The living room is where you spend the most of your time at home, so not only should it look nice, but it should also be well-designed and comfortable. It can be difficult to achieve this design trifecta, but we've gathered some of the most beautiful living rooms to help you get started. Below you'll see a variety of living room ideas, from ultra-modern venetian plaster and opulent to warm and homey. Here you will find a variety of recommendations for furnishing and decorating a living room, regardless of its size.
The centre point of any room, these seating arrangements offer rest for tired legs, a plush place to watch TV, and a welcoming gathering place for friends and family.
Find inspiration in our curated collection of living room seating options, whether you're in search of a minimalist little chair for your "cosy" nook or a plush, tactile, cosseting design with easy-care appeal for your active family.
Make Curves in Your Living Room Seating
It's high time for a return to more sculptural, curvy forms in the realm of interior design. Curves are incredibly adaptable, and may be used in either a modern or classic living space. They are versatile and may be used to make even the smallest space appear more expansive.
A conceptual designer at Metris said that while straight lines in seating and furniture remain popular, there is a shift towards a softer approach in interior design. Curves are more pleasing to the eye and more pleasant to live with. In addition to making the most of the available area, they can also enhance the room's sensuality and functionality.
Rattan And Cane Will Transport You Back In Time.
Since its renaissance in the 1970s, rattan has been bringing a touch of natural beauty into our homes. Textured rattan, tan leather, and raw woods come together in beautiful ways in this season's home decor. Combine with soft pastels and earth tones for a modern touch on this throwback style.
Sing Out With Antique Seats
Displaying an impressive antique collection prominently in the living room is the best way to highlight its unique history and aesthetic value.
Many of us are yearning for a return to a more tranquil era, which may explain the recent uptick in the popularity of antiques. Reminiscing over memories with the use of cherished keepsakes that hold a special meaning or story.
Choose A Focal Point
A room's focal point should never be undervalued. Some of these features, like the main window or the fireplace mantel, come with the space, while others, like TV stands and televisions, require some DIY. Decide on a focus and stick with it, no matter what that focus may be. You should centre as much of your furnishings around it as feasible.
Never Push Furniture Up Against A Wall.
Depending on the dimensions of the room, you may be limited to how far you can move items away from the walls. However, even in a constrained area, you should leave at least a few inches of space between the backs of furniture and the walls. This seemingly insignificant area can actually provide the illusion of extra space. If you have more room, you can arrange the furniture in the centre of the room to make a space for conversations, and leave at least a few feet of clearance between the furniture and the walls.
Make Conversational Spaces
It is expected that people will be able to have a conversation without straining their necks or raising their voices. Place the couches and chairs so that people are facing each other (not necessarily head-on, but close) and are close enough together that they can have a conversation without raising their voices. Make sure there are plenty of seating options if the space is too big.
When Arranging Furniture, Find Balance.
Strive for harmony at all times, but especially while setting up your living room's furnishings and decor. Don't crowd the room with all the big stuff in one spot or shove all the little stuff into one corner; instead, spread everything out so the room feels more balanced and comfortable. Incorporate a range of shapes; for example, if your furniture is all linear, try a round coffee table.
Consider Traffic Flow
When deciding how to arrange the furniture in a room, it's crucial to think about how people will be moving through the space. No one should have to dodge pieces of furniture or other people as they try to move around the space. Place at least two feet (or a couple of inches) between both the coffee table and the sofa, and the same distance between the chairs. Make sure there isn't anything in the way of people's ability to move freely from one side of the room to the other.
Use Rugs Of The Proper Size
Place area rugs under seating arrangements, ideally all of it. It's alright to leave a bit of the floor visible around the room's boundaries, but if you want to use an area rug, make sure it's big enough to accommodate every piece of furniture in a seating group. Large objects should have their front legs on the rug and their back legs on the floor at most.
Get A Big Coffee Table
As a general rule, larger coffee tables are preferable. An expansive coffee table placed in the centre of a group of chairs serves as a decorative and practical focal point. It serves as the focal point of the room and provides ample surface area for setting down beverages or showcasing favoured decorative items. Additionally, those seated at a huge table will have much simpler access to its surface. Also, make sure there's enough space for guests to move around the coffee table and the seating arrangements (about 18 inches). Also, two smaller tables or some other coffee table substitutes can work well if you can't find a suitable huge coffee table.
Let There Be Light
Lighting is often overlooked despite its significance in creating an inviting atmosphere in a space. Use a combination of different types of lighting, such as pendant lights, table lamps, wall sconces, and floor lamps. The end of a sofa or behind an accent chair is a fantastic place for a floor light. Lamps on tables, shelves, and mantles are decorative and functional. Balanced lighting is achieved through the strategic placement of a wide range of lighting sources, so feel free to mix and match your light sources as you see fit.
Use The Appropriate Artwork Size
Wall decor, such as paintings, mirrors, and sculptures, should be hung in a thoughtful, proportionate manner to the rest of the room's furnishings. Use a large piece that is about two-thirds the length of the sofa, or a combination of pieces, rather than a tiny photo to hang over the back of your sofa. If you're set on displaying a little painting, consider expanding its visual footprint by framing it in a wider frame and adding a wide matte.
Putting It All Together
The ideal way to arrange furniture and accessories is to plan ahead, especially if it means purchasing new items. Create a rough draft of your ideal floor plan using either a digital floor planner or good ol' fashioned graph paper. It's the only foolproof method of determining if the final product will be a good match.
Work Wonders With Woven Materials
Woven and cane seating, formerly reserved for the conservatory, is making its way into family rooms. Since textured furniture and fabrics are now a design must, woven shapes have made a comeback, with rattan furniture reminiscent of the 1970s taking centre stage.
Bring this style into the twenty-first century by mixing and matching colours, patterns, and textures in unexpected ways.
Pull Living Room Seating Away From The Walls
Couches and chairs that are too large for the space might make the room appear even smaller. If you want the room to feel more spacious, position the furniture at an angle like this instead of pushing everything against the walls like a bowling alley. This arrangement is superb for cosy chats, casual gatherings, and compact living quarters.
With Seating, Create A Focal Point.
Create your plan with the focal point in mind. Do something about it if your living space lacks a focal point. Two chairs with matching patterns will do the trick here. The room will feel more cohesive if you take one colour from the chair fabric and use it as the wall paint or curtain fabric.
Use Symmetry To Your Advantage
When going for a more official look and feel in your home's decor, symmetry is a must. Your home should feel organised and harmonious. Find complementary pieces for the living area, including a pair of armchairs and a side table.
Choose A Good Quality Sofa
Whether you have a large area to furnish or a more limited space, it is important to select high-quality sofas and armchairs for your living room.
Fill the space with soft cushions, but don't just throw them around; arrange them strategically.
Add Interest With Exquisite Fabric
You shouldn't use the same fabric for your sofas and chairs. You should back away from static, identical seating arrangements in favour of more dynamic, interesting, and characterful ones that use a variety of forms, colours, and materials.
Putting a sofa in a solid colour and matching armchairs in stripes or a plaid creates visual contrast and visual appeal. Scotchguarding fresh upholstery is a must if you have kids or pets.
Enhance The Flow Of Conversation
Plan the room's arrangement with functionality and comfort in mind.
Think about the scale of the room and how the furniture will look in it before hosting a party. Since the heights of the chairs will vary, it is important to strike a good balance while ensuring that everyone is sat at the same height.
Get Weird On The Coffee Table
Instead of the usual stack of coffee table novels, choose something with a little more personality. Design Studio piled on the classic planters here, creating a playful and varied yet timeless swath that complements and contrasts the space's formal, traditional components with the more modern ones.
Redefine “Neutrals”
If you don't enjoy a living room with a plethora of patterns and bright colours, but do want to experiment with furniture and colour, take a cue from this one. The sofa and tables are neutral, but the blankets, artwork, and lamp add a pop of colour in marigold, scarlet, navy blue, and forest green without going overboard.
Add Something Unexpected
Heather Hilliard, the interior designer, mixed traditional features like blue grasscloth wallpaper, a floor lamp, and curtains with more modern touches. The floral sofa and the green lucite coffee table are an unexpected but welcome touch that modernises the space without taking away from the classic furnishings.
Upholster The Walls
This living space, designed by an interior decorator, is timeless and elegant, but also loads of fun. The red ceiling, the velvet floor cushions for extra seating, and the striking artwork; no detail has been ignored. In order to further enhance the cosy atmosphere, Dumais upholstered the walls in a leather cloth.
Make It Cheerful
Whether you're hosting a quiet night in or a formal dinner party, this room's chic yet relaxed decor will make you feel right at home. The space is bright and inviting thanks to the yellow lamp with pleats.
Keep It Crisp And Classic
A living room decorated in pure matte white exudes an air of timelessness and sophistication. The white furniture is given a more refined look by the incorporation of glass and metal accents. When you're done with following the latest fashion trends and want something timeless, Pure White is available for you.
Use An Off-White
The jute rug, wooden floors, and brass accessories in this living room design provide plenty of ambience and make the area feel cosy and welcoming. The vibrant, contrasting prints used throughout add a sense of fun and formality to the space. The room looks completely different after being painted a light cream colour, which isn't particularly noticeable. The contrast would be even more pronounced if the colour were white.
Pick A Bold Wallpaper
Wallpaper is one of those decorating styles that will never go out of style. If you choose a traditional chinoiserie pattern for your wallpaper, you may easily adapt it to your evolving tastes. In this well decorated home, this contemporary self-portrait stands in great contrast to the chinoiserie wallpaper (Iksel's Eastern Eden) behind it. However, the use of contrasting jewel tones and the combination of modern and ancient furniture types are merely the tip of the contrasted iceberg. You won't believe it, but that bright green chair comes from Ikea. As this example shows, even the most talented designers appreciate a good bargain.
Know Your Place
Keep in mind where you are before you begin designing your living room. Living in an urban industrial loft environment, for instance, and a casual beach cottage have vastly different design schemes. The design team behind this beach house aimed to capture the carefree spirit of a coastal retreat by using colourful patterns and simple finishes. But they nevertheless managed to look classy thanks to newly upholstered furniture, stunning artwork, and a well-planned layout. Add a touch of kitsch with one statement piece, like a classic Hawaiian-print rattan chair, if you're a sucker for kitsch and dream of living on island time.
Hang A Chair
Adding a fun element to the living area is a surefire way to increase the level of entertainment. We have here an example of our argument with a hanging seat in a living room setting; the use of attractive leather upholstery elevates the whole ensemble. It has just the right amount of cosiness and sophistication.
Have Fun With Throw Pillows
Learn the art of soulful monochrome design from this example. This Parisian pad is an exquisite mashup of contemporary and Neoclassical design. The room's architecture suggests a vast opulence, but the cosy Moroccan rug and roomy white sofa soften the ambience.
Conclusion
What, then, are the most stylish options for indoor seating? Below, you'll find a selection of our top picks. However, before making a purchase, it is important to assess the available space and the piece's anticipated level of use. We're here to help you select the ideal piece of furniture for your home's seating area. We have years of experience in interior design, so let us help you choose the perfect piece for your living room or den that will provide you comfort and style for years to come. Don't put it off any longer; go ahead and start looking around now.
FAQs About Seating Design
The floor, walls, and ceiling are all constructed of planks of varying widths, creating a casual atmosphere centred around the window seat. The ocean influences the colours and patterns of a contemporary window seat. The soothing colour scheme is perfect for unwinding after a day at the beach.
This seating area is great because you can build whatever you need to fit in your home. For example, you could create a short bench or a corner, L-shaped, curved, or even circular bench. This banquette could be as small or large as you need. Some are so small that they only accommodate two to four people.
When working with a material as adaptable as wood, you can do whatever you can imagine. When you put your mind to something, nothing is impossible. Get inspired by these unique options for outdoor sitting.
Exciting New Way to Sit Outside That Stands Out A bowl chair, and a grey wooden bench form this seating arrangement's core. Adding a soft body pillow and a throw blanket gives the impression of a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere. The beautiful stone top of the table is the ideal setting for the basket's intended purpose as a serving platter.
There's a perfect spot for drinks and snacks on the coffee table. Adorning a cheerful backyard seating arrangement with whimsical end tables is a no-brainer. Relax and feel at one with nature by adding a few potted plants and flowers to this seating area.