A living room is one of the most important spaces in a person’s home. It should be a sanctuary of relaxation and comfort. A place where you can sit back and relax after a long day at work or during those cold rainy or snowy days.
In order for you to fully enjoy your living space, it’s important that it is decorated the way you want it to be. Interior designs for living rooms are endless and choosing the right ones can be difficult.
Whether you want a complete refurbish or just want to freshen up your lounge to give it a bit of life, we’ve got some great decorating ideas for living rooms that will help you reach your desired atmosphere.
From living room furniture ideas to simple styling tips, we’re going to share some key items that could make all the difference in your living space no matter what the square footage or the budget you have.
Comfortable Recliners
Recliners are often overseen pieces of furniture that are not only stylish and comfortable, but also extremely practical. There are various different types of recliners available today, from regular recliners to wall hugger recliners and even loveseat recliners if you have the space.
Aside from the fact that they now come in all shapes and sizes, they also come in a variety of designs. You can now choose between different types of upholstery, for example, leather, cotton, and polyester.
Leather adds a level of both class and a feeling of comfort to a room. You can also choose PU leather models such as the Esright Massage Recliner.
Other leather models include the Teyana Recliner Club Chair and the Divano Roma Furniture Plush Bonded Power Electric Recliner. Many of these designs come in various colors meaning that now, you can choose your recliner based on the current design of your living space.
Aside from adding a level of comfort and class to your living space, these pieces of furniture are extremely functional and are particularly handy for those who are less mobile or who suffer from a variety of health conditions, for example, those with heart problems or sleep apnea.
Also, if you’re looking for living room furniture ideas, recliners are great because they come compatible with a variety of other products that can enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home.
Functional Ottomans
An ottoman is a low seat that can also be used as a footstool. It does not have back or armrests and can be used for a variety of other purposes depending on your personal preferences.
Ottomans are not just aesthetically pleasing tools that add a level of comfort to your living room. Today, they come with lids that can be lifted or removed in order to store objects inside of them.
Aside from the fact that ottomans come in a variety of colors and materials, they are also often sold as a set with a recliner or sofa.
Take the Fjords Mustang Recliner, for example. The higher end and slightly more expensive model comes in a choice of numerous colors and is made of real leather.
While this ottoman does not come with additional storage capabilities, it is made of real leather and can be used as both a leg rest and a stool for when friends and family are with you.
Stylish Recliner Covers
Because recliner covers, also known as slips, come in an unlimited choice of colors, you can really brighten up a room by adding one to your living spaces. This is especially true if your recliner has more of a neutral tone.
Classic models such as the Pulaski Montreal Coffee Fabric Lift Chair would benefit from standard colors such as a different tones of brown whereas darker models such as the U-MAX Power Lift Recliner would look great with a brighter color such as turquoise or red.
These covers also come designed in different materials that not only complement the textures and tones already in your living room, but also add an extra level of comfort to your space.
Slips can either cover the entirety of the chair or simply cover the areas that come in contact with your body, for example, the backrest, seat, and armrests. The latter are perfect if you want to showcase your original armchair while also adding a touch of color to your home decor.
If your home is quite flat and needs brightening up, adding a cover that is textured or patterned may be exactly what you need. You could even buy multiple designs in order to freshen things up around your home on a regular basis.
Functional Recliner End Tables
Aside from covers, you can also purchase recliner end tables, also known as recliner trays. These functional tables come in all sorts of different shapes and colors, and can be made in a variety of materials to suit your living room decor.
If you’re looking for living room furniture ideas that are practical and will make your space more aesthetically pleasing then small side tables could be just what you need to complement your recliners, chairs, or sofas.
From plastic to wood, and even metal, you can find a model that will suit your interior decor down to a T. If you are going for more of a classy and contemporary feel for your living space, metal frame side tables with glass tops always look very elegant.
On the other hand, wooden models can make a room look more homely and these go perfectly with a variety of more traditional looking recliners, for example, the Homelegance 9668BLK-1 Glider Reclining Chair.
Wooden side tables also go perfectly with softer materials such as suede or other similar materials such as soft polyester or microfiber materials.
Elegant Coffee Table
When it comes to decorating ideas for your living room, it’s important that you don’t forget about your coffee table. Coffee tables can make a room more inviting. They can also be used as additional storage if they come with shelves underneath.
Most importantly, they can be used to make a room look much larger than it is. If you have a small home, opting for a coffee table that has a glass top with thin metal accents can make all the difference.
Choosing a coffee table that is made of clear glass or plastic and comes with the same material legs can make it seem like there is more white space in a room. Remember, if you suffer from a lack of space, you could purchase a coffee table that doubles up as an ottoman as well.
Statement Sofas
A sofa can make a serious statement in any space. If you’re looking for decorating ideas for your living room, then starting with your sofa could be your best bet. As with recliners, these pieces of furniture come in all sorts of materials and colors.
When choosing the best sofa for your living room you should keep three factors in mind, design, size, and most importantly, comfort- after all, the whole point of buying a sofa is to be able to relax at the end of the day with your family and friends, right?
But, you’ll be happy to know that many sofas now come equipped with the same functionalities as recliners. They look like your run of the mill models but have the ability to recline, massage, and even heat up. Many often come with cup holders and remote controls.
The Ashley Furniture Signature Design Hogan Oversized Recliner, for example, comes in the choice of a press back chaise, a recliner, a recliner loveseat, as well as a recliner sofa.
It is among the most padded and comfortable models, and would enhance the aesthetic appeal of virtually any traditional or contemporary home decor.
When looking for living room inspiration, we suggest you consider your furniture first as it will most likely be the boldest and largest part of your living room.
While some people can really pull off brighter colors or bolder patterns, opting for more subtle tones could leave you with more opportunities to redecorate in the future without having to change all the furniture in your home again.
Also, by opting for more subtle tones, you can accessorie with small yet vibrant decorative pieces that can be moved from one room to another as and when you choose in order to freshen up the interior design in your home.
Chaise Lounge
A chaise lounge adds a huge amount of attitude to a room. It is a great way to add a feminine side to a living space and is one of the best decorating ideas for any living room to which you want to add a bit of a wow factor too.
Aside from the fact that you’ll be adding extra seating space to your living area, you’ll also make the room look bigger. Because chaise lounges usually don’t have backs they do not fragment the space and therefore keep it open, allowing more natural light to come in.
Also, if you have an open plan living room and dining area or kitchen area, a chaise lounge is a great way to divide a room without closing it off completely. These chair like sofas come in a huge variety of design, colors, and materials.
Patterned Rugs
Rugs can add a lot of color to a living room especially if they come with bold and bright patterns. The easiest way to add subtle color to a room is to do it on the floor as it is not the first place peoples’ eyes fall.
These bold rugs are perfect to play up neutral furniture and do not need that many additional accessories to make a room really stand out. Adding a rug to your home is also a sure fire way to make it look more comfortable and welcoming.
Whether patterned or not, the texture of a rug is much softer than hardwood or ceramic. Having a rug will also absorb some of the impact your footsteps make on the floor, thus reducing the amount of noise in your living space.
When it comes to the interior design of a living room, consider how your space makes people feel when they walk into it. A rug makes a space feel grounded. It can help anchor the furniture in a room, making it cozy and intimate.
Choose a rug that is large enough for all the legs of your furniture to sit on it. This should include your sofa, recliner, and coffee table. By keeping your floor bare, it may feel like the furniture is floating.
Additionally, if you read up on feng shui, you’ll know that an area rug can slow down the energy that flows through your living room. This is very important if you want your living room to be a sanctuary that represents peace.
Lamps And Living Room Lighting
If you’re looking for some living room inspiration, why not add some decorative lamps to the mix. From hanging lamps to corner ones, and those that sit on end tables, the opportunities when it comes to the lighting in your room are endless.
There are three types of lighting, these are ambient, task, and accent. Ambient lighting is the overhead lighting used to illuminate the room. Task lighting has a specific task in mind, for example, lighting up a reading corner.
On the other hand, accent lighting is designed to illuminate a specific object, for example, a painting. Adding these three types of lighting in your living room will add a level of dimension to your room. In fact, it may make it look larger, a great trick if you have a small home.
Dimming lights are great ambient lights as you can change the mood in the room based on the event and the people you are with. If you want to read a book in the evening, you may find that dimmed lighting to set a relaxed ambiance with a task light on your area is your best option.
On the other hand, if you like hosting friends for evening drinks or events, having task lights will allow you to put more emphasis on the decorative pieces in your home. Task lights could be great for lighting the corners of your room, and dimmed lights would ensure there is no glare.
Textured And Colorful Cushions
Cushions can make a huge difference to your living room. Aside from giving you a sense of comfort and warmth, cushions can pull together the various pieces of furniture in your room, offering it harmony and order.
Today, choosing cushions that come with patterns or textures are very popular. There is one rule that most designers would agree with and that is to never match cushions with your sofa fabric. Avoid a printed sofa with the same printed cushions as it’ll make your sofa area look very flat.
As a rule of thumb, we suggest you opt either for a printed sofa with block colored cushions or a block colored sofa with printed cushions. This technique adds color and texture to your room. Contrast is key to bringing your room alive.
You should choose the color of your cushions wisely. Often, people choose different colors for their sofas, curtains, coffee tables, paintings, and even lampshades.
With this in mind, selecting the color and texture of your cushions based on the colors already present in your living room, you may be able to reduce some of the chaos.
As a rule of thumb, choose a color that already exists in your room and make sure that all your cushions either match or complement each other. Lastly, consider the number of cushions your living room needs.
We suggest you opt for up to 5 cushions for a 3 seater sofa, up to 4 cushions for a 4 seater, and only 1 cushion for a one-seater sofa.
Sheer Curtains
While having heavy fabric curtains can be great to keep in the heat while also offering you a little more privacy, sheer curtains are a great way to let in light. They’re also perfect if you live in an area of the world that is tropical and where the light can be blinding.
Sheer curtains are especially great for homes with tall ceilings as they can accentuate the height of your home further. In this case, we suggest you mount the curtain rail approximately a foot from the windows.
Additionally, sheer curtains are perfect for homes with lots of windows and doors. They’re the perfect way to keep your home private while letting the natural light from the sun shine through. These types of curtains can be bought in various colors and patterns.
It is very popular today to layer various curtains made of different fabric in order to not only add color to a room, but also change the mood of your space based on the mood you want to set.
Decorative Storage
There are various ways you can use the storage mechanisms in your home as decor. If you’re looking for living room furniture ideas, you may want to start simple. Wicker baskets and other types of wooden storage are great for making a room look warm, welcoming and comfortable.
They can also be stored under a coffee table or end table so that they don’t take up any space in your living room. On the other hand, you could also opt for decorative shelving. This is especially true if you have a larger home.
With a larger home, you can dedicate a whole wall to shelving units, highlighting it as a decorative piece rather than just a functional one.
You can also buy shelving units that are more decorative and then load them up with brightly colored fabric boxes to hide all the bits and pieces around your home that you do not find aesthetically pleasing.
Large Mirrors
Large mirrors are beautiful pieces, especially over fireplaces or mantle pieces. While you can choose between a multitude of designs now available, opting for a silver or gold model is a very bold option that will add a level of timeless class to your living room.
On the other hand, full-length mirrors are great for creating the illusion of space in your home and are, therefore, perfect if you have a smaller living area.
If you’re looking for some living room inspiration, you could also look at more eye-catching designs such as those with very geometrical shapes.
Many would suggest that you only have one or maybe two mirrors in your home, but why would you stop there? You could create an entire display of mirrors like you would a gallery wall with images or paintings.
Finally…
If you are looking for living room furniture ideas, the options outlined above all come in a variety of designs and can help make your living room more practical and functional.
The decor of your living space should depend on the size of the room you have, the number of people that live in your home, whether or not you have children or pets, and of course the ambiance you want to set.
Above all, always remember to choose the decor and furniture in your lounge with comfort in mind as it is most likely going to be a place where you relax, entertain guests, or spend time with your loved ones.
Resources:
WebMD
ExplainThatStuff
