Here are the best living room decorating ideas all in one place. It’s a guidebook for decorating your living room from the floor to the ceiling and from wall to wall. Let’s decorate YOUR living room!
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Best Living Room Decorating Ideas is part of the StoneGable series EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT… I hope you are enjoying these guidebook-type post that contains tons of information all in one convenient place. Make sure to pin this post to refer to over and over again!
Let’s talk living rooms…
Your living room (and family room) is a gathering place. It’s probably multifunctional and used for family and company alike!
Today I’m helping you decorate your living room with lots of the best ideas and tips.
Let’s work on the outline of the living room and work in…
WALLS, CEILINGS, AND FLOORS
Walls give definition to our living room space. If you have a living room or family room with at least three walls then knowing where your room begins and ends is easy!
If you have a more open concept like me you will have to define your space with furnishings instead of walls.
Just remember, a living room, no matter how many walls are around it needs to be a defined area. If not it will seem ambiguous and confusing!
PAINT
Paint! That word seems to enlist fear and trepidation to the home decor enthusiast! Don’t let worry about painting a room cause you angst! I’ve got this so you do too!
My best advice is to paint your living room the same color as the rest of your home. It’s much easier than trying to coordinate different colors in a home to work together! Choosing one color for the rooms in your home creates an automatic flow between rooms. Instant and effortless pretty!
Because I’m advising you to paint your room (and home) the same color I’m also suggesting you pick a neutral!
Our whole home is painted Simply White by Benjamin Moore.
We don’t have to be trendy when it comes to our wall color! Well, actually neutrals are big and on-trend right now! But, when they fade into the decor distance I’ll still be telling you to create color in your home in other ways, NOT on your walls!
See 6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT PAINT. It is a very helpful resource and will demystify painting your home!
CEILING
Ceilings are prime real estate in a living room! I love to see a gorgeous architectural treatment to a ceiling that is on the tall side or that is vaulted or cathedral. Think about crown molding too!
If you go the crown molding route make sure it has a presence. Shrimpy and skimpy crown molding is worse than none at all!
However, if you have standard 8-foot ceilings keep them plain. And paint them white. White will expand them and make them seem taller! Painting them color or adding a ceiling treatment usually calls too much attention to a lower height ceiling! I think the exception here is crown molding. Just don’t make it too heavy!
Our ceiling in the living room is vaulted. The slanted design is interesting enough by itself.
FLOORS
There are lots of option for a living room floor. Here are just a few…
- wall to wall carpeting
- wood flooring
- engineered flooring
- luxury vinyl tile
- tile floors
- painted floors
My best advice is to use the same flooring as the rest of your home. It will help the flow from one room to another. Just like we talked about in the painting section!
AREA RUGS
Area rugs can add another layer of interest, texture, warmth and define a living space.
Even if you have a low pile wall-to-wall carpet a nice area rug on top of the carpet and add a punch of decor WOW! But a word of caution, the wall to wall rug pile must be very low and so must the area rug!
I’ve had so many requests for the source for the living room rug. You can see it HERE. It is really even prettier in real life.
The most important thing to keep in mind when using area rugs is the size. Too small and the whole room will look off!
Here’s a good rule of thumb for area rugs in a living room… the main furniture in your living room like your sofa, coffee table, and chairs should all be touching an area rug! And the at least the front legs of your sofa and chairs should be on the area rug.
Also, there should be at least a few inches of flooring showing around the perimeter of a room when using an area rug.
I’ve seen too many home decorators like me (guilty) who want to save a money and opt for a smaller rug. Instead of saving money, they have created a decorating problem.
Always choose the right rug size for your room!
CURTAINS
Your curtains can make a room look dated or fresh! Think simple, simple, simple! A plain straight curtain looks in style and updated. And so does a window with no curtains at all!
Hang curtains as high on the wall as you can. Here is a curtain mantra to decorate by…
HANG THEM HIGH AND SWING THEM LOW
Not only hang them high but let them touch the floor. A nice pant crease or even a puddle looks good too.
Blinds in natural materials such as rattan look amazingly nice and add lots of texture to a living room.
Heavy drapes with lots of layers and trim are too heavy for today’s look.
LAYOUT
There are so many ways a living room can be laid out. It really depends on the shape and measurements of the room.
Here are a few decorating ideas and tips that will help you with the layout of your living room…
- Know the measurements of your living room! It is the best place to start.
- Create a focal point. See HOW TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL FOCAL POINT IN A ROOM
- Create balance. See WHAT IS BALANCE IN DECORATING
- Don’t overcrowd a room. I think this is a big mistake by many home decorators! Less is really best! See WHAT IS PROPORTION AND SCALE IN DECORATING
- Don’t put all your furniture up against the wall. If you have room “float” a piece or two. Your whole room will look so much better.
- Allow for about 30 inches between furniture to walk through
- And allow about 15 inches between furniture like sofas and coffee tables
- The distance between a chair/sofa and an accent table should be comfortable enough to get a drink on the table.
One important thing to remember is to try arranging your living room different ways and live with each arrangement for a while until you hit on the arrangement that is perfect for your home.
BEST IDEAS FOR FURNITURE IN A LIVING ROOM
When it comes to furnishing a living room there are a couple things that are important to keep in mind! You need to know how the room will be used, who will be primarily using it and what decor style you will use in the room.
Answer these questions BEFORE you begin decorating! If you have already decorated your living room it is not too late. Just answer these questions truthfully and start from there!
FOUNDATIONAL FURNITURE
Foundational furniture are pieces that are of primary importance to the function of the room. So we are talking about sofas, chairs, coffee tables, etc!
These are your functional furnishings!
Foundational furniture include…
- sofa
- chairs
- coffee table
- end table
- cabinets
- bookshelves
- armoire
- table
- tv
I like to think of them as the “bones of decor” in a room. These are the first things you should put in a living room!
Placement is key. As I said earlier, many home decorators try to stuff too many things in a room. Every room needs space to breathe! Remember that and make it your mantra when decorating!
You might want to see LESS IS BEST DECORATING.
Start with the biggest piece of furniture first like the sofa and larger case pieces. Remember don’t crowd your living room with too much furniture!
One of the design elements all home decorators should know about is space! It may sound simple but it’s not really! So I’ve broken down this must-know interior design concept into doable actions! You can see HOW TO USE SPACE IN DECORATING HERE.
ACCENT FURNITURE
I love accent furniture! It is fun! Accent furniture is furnishings that is often more form than function.
These furniture pieces can be more playful and show off your style and flair. Yes, it does have a function but these pieces complement your room’s style.
Here are some examples of accent furniture…
- accent chair
- ottoman
- fireplace screen
- accent table
- bar cart
- benches
LIGHTING
Lighting in a living room is functional and should also enhance the style and beauty of a room.
There are three types of lighting and these pools of light should softly overlap one another to bring light into every corner of a living room.
AMBIENT LIGHTING
Think of ambient lighting as the general lighting in a room. It can be natural or artificial. I often think of big overhead lighting as ambient.
Its purpose is to light up the whole room.
Personally, I am not an overhead lighting girl! I think it is often too harsh.
Make sure all lighting are on dimmers. Dimmers are your best lighting friend!
TASK LIGHTING
Task lighting is lighting to flood an area so you can do a task. In a living room that usually means table lamps or floor lamps. They add a pool of light to one area of a room.
ACCENT LIGHTING
Accent lighting in a living room usually accents art or a bookcase or some specific object. Think recess lighting, track lighting or sconces.
ART
Let’s think of art in broad terms for the living room. But let’s limit it to art on the walls.
Think about…
- pictures
- clocks
- mirrors
- architectural pieces
- more
Art is essential to a living room. It brings personality and beauty to a room. And it also helps our eyes move around and up and down throughout the living room.
Art is very subjective. And it certainly is in the eye of the beholder!
Hang art at a comfortable height of about 57- 60 inches from the floor. And if you are hanging art behind a sofa it should be hung about 10 inches from the top of the back of the sofa.
These are industry suggestions that are tried and true and art looks at its best when hung at these heights.
After saying that, art is very personal and rules are meant to be broken. Get “artsy” and creative and hang art in interesting ways!
I love funky, architectural pieces. These are art to me! So are dishes! Take my lead and get creative with what you hang on your walls!
DECORATIVE ACCENTS
Decorative accents bring life to your living room! And add a big dose of your personality!
Decorating accents are the best living room ideas!
Think about adding…
- pillows
- throws
- plants
- little art objects
- books
- baskets
- lanterns
- clocks
- pottery
- books
- garden stools
- trays
Decorative accents are fun, inexpensive ways to change up the look of your living room! Add YOUR personality into this room by layering lots of decorative accents!
Make sure you check out ACCENT DECORATIONS EVERY HOME NEEDS.
VIGNETTES
One of my favorite living room decorating ideas is to create a vignette! A vignette is a group of decorative objects that show off your personality! They also add a mini focal point to a room!
A vignette is a perfect way to show off the seasons or holidays! They are simple to create and with a few tips, you can add a pretty vignette to your living room!
Here are several posts about creating the perfect vignette for your living room…
HOW TO DECORATE A COFFEE TABLE LIKE A PRO
10 ELEMENTS OF A PERFECT VIGNETTE
THE MAGIC OF TRANSITIONAL VIGNETTES
PILLOW ARRANGEMENTS
Pillows, beautiful pillows! I call them the jewelry of a room! Pillows are all about pretty! And we all love pretty! Make sure your living room is dressed up with some WOW factor pillows!
Pillows are an inexpensive way to totally change the look of a living room!
Here are a few posts to help you choose and arrange pillows…
STYLING A MANTEL
A mantel in a living room is decorating gold!!!!! It is an instant focal point and a surface you will want to decorate!
If you don’t have a mantel think of any horizontal service like a buffet, hutch etc as you would a mantel.
Decorating a mantel is can be a bit frustrating. It’s long and narrow and because it is a focal point it becomes the first things we see when we enter the living room!
However, you can master your mantel with a little designer know-how and a few brilliant tips!
Style your mantel with these helpful posts…
HOW TO DECORATE A MANTEL LIKE A PRO
OTHER THOUGHTS AND IDEAS
Here’s the bottom line when it comes to the best living room decorating ideas…
Create a room that is comfortable, useful, and infused with your own personal style!
Yvonne @ stoneGable
And remember not to SET IT AND FORGET IT! Change up your living room to reflect the seasons to keep it fresh and pretty!
Do you have a tip for decorating a living room you would like to share? Make sure to add it to the comments!
Where did you purchase your curtains for your living room
Mary Ellen you can find these curtains at Ballard Designs
Hi Yvonne ,
I love your decorating ideas and this was a fabulous post . Could you tell me where you purchased your curtains ? They are just perfect !
Thanks !
Yes the curtains are from Ballard Designs.
Could you please tell me where you found the nice spindle chairs in the living room? Love your new home.
Hi Juanita, I found the chairs at Ethan Allen. We got them about 10 years ago.
Where did you buy your sofa? Do you have a favorite store for accent chairs?
I found my sofa at a local store. It is from Smith Brothers. You might like this post about accent chairs. It has lots of sources:https://www.stonegableblog.com/how-to-choose-the-perfect-accent-chair-and-a-giveaway/
Yvonne, did you use the same Simply White on your ceilings? You said to paint them white, so just wondered if you used the same white or one with a different tone. If your walls aren’t white, any suggestions for how to find a complementary white?
The ceilings are a slightly different white. A little more bright white. Hope this helps.
What has been your experience with the jute rug?
I know they are prone to shedding so I worry about that. That jute rug is so pretty.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE jute rugs. I vacuum often so shedding is not much of a problem. They look so pretty
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I can’t seem to tell the difference between a warm or cool color with whites or tans or beige. Please help!
Hi Deb, you might want to see these posts: What you need to know about Beige:https://www.stonegableblog.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-color-beige/ and Can you mix warm and cool colors in decor:https://www.stonegableblog.com/can-you-mix-warm-and-cool-colors-in-decor/ these should help.
Love your living room especially the rug.You have such great light that comes in from those beautiful windows.And yes.the rule of less is more is a good one but sometimes a hard one to stick to !!
Ohhhn how I love all the neutrals and texture !!!
The large area rug …neutral with gray circles… not the jute rug
Could you provide source for that. I absolutely love it
Yes, the link is now in the body of the post. Here it is: https://rstyle.me/+Rjb6yv0_8Ue_sdMraNldYQ
Here you go:https://rstyle.me/+Rjb6yv0_8Ue_sdMraNldYQ
Hello! Can you tell me where you bought the wall clock? Thanks!
Hi Tracee, I got the wall clock ages ago. It was brown and I repainted it. You can see how I did it here:https://www.stonegableblog.com/upscaling-and-rescuing-things-you-love/
I’m sorry, I actually meant the large cream clock with the brown numbers. Would that still be available?
Thanks again!
Sorry Tracee. Look at Ballard Designs. That’s where I got the clock. Hope this helps.
Happy New Year Yvonne! I was just looking for something to read on your blog and ran across this older blog. I have a few questions.
Our living room is our only living space other than the dining room. It’s comfortably big…I’d estimate 16×20. How much seating space should I plan for? Currently, we have two full sized sofas, a leather recliner (matchy matchy with the two sofas – husband’s choice…grrrr, some other design faux pas too, like pointing all of the seating towards the tv…grrr) and a smaller Queen Ann style recliner. We have two solid walls, the other two boundaries are windows and a two story fireplace. This is the wrong furniture for this room and once Covid has settled down, I’m insisting on new furniture. I’m thinking of a smaller scale couch with maybe a chaise and two smaller chairs. We keep our furniture for ions…is this a smart move?
Because it’s our only living space, an 80″ tv dominates one of the walls. I’m working on the fireplace to make it a better focal point, but it’s slow work…we painted it in November, planning a big cedar mantle now. I don’t want the tv and fireplace to compete…any ideas?
New windows are planned in the next few years. We’re thinking of making the 3 35″x6ft windows into a picture window…we live in TX and basically have either winter or summer, not many days to open them and I have 20 other windows in the house…is this a good idea?
Thanks for your input!
Hi Carol,
Can you send me some pictures? stonegable333@gmail.com.
Thanks Yvonne, I will do that once we have a good weather day. It’s so dreary and dark due to thunder storms!
Where can I purchased the 3 door chest and clock located above it? Thank you.
Hi Diane, That is the Curlacue chest by Hooker. I’ve had it for about 7 years and can’t find it online anymore. So sorry!
I love your coffee table in your living room, may I ask where you purchased it.
Thank you for being such a wonderful inspiration and teacher. I had heard all the words before but somehow it never came together insofar as how I could showcase some of the lovely and unique pieces. Your home is beautiful and shows how to maximize the many virtues of neutral. The work you do is very much appreciated; please don’t give up on us when we do not express how helpful you are. We are eagerly awaiting each new post and putting your suggestions into practice!
Yvonne! This is my favorite post! You have incorporated so much valuable information and answered several questions about open concept designs. I am thinking about changing my lights in my open floor plan and not sure if they should all be similar or just focus on each area. I love the bling in chandeliers with prisms but don’t want it throughout my open area. Is there anyway to make them all work together? Lighting is such an expensive addition and there are so many choices! I just get overwhelmed thinking about it!
Hi Cecilia, great question! I’d use one fabulous focal point blingy chandelier and keep the rest of the lighting more subdued! Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tips!! Lovely home. May I ask, where are your jute rugs from and do they shed?
Wonderful information! Easy to follow and put into practice. Your decor is beautiful!
I love your new accent chair! How fun! Your decorating skill never ceases to amaze!
YOu are so dear Marie! I’m cleaning out my linen closet and was researching the best ways to do it for a future post and there was you post! Such great info. Beautiful blog and YOU! Friends, if you are reading this comment please take a minute and see Marie’s great post on cleaning out a linen closet:https://acleanandcozyhome.com/how-to-declutter-a-small-linen-closet/
Where can I get a beautiful round accent table as shown in your living room?
You have a good eye. This table was a big splurge. I knew I could put it almost anywhere in my home! I found it on Hayneedle.
Yvonne,
I love all the changes you’ve made to your living room…simple and gorgeous! I do have to ask, what did you do with your floral accent chair? I adore your leopard Slipper chair, but I also loved your “daisy” chair! Your style makes me want it all! LOL My home is the same size and circa of your build…but I do wish I had one more room to adorn and emulate with your style! Enjoy your new fresh touches!
Blessings,
❤️Beth
Could you please let me know the source of your beautiful area rug? Thank you
Here you go Mary! Go to this like to see it. https://rstyle.me/n/dqj2tbb6by7
Yvonne, I love love love the round table next to your living room slipper chair. Good choice!
Thanks, Lois!
Is the fiddle leaf fig in your living room artificial or a live plant?
Hi Mildred, it is real. It was such a small plant when I first got it and now it huge! It loves living by the window.
Please share a source for your living room rug. Thank you!
Hi Rhonda, you can see it here:https://rstyle.me/+y76CkHqH6v9tYJVdVikieA
I also love your beautiful area rug. When I go to the link provided it takes you to the wayfair site for all the area rugs. I can’t locate your specific one. Is their a more specific link? Thanks.
Here you go Cathy:https://rstyle.me/+Rjb6yv0_8Ue_sdMraNldYQ
I’ll check that. Maybe so many people have gotten it, it is out of stock. I’ll look for another source. Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Cathy, here’s the link:https://rstyle.me/+Rjb6yv0_8Ue_sdMraNldYQ
Could you please tell me the name of the paint you used in the first living room picture of this post? I will soon be switching from a darker wall color to a much lighter and I think this shade will work in my house. Love the look of freshness in all your rooms.
Hi Deb! The wall color is called Sonnet by Benjamin Moore. It’s a really nice light neutral. You can see my paint colors in this post: 6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT PAINT COLOR:
Thank you for such a wonderful blog! Can you share the source for the beautiful, nubby throw on your sofa? I love the texture and playfulness that it adds to your room.
Hi Jane, look for it at the Pottery Barn. I’m not sure they have it anymore. I got it a few years ago.
Thank you for reminding me of the decorating rule “less is more”. I know it well but somehow by the end of summer I need to remove some items and make some changes in my rooms. The holidays will be here before we know it and I like to have a fresh palette before all that decorating begins.
The more I decorate the more I try to stick to the less is more rule. When I look at my pictures I can really tell if I have too much in a room.