, whether that’s monochromatic, color-wheel-inspired or another choice, giving a chic look without going overboard. Our favorite method is to find a focal object, the hero, and pull all of your colors from that. It can be a piece of art, a fabric for pillows, chair, or drapery, or even the rug. Having this piece unify the color palette gives you a consistent base to work off of and a clear direction to go. If it matches the hero, it will work, if it doesn’t, it probably needs to go.
Layered Lighting
Most rooms have an overhead light, but that’s often not enough to make a cozy living room, in fact relying solely on the overhead light can make a space feel bland or “just moved in”. Layering lights essentially looks like using a variety of fixtures — a table and floor lamp, wall sconces and candles on a coffee table — to create ambiance and light every corner of the room. Think of romantic lighting for reading a book, bright light for cleaning, dark for movie night, and every state in between! Having levels of lighting lets you customize your environment to how you need it in the moment.
Textural Variety
Play around with different materials for visual interest. Linen draperies look amazing with knitted throw pillows and cotton cushions. On the other hand, concrete floors, metal fixtures, and rattan furniture combine for a fun take on a modern space. Try to include indulgent sensations for touch. Having a variety of plush to smooth, silky to nubby gives a more exciting experience, and in design, trying to indulge all 5 senses makes for a more complete space.
Statement Pieces
Whether it’s a big porcelain vase with your favorite fresh flowers or an ultra-funky piece of wall art hung front and center, your living room needs a statement piece. While you shouldn’t go too far on the eclectic maximalism side — unless that’s your thing — having a few focal points takes any family room up a notch. These are your hero pieces, the stars of the room, and with them they give your space direction and interest. Without them, your room can feel bland, and uninspired.
Functional Storage
No matter the size of your space, storage is key. Optimize the room by utilizing a multifunctional future piece like an ottoman with built-in storage or TV stands with lots of drawers. This will cut down on clutter while still being aesthetically pleasing. Almost every home needs to have rooms that can have multiple purposes, so put your furniture to work!
Greenery and Natural Elements
No home improvement project is complete without a plant or two. Organic, natural-inspired elements like greenery, stone, brick and wood bring the great outdoors inside, inspiring living room decor to replicate the tranquility of mother nature. There’s a living plant for every type of thumb, from green to black. Fiddle Figs and Olive trees have had popularity for a number of years, but can be fickle for the new plant parent. ZZ plants or Snake plants can be great first time plant parents that can still add an organic addition to your room that can take a lot. Still intimidated? There’s always preserved plants and moss for those with a notorious black thumb as well. Easy care is nice!
Personal Touches
It’s your living room, which means you need to put your personal touches throughout the space. Hang family photos, place knick-knacks from trips on coffee tables and shelves and bring in your own style. Your style, our design expertise.
Cozy Accessories
To make a cozy space, you need elements that scream comfort. Think chaise lounges with throw pillows, cushions and poofs in bright colors and lush rugs underfoot to make every step delightful.
Living Room Styles for Every Taste
No matter where your style preferences land on the design spectrum, there’s a perfect look just waiting for you. Here are some design ideas based on different aesthetics:
Modern Sophistication
Sleek furniture with clean lines, a neutral color palette with pops of bold colors, glass, metal and high-gloss finishes and statement lighting.
Industrial Modern City Condo
Exposed brick, steel and concrete elements, dark, moody tones with pops of warm wood and lost-style open layouts with minimalistic furniture.
French Country
Soft pastel tones, cream and light-wood finishes, elegant chandeliers and ornate furniture, floral prints, antique decor, rustic charm and worn-in textures.
Gorgeous Formal Living Space
Elegant furnishings with detailed upholstery, rich jewel tones like deep blues, emerald greens or burgundy, symmetrical layout with traditional interior design influences like grand chandeliers, gold accents and refined accessories.
Sparkle and Glam
Mirrored furniture, metallic finishes and crystal details, soft velvet or satin fabrics in plush seating, luxe colors like silver, blush pink and deep purple, statement lighting and dramatic drapery.
Living Room Layout Ideas: Making Your Dream Room in Any Space
It’s hard to feel like your space is workable when it doesn’t look like your inspo pictures on Pinterest. If you’ve struggled with creating your dream living room because you either have a funky-shaped room, a small space or a massive blank canvas, you’re in luck. You can transform any room with a bit of layout magic — namely, making use of your home’s unique qualities for the ultimate drab-to-fab makeover.
Here are some tips for various layout needs:
Open-Concept Layout
Create a cohesive and airy space by defining zones without disrupting the flow. Use a large area rug to anchor the living area and strategically place furniture to subtly separate the kitchen, dining and living spaces. Incorporate consistent colors and textures throughout to tie the rooms together while maintaining that seamless, open feel.
Sectioned Spaces
For rooms that serve multiple functions, use furniture, decor and vertical space to create distinct areas without adding walls. A sleek console table or a stylish room divider can help visually separate the dining and living areas, while complementary color palettes and lighting keep the space feeling unified and intentional.
Small Living Room Layout
People with small living rooms can have stunning spaces — they just require a bit of creativity. Choose multipurpose furniture, like storage ottomans or a coffee table with shelves to maximize storage and floor space. Keep things bright and airy with neutral tones and mirrors to make the space feel larger and reflect natural light.
Large Living Room Layout
Turn an expansive space into a cozy and functional haven by dividing it into smaller zones. Arrange a seating area around a focal point, like a fireplace or TV, and create a reading nook or a game table in a separate corner. Use rugs and lighting to define each area while maintaining a cohesive design throughout.
Work With a Living Room Design Pro
Ready to update your living room decor and layout but don’t want to tackle it on your own? Don’t sweat it! We’re here to help determine the best furniture, color palette, lighting and layout to match your lifestyle and needs.
We’re so excited to work with you! Just give us a call today or fill out our contact us form to get started!
