108 Living Room Decorating Ideas

By Southern Living
Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Mix and match patterns, embrace bold colors, layer rugs, and so much more! Try these tips to create a pretty space to enjoy conversations with friends and family.

No matter if you call it a living room, family room, den, or even a keeping room–you’ve got that one room in your home, aside from the kitchen, that’s intended for both family and company. And, we bet, you want it to look both pulled together and comfortable. We are here to tell you it’s possible to create a well-decorated living room that will impress company and will be enjoyed by your family. Here are our best easy decorating ideas ranging in all different styles for those that love a more formal living room or a cozy den or a relaxed family room. What ever your style–we’ve got the decorating tips and ideas for your beautiful living room, beautiful family room, or your beautiful den. One thing is for sure, you’ll be inspired by all of these chic decorating ideas. 

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Coastal Lowcountry Living Room

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Materials that connect to the location are key to character building. Sisal hints at the marsh grasses in an elegant way and is also durable, easy to clean, and ideal for layering. The alligator skull speaks to the local wildlife, while palms in antique glass and fern-patterned pillows are additional nods to the room's Lowcountry vibe and provide a carefree polish.

Layering a vintage kilim over a natural sisal rug acts as an attractive barrier against water, sand, and other elements.

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Comforting Colors

Laurey W.Glenn

An elk antler trophy is the focal point in this living room, and the palm tree triptych and a blue, green, and mulberry palette create a comfortable environment.

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Unite Your Living Space

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Designer Sam Blount used the biggest rug possible to tie this blue and white space together. "I’m a big fan of large rugs in small spaces—too many bitsy ones visually chop up the floor." says Blount.

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Forgo the Chairs

Laurey W. Glenn

These oversize sectionals allow everyone to sit, without touching each other. The bench-style seat cushions look cleaner and don't shift around like multiple seat cushions do.

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Use a Barn Door

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

A barn door allows the living space to be separated from the kitchen if nessessary, while taking up less space than traditional hinged doors. 

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Modernize Heirloom Pieces

Laurey W. Glenn

The settee in this room was given a modern update with wild fabric, while neutrals were used for the curved vintage sofa and rounded swivel chairs.

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Lighten Up with White

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Achieve a luxe neutral look with white upholstery and decorative accents in a variety of light hues to add extra depth and dimension. 

Similar throw pillows here.

See more of this White Living Room

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Mix Mod and Traditional

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The 11-foot-long vintage sofa in this living room is a mod counterpoint to a pair of traditional antique chairs. 

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Mix Instead of Match Fabrics

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The designer started with fabric selections to set the room's happy mood and a bright color palette of pink, turquoise, and chartreuse. Fabrics don't have to be matchy-matchy to communicate with each other. If they share a similar vibrancy and color temperature, they'll look good together.

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Invest in Antiques

Photo: Laure

As your budget allows, invest in one fine antique per room. Here, the a round French marble-topped gueridon table becomes a focal point of the space. 

 

See more of this classic Birmingham home.

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Mix Up the Seating

Photo by Laurey W. Glenn

Seating shouldn't be limited to club chairs and sofas. Utilize benches, ottomans, and odd side chairs to accommodate more people.

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Visually Divide a Great Room

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Use architectural details, like the cedar ceiling beams in this room, to help visually divide and define the rooms in the open space of a great room.

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Mix Your Styles

Photo Laurey W. Glenn

You can mix old and new, formal and casual, neutral and bold to make an inviting and comfortable space. A neutral-toned sofa and armchair introduce contemporary lines while custom draperies add a touch of tradition.

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Layer Neutrals for a Relaxed Look

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

"To give Country French my minimalist spin, I avoid the expected ruffles and plaids and keep it about the painted antiques and white linens," says homeowner and designer Regina Lynch. "In this house, curtains would have been too much, so instead I painted the trim a dark gray for a similar, but cleaner, look." 

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Get the Gallery Look

Photo Robbie Caponetto / Styling Anne Turner Carroll and Fran Keenan

Give a random collection of art pieces museum-worthy treatment by hanging them together on a single wall.

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Accessorize with Historic Elements

Photo by Robbie Caponetto

Use a flat-top trunk as a coffeee table to bring a sense of history to a room. This chocolate-brown piece coordinates with the neutral color scheme of the room, and the nail-head trim is mirrored in the decorative sofa hardware.

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Create Open Space

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

To keep the traffic flow open, pull the furniture away from the walls and into the center of the room―a type of arranging commonly referred to as a “floating furniture plan.” An octagonal ottoman in a bold fabric set on a cowhide rug anchors the arrangement in this room.

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Blend Elegance and Comfort

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Comfortable and formal can go together. Use antiques to anchor your room and then mix in modern touches with bold fabrics, mid-century lighting, and sculptural accessories. Pair silk curtains and mirrored tables with clean-lined upholstery and lots of colorful pillows.

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Use Unexpected Materials

Laurey W. Glenn / Styling Scott Martin

A stone chimney is beautiful, but it’s also expected. The natural horizontal wood paneling around this fireplace ties it together with the built-ins flanking the hearth.

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Mix and Match Patterns

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Matthew Gleason

This living room shows that you don’t need to shy away from bold patterns in a small space. A floral rug and coordinating pillows add color to the space, while an animal-print chair heightens the drama. The herringbone fireplace tile is a nice geometric touch.

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Use Modern Classics

Photography Charles Walton IV / Styling Scott Martin

If  you want a contemporary edge, you can’t go wrong with the modern classics like these white-leather Barcelona chairs and Lucite coffee table.

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Create a Faux Fireplace

Photo: Tria Giovan, Styling: Olga Naiman

Give your living room a focal point by creating a faux fireplace with an antique mantel. This fireplace was set on a rectangular piece of slate as the hearth. .

See this Georgia Row House

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Let the Light In

Photography: Laurey W. Glenn

Short on windows to capture natural light? Replace solid exterior doors with glass ones for an airy feel and pretty views of your yard.

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Pick a Favorite Time Period

Photo: Tria Giovan, Styling: Olga Naiman

This living room was designed to resemble an early-1900s library; the living room contains a wall of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Two large double-hung windows punctuate these built-ins, along with cozy window seats below.

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Let In Lots of Natural Light

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

This living area has floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that fill the room with light. Horizontal mullions in the glass doors are reminiscent of Japanese shoji screens. They complement the space and guide your eye around the room.

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Combine Collectables

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Don’t be afraid to personalize the items you buy. Almost every chair in this room was refinished: Two armchairs were whitewashed, and the blue velvet chair was gilded.

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Know When To Save or Splurge

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling: Heather Chadduck,

This sofa with its supreme comfort, rich color and fabric, and clean lines is definitely a forever piece, so it was worth spending a little more money on. The honeycomb mirror over the fireplace was an inexpensive piece bought at a chain store.

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Embrace Bold Prints

Photography Van Chaplin, Charles Walton IV / Styling Buffy Hargett

Don’t be afraid to fall in love with a bold print. The designer of this living room was inspired by the floral side chair fabric and let it dictate the colors found elsewhere in the room.

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Look for Inspiration in Unexpected Places

Charles Walton IV / styling Todd Childs

This homeowner found inspiration for her walls in a bag of gourmet marshmallows: She used the soft, sophisticated colors to dictate her palette. The plate rack that once showcased antique plates in her parents’ home holds cherished photos.

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Look for Unused Spaces

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Matthew Gleason

This living room is a genius use of often-overlooked space; the upstairs landing was transformed into a small den that makes an inviting, casual family hangout. An upholstered wall softens the space above the built-in bench, while bamboo Chippendale-style chairs and vibrant turquoise Moroccan poufs add plenty of extra seating.

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Add Interest with Decorative Trim

Photography Van Chaplin, Charles Walton IV / Styling Buffy Hargett

The designer of this room added trim to the bottom of a basic sofa to dress it up and used a mix of custom pillows to pull colors from around the room.

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Hold onto Inspiring Samples

Photography Charles Walton IV

Keep a file of your favorite samples and inspirational images even if you can’t afford a makeover yet, or haven’t found the home of your dreams. This homeowner/designer kept all the fabric samples that she loved in a bag until she found the right home to settle in. She'd also been acquiring updated yet traditional pieces for just the kind of collected look she liked.

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Decorate with Memories

Photo: Tria Giovan

Make your living room unique and nostalgic by using heirloom pieces. This homeowner’s great-grandfather owned a bungalow, and he fondly remembers childhood visits to the family home. He filled his own bungalow home with family furniture and one-of-a-kind attic finds.

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Accent with Red

Use bright colors and strong patterns to punctuate an otherwise neutral space. The red accessories in this living room add an energetic punch without overwhelming the area.

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Design for Real-Life Use

Photo: Laurey Glenn, Styling: Matthew Gleason

You don’t have to give up style even in your high-traffic living room. Guests and kids need not reach for coasters before putting drinks down on the distressed coffee table. Scrapes and dings only add to the character of the piece. A patterned area rug is forgiving of spills and dusty feet.

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Get Patriotic

Photo: Roger Davis

You can pull off a patriotic color scheme without being kitsch. Try hints of red with a pretty blue backdrop. Use natural linen instead of bright white.

Bonus Tip! Hide the flat screen. The painting above the fireplace can be rolled along the galvanized metal track, revealing a television.

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Fake a Tall Ceiling

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn / Styling: Anne Turner Carroll

Ceilings look taller when the baseboard and crown molding are the same color as the wall.

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Get Inspired by a Favorite Textile

Photography Van Chaplin, Charles Walton IV / Styling Buffy Hargett

Use a fabric pattern to inspire the color scheme and style of your room. The fabric on these armchairs pulls together the tones of this living room.

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Create a Keeping Room

Photo: Tria Giovan, Styling: Olga Naiman

Since guests typically gather in the kitchen, a keeping room is ideal for overflow and comfort. Keep your furniture comfortable and durable-it is sure to be the most used in your home.

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Display Your Collection to Advantage

Photo: William Waldron

If you have a lot of collections, always keep the base neutral so your displays won’t overwhelm the space. Here, a collection of turquoise lighting elements stands out against the cream walls and plays off of the colors in the large painting.

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Create a Conversation Corner

Laurey W. Glenn, Robbie Caponetto / Styling: Matthew Gleason

If you have space, create a separate, more intimate seating area in your living room for quiet conversations.

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Slipcover in Style

Ready for a change? Washable slipcovers in lighthearted new fabrics perk up old upholstery. 

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Choose a Sunny Palette

Crisp whites combined with punches of bright colors immediately transport you to the coast. In this living room, aqua accents in the pillows, throw, and rug mimic the ocean’s dazzling blues, and the pops of bright orange are inspired by the magnificent hues of the setting sun. Whitewashed horizontal shiplap planking evokes the feel of old Gulf-front beach houses.

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Buy the Whole Bolt

Inspiration for this design struck in the form of a 30-yard bolt of black-and-white- hound’s-tooth fabric that was on sale for an amazing $30. Even after the window treatments, upholstery, and pillows there was plenty of leftover fabric to be used down the road as seat cushions on new finds, lampshades, and even place mats or a tablecloth.

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Achieve Balance

Laurey W. Glenn

Asymmetrical arrangements can be intimidating, but formal symmetry is easy to pull off and adds a calm balance to a room. The simple arrangement above this fireplace is clean and elegant.

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Layer Rugs

Photo: Erica George Dines

Layer a variety of patterned rugs over a neutral sisal rug covering for an exciting floor treatment.

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Add Architectural Interest

Add architectural interest to your living room with a ceiling treatment. The coffered ceiling in the room creates a striking structural feature to the space.

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