108 Living Room Decorating Ideas
Coastal Lowcountry Living Room
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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Mix Up the Seating
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
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
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
"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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.