108 Living Room Decorating Ideas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

• See the Vibrant Sunroom Makeover

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.

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

• Tour this Sea Island Beach House

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.

• See this Internationally Influenced Great Room

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.

"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."

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

• How To Create Your Own Salon Wall

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.

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.

• See this Cozy Den Redo

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.

• See this Classic Charleston Living Room

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.

• See this Cottage Home

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.

• See this Louisiana Home

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.

• See this Modern Nashville Home

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

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

• See this 1935 Cabin Redo

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.

• See this Georgia Row House

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.

• See this Modern Bungalow

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.

• See this colorful North Carolina Home

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.

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.

• Formal Living Rooms

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.

• See this renovated Alabama Cottage

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.

• See this Louisiana Home

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.

• See this Georgia Mountain Home

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.

• See this Designer’s Cottage

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.

• See this Vintage-Style Cottage Bungalow

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.

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.

• See this Lakeside Cabin Makeover

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.

• See this Country Cottage

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

• See this Restored Farmhouse

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.

• See this Georgia Mountain Home

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.

• See this Georgia Row House

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.

• See this designer’s Virginia Home

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

• See this Coastal Home

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

• See this Inspiring Living Room

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.

• See this Coastal Home

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.

• See this Home Decorated on a Budget

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.

• See this Formal Nashville Home

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

• See this Vintage-Style House

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.

• Take a Virtual Tour of this Mississippi Home

This armchair is re-covered in a botanical print fabric. The legs are painted white to lighten the visual weight of the piece. Tucked into a corner of the living room and paired with a set of nesting tables, the chair is a perfect spot for reading.

Decorating is not like doing the laundry. Lights and darks go together just fine. In fact, they’re made for each other in this living room connected by a large cased opening.

• See this Kentucky Home

Although less than 2,500 square feet, this cottage feels larger because of the homeowners’ clever decision to open up and connect the main living spaces. The family room is also vaulted to reveal the loft space above―yet another way of providing extra volume to a relatively modest space.

• See this Appalachian Style Cottage

This homeowner bucked the “matchy, matchy” rule by placing different end tables and lamps on either side of the sofa in her living room. The mismatch works because, even though one table is a white Asian-inspired look and the other is a black step-like design, both tables are the same height. A sleek brass reading lamp pairs nicely with the simple white table, while a large silver-leaf table lamp fits with the more substantial black table.

• See this DC Apartment

These homeowners wanted to let their guests be the color to their space, so they painted all of the background surfaces, including the brick fireplace, a clean shade of white. A vintage advertisement and an Arkansas license plate hang on the wall. The casual furniture is covered in washable slipcovers for easy cleanup when inevitable spills happen.

• See this Renovated Lake Retreat

If you’re a frequent redecorator, keep the base neutral in order to let accessories really shine. White or off-white walls and slipcovers stay the same even as this homeowner flirts with new obsessions. She tires quickly of things, and has gone through phases with several different colors, so she tries to change things up with pillows and throws.

• See this Designer’s Virginia Home

Draperies do more than block out the sun. Window treatments can transform a room, adding personality and character. These ceiling-to-floor draperies make the space seem taller and more grand.

• See this Formal Nashville Home

To enhance the home’s 9-foot ceilings, these homeowners upgraded to 8-foot-tall doors and 6-foot-tall windows to let in maximum light. They also aligned the doors and windows at the same height to draw the eye up and create the illusion of more space.

• See this Pre-Fab Coastal Cottage

Flip tradition and paint your ceiling a bright color while leaving your walls white. Bring the color down into the space with coordinating accessories like window-coverings and pillows.

• See this Pre-Fab Coastal Cottage

Tortoise and conch shells accessorize this coastal living room, while starfish adorn the mantel. Books on South Carolina’s coastal area lie stacked on the coffee table and topped with shells. Vases of palm fronds simply picked up from outside complete the tropical decor.

• See this Coastal-Style Cottage

Everything this home can work in most any room in their house. Everything in the living room—the sofa, two club chairs, and two armchairs—has lived and functioned in other areas of the home. The style continuity is part of this home’s peaceful, tranquil feeling.

• See this Classic Southern Home

Repeating patterned fabrics in adjoining spaces is a great way to tie them together. Here, the dining chair upholstery is repeated in accent pillows on the living room sofa.

• See this Traditional Great Room

Over this fireplace, a painting by the homeowner’s aunt provides playful color inspiration. Its coral hues are repeated in fabrics and accessories. Wallpaper remnants are placed inside the built-in glass cabinets to hide DVDs and toys and provide an inexpensive style fix.

• See this 1920’s Home

Anchor a room with a traditional rug and accessories, and then juxtapose them with modern art for a fresh feel. The hues of this heirloom rug play off of the colors of the bottle-cap portrait above the fireplace.

• See this Elegant Charleston Single House

These homeowners flanked the hearth with an additional bookshelf designed to accommodate the television.

• See this Great Room