Top 10 Living Room Ideas and Decorating Designs

The living room is one of the most used rooms in the house, so it must not only look good but also be functional and comfortable. Without a doubt, achieving this trifecta can be a design challenge, so we gathered the best living room ideas to inspire your decorating projects and make the process a little easier.

From modern and formal settings to approachable and rustic settings, there’s a living room idea for you below. Continue reading for 10 stylish design living room ideas, tips, and shopping suggestions for any size space, as well as answers to questions like “what colour will make my living room bigger?” and “how can I spice up a boring living room?!”

Living Room Ideas: Work Around Limitations

When designer Celerie Kemble moved into this New York City apartment, there was only one thing holding it back from being the perfect fit: the building’s no-wallpaper policy.

To get around this, she used light pink paint in a plaster-like finish that mimics the texture of wallpaper.

Living Room Ideas: Incorporate Interesting Trees and Plants

Bring some natural elements into your living room with unusual indoor plants and trees.

Elizabeth Cooper added a lush citrus tree in the corner for a pop of life and colour, then staggered topiaries on the windowsill.

Living Room Ideas: Texture-Rich Neutrals Add Personality

A quirky indoor tree is a fun surprise in Shawn Henderson’s polished and cosmopolitan living room.

Rather than a traditional white or warm off-white paint colour, he chose a cooler grey neutral that complements the other subtle tones in the room.

This also allows the textural accents to stand out.

Texture Can Be Used to Transform a Bland Space

Get inspired by this living room designed by David Frazier if you live in a generic rental or simply have a small space.

It not only demonstrates that size isn’t everything, but it’s also full of tricks that add dimension to otherwise flat architecture.

Pops of marigolds complement the warm antique wood pieces and break up the monochromatic colour scheme, while the large rice paper pendant keeps things casual, allowing the space to function as a more relaxed family room.

A gallery wall, a large indoor plant, and a curtain rod that reaches the ceiling add depth.

Replace High-Back Seating With Daybeds and Benches

In small spaces, add extra seating with daybeds, settees, and window seats.

They have lower back profiles, which keeps the visual flow uninterrupted and the space feeling open.

The pop of yellow in Courtney McLeod’s bold living room is to die for.

Create a Home Bar

The paint colour (Peach Blossom by Benjamin Moore) and casual jute rug set a sweet foundation in this living room designed by Carmel Greer, while the modern, angular artwork, right fixture, seating, and throw blanket add an edge.

One built-in niche is designed to be a full-fledged home bar station, while the other stores and displays firewood.

The mirrored wall within the left niche also helps to bounce light and creates a swanky nightclub atmosphere.

Hide Your Television

Kristin Fine’s neutral-toned living room is refined and grown-up, but also family-friendly.

The soft and textural upholstery mixed with cream paint, rustic wood pieces, and plenty of antique accents help, but there’s also a large television mounted on the wall for family movie marathons.

Fine placed it prominently over the mantel but discreetly behind panels that double as modern art.