15 Decorating Moves to Take Your Living Room to the Next Level
These tricks with furniture, lighting, color and accessories go a long way toward making a space fashionable and comfortable
Laura Gaskill
24 May 2016
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
As the place you go to unwind, chat with friends and family, and entertain, the living room has to walk the line between great style and utter comfort — not always such an easy task. Whether your living room just needs that finishing touch to bring everything together or a bit more help, these 15 decorating ideas can create a space you will be proud to show off and happy to come home to.
1. Get the right-size rug. A plush rug underfoot feels comfortable and welcoming — and when it comes to living room rugs, bigger is definitely better. A rug that all your furniture can sit on is ideal, but at least the front feet of each main piece of furniture should be on the rug. If you already have a too-small rug, you can always layer it on top of a big (less expensive) solid color or natural fiber rug in a neutral hue.
Tip: Most standard-size living rooms can handle an 8-by-10-foot rug, so unless your living room is especially tiny, consider springing for an 8-by-10 (or larger) rug for a really comfortable, finished look. Larger living rooms (like the one shown here) may need a 10-by-12 or even larger rug to properly fill the space.
11 Area Rug Rules and How to Break Them
Tip: Most standard-size living rooms can handle an 8-by-10-foot rug, so unless your living room is especially tiny, consider springing for an 8-by-10 (or larger) rug for a really comfortable, finished look. Larger living rooms (like the one shown here) may need a 10-by-12 or even larger rug to properly fill the space.
11 Area Rug Rules and How to Break Them
2. Customize your shelving. A wall of shelving, whether custom-built or free-standing, is useful and makes a design statement. Floor-to-ceiling shelving also works surprisingly well in a small space since one large, perfectly fitting piece makes a room look more spacious and less cluttered than multiple smaller pieces would.
Tip: Consider adding a mix of open shelves and closed cabinets, so you can hide items that are less attractive (like a video game system) behind closed doors. If you are using free-standing shelving, be sure to have it properly anchored to the wall for safety.
3. Hang a low pendant. An oversize pendant light makes a welcome change from the usual mix of floor lamps and flush-mount ceiling fixtures. Hanging the light low over the coffee table creates a warm and convivial conversation area that beckons people to sit and stay awhile.
Tip: If you like to frequently rearrange your living room furniture, a low-hanging pendant light is probably not the best choice. No one wants to run into a random light fixture while trying to traverse the room!
How to Get the Pendant Light Right
Tip: If you like to frequently rearrange your living room furniture, a low-hanging pendant light is probably not the best choice. No one wants to run into a random light fixture while trying to traverse the room!
How to Get the Pendant Light Right
4. Style up surfaces. A mix of three elements — flat, vertical and organic — is what you need to create arrangements that go above and beyond the usual stack of books. Try this formula to style surfaces like console tables, shelves and coffee tables.
- Flat: Books, trays, platters, textiles
- Vertical: Framed art, vases, sculptures
- Organic: Flowers, plants, driftwood, stones, shells
5. Try a new sofa shape. The shape of your sofa sets the tone for the living room. Higher, more structured sofas (like the chesterfield) are generally more formal, while lower, squishier sofas tend to give a more laid-back vibe. Low modular sofas (like the one shown here) are perfect for lounging and can be reconfigured to suit the activity. You could face them all one direction for movie night, for example, but turn them to create multiple conversation areas for a party.
Sofa: Living Divani
Sofa: Living Divani
6. Give your old couch a new look. Instead of splashing out on an all-new sofa, you could give your old couch a makeover instead. Check with the manufacturer to see if any slipcovers are made for it; if not, you can hire someone locally to create a custom slipcover for you. Or, for a really quick change, take a gorgeous textile (like a Moroccan wedding blanket) and drape and tuck it over the back of your couch.
7. Save floor space with sconces. Actually, sconces do more than save floor space: During a party, when you want to create a moodier atmosphere, direct the sconces to shine on your artwork and bump up the light elsewhere with candles.
8 Ways to Use Plug-In Sconces to Improve Your LIghting Scheme
7. Save floor space with sconces. Actually, sconces do more than save floor space: During a party, when you want to create a moodier atmosphere, direct the sconces to shine on your artwork and bump up the light elsewhere with candles.
8 Ways to Use Plug-In Sconces to Improve Your LIghting Scheme
8. Tighten up the color palette. A well-defined color scheme can make your living room look cleaner, more organized and intentionally designed. Decide on one background neutral color, one feature color and a smaller accent hue, then get to work ridding your space of any items that don’t fit within your selections.
Tip: Take a photo of your living room to get a fresh perspective. When you look at the photo, the colors present in your living room will be more apparent.
Wall color: Van Deusen Blue, Benjamin Moore
Browse palettes and more Houzz color guides
Tip: Take a photo of your living room to get a fresh perspective. When you look at the photo, the colors present in your living room will be more apparent.
Wall color: Van Deusen Blue, Benjamin Moore
Browse palettes and more Houzz color guides
9. Trick out your console table. A console table is good on its own, but it can be even better with a few smart additions: a pair of stools below for extra seating, drawers (with drawer dividers) to stash mail and other necessities, an art wall and pottery for visual interest, and a light to shine down on it all.
Tip: If your front door opens into the living room, you can adopt the console as a stand-in entryway. Just swap the stools for storage cubes that can double as shoe storage and extra seats.
Tip: If your front door opens into the living room, you can adopt the console as a stand-in entryway. Just swap the stools for storage cubes that can double as shoe storage and extra seats.
10. Reinvent your bar cart. Just because it’s called a bar cart doesn’t mean it must hold a bar! Swap out the glassware and bottles for a lamp, art and books. Or turn yours into a tea trolley or a spot for your record player and a stack of your favorite vinyl. Use your creativity, and put your cart to work for whatever little odds and ends need a home.
See one bar cart’s spirited spruce-up
See one bar cart’s spirited spruce-up
11. Go to the dark side. One charcoal or black wall is enough to bring your room into focus, without overwhelming the space. Bonus: If you paint the wall behind your flat screen a really dark hue, it will make your TV do a disappearing act.
Tip: True black can look too stark, but a deep charcoal gray “reads” as black without quite the same intensity. And if your black accent wall still looks a little too dark, put a bulkier piece of furniture in front of it to offset the drama.
More guides to decorating with black
Tip: True black can look too stark, but a deep charcoal gray “reads” as black without quite the same intensity. And if your black accent wall still looks a little too dark, put a bulkier piece of furniture in front of it to offset the drama.
More guides to decorating with black
12. Layer textures. If your living room still just doesn’t feel quite finished, texture could be the issue. Adding in layers of texture is often what gives a room that livable, comfortable feeling. Mix and match from these textures to complete your living room:
- Soft: Knit throw or pouf, cashmere blanket, mohair throw, velvet pillow covers, faux fur
- Natural: Handmade ceramics, driftwood, stones, raw wood, burl wood
- Shiny: Glass vases, mirrored surfaces, shiny metal, Lucite
- Rough: Linen, burlap, natural fiber rugs such as jute or sisal, sea grass or wicker furniture
- Smooth: Leather pouf, leather sofa or chair, polished wood
13. Pull up a window seat. If you have a window in your living room that doesn’t have any furniture near it, consider this an opportunity for a decorating moment.
Pull an armchair, settee or daybed up to the window, then add a potted plant, cozy throw and a spot to set a drink. Your neglected corner may just become your new favorite seat!
Pull an armchair, settee or daybed up to the window, then add a potted plant, cozy throw and a spot to set a drink. Your neglected corner may just become your new favorite seat!
14. Expand the space with a massive mirror. A large mirror is, in essence, like adding another window to your room, making your living room feel lighter and more spacious. Boost the effect even more by positioning plants or a lamp in front of the mirror to reflect greenery and amplify the light.
How to Use Mirrors for More Light and Style
How to Use Mirrors for More Light and Style
15. Take the focus off the TV. If your room has a beautiful fireplace, let that be the focal point. And if your living room is the only space where you can put the flat screen, position it to the side on a swivel mount, rather than above the mantel. That way you can still comfortably watch TV when you want, but when it’s not in use, the screen can step back from center stage.
More: Decorating 101: How to Start a Decorating Project
More: Decorating 101: How to Start a Decorating Project
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in my opinion, the television should never go above the fireplace. it is too high. Also, if you must do this, make the tv same size or smaller than the fire place below it. When the TV is larger that the box below, it looks like the tv will topple over. It is best to place it on the side at eye level and try not to make it a focus of the room.
The tv can definitely go above a fireplace. Just put it on an articulating attachment. If it feels too high,, it can tilt slightly downward. Just about everyone watches tv, why relinquish it to a side status. To me it looks too busy with the large tv to the side of the pretty fireplace. Too much going on! Love the colors in the living room though. Maybe there could be a mix of black white and blue so the tv wouldn’t seem so foreign in the space.