Living Room Interior Design (75+ photos)

Traditionally, the living room has been a place to receive guests. But in modern houses in this room you can often find the owners themselves, who relax after a working day in front of the TV, read books from the home library or spend time with their families. To create a favorable environment for any type of activity, you need to take into account many aspects of the design of the living room, which will be discussed in this article.

First of all, you should start by choosing a style. This is an extremely important stage: the design of the whole house depends on it, the center of which is considered to be the living room. Weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of space, the area, the location of the windows, the height of the ceiling, as well as the layout, to stay at the ideal option.

Modern design must follow the needs of the times, and if some style lags behind this rule, it will be modified. That is why the classic in the form in which it was seen by aristocrats of past centuries is rarely found today - it is impractical, prohibitively expensive and difficult to implement. What should be emphasized in such interiors is comfort, quality materials, high-quality furniture, noble decor, as well as a sense of spaciousness.

It is recommended to choose a classic style for living rooms with a large area or, as an option, combined with the kitchen. A prerequisite is large-scale windows that let in enough light to emphasize the natural colors, texture of textiles and the noble texture of wood, which serves as an important component.

Furniture items should create some kind of compositional integrity. In the center there is usually a sofa and several armchairs that are arranged around a coffee table. Often in the interior of a living room in a classic style you can find a fireplace - real or decorative. But you should be more careful with the equipment, possibly hiding it behind the front of the cabinet.

This style has common features with the classics, but differs from it in its decorative simplicity, pastel colors and light provincial charm. Despite the fact that Provence came to us from French villages and is more often used in the interiors of country houses, today it is becoming more and more relevant in the space of urban apartments.

Style gravitates to everything natural, therefore, together with light and spaciousness, you need to “weave” as many natural materials as possible into the design of the living room. Wooden furniture with antique plaque, which is painted with white paint, as well as linen or cotton textiles look the most harmonious. Small trinkets, such as ceramic vases, figurines, family photographs, only emphasize the cozy atmosphere.

Being the exact opposite of the above styles, minimalism sacrifices decorativeness as a sacrifice of practicality, resulting in the formation of a kind of “silent” aesthetics of shapes and lines. If the classics do not differ in their condescension to interior flaws, then modern trends tend to hide or transform them.

The color scheme consists mainly of several neutral colors close to the natural palette: white, black, gray, brown. More often than in other styles, glass and metal are used. But the minimalist interior of the living room cannot be called uncomfortable or cold, just as means of expression is the geometry of objects, texture of materials, light and space.

It is amazing how non-residential space has become a popular place to live. The loft originated in the inhospitable walls of abandoned industrial buildings, but today it can be found in modern comfortable apartments.

The initial conditions of the living room for interior design in the loft style are of key importance. It is desirable that the brickwork of the walls, which are brought to the fore, look neat, otherwise you will have to spend energy to create the desired texture. Not the least role is played by the layout, which should be as open as possible. A great option if the living room is combined with the kitchen or bedroom.

In such a room, it is necessary to arrange a large number of seats: leather sofas and antique chairs that would line up around the coffee table. The priority is modular furniture with a simple geometric design, as well as unique decorative elements, such as posters, figures, art objects.

Functional minimalism with subtle features of a traditional Swedish house is perhaps the way to describe the Scandinavian style, which is gaining popularity today. A room decorated according to its principles will be cozy in winter, cool in summer, but always comfortable.

It may seem to some that the interior of the Scandinavian-style living room looks sterile - mainly because of the white color, which, like snow, “covers” almost the entire space. But it’s worth adding wooden furniture, fluffy carpets, paintings or a fireplace to the room, as this inhospitable whiteness “comes to life”, giving way to a feeling of cleanliness and spaciousness.

The mood and character of the interior always depends on the color scheme. But even with one shade it can be difficult to determine, not to mention a harmonious combination. Consider the most common options for design living room.

Some housewives may claim that white is a very impractical color, on which the first traces of dirt are immediately noticeable. But, firstly, this indicator depends on the material, and secondly, from the point of view of color, it is considered a universal option for design.

White in the living room can be used as the main motive or serve as a backdrop for bright details. Moreover, it is the key color of Provence, Scandinavian style, and is also often found in minimalistic interiors.

A stylish solution for which shades of the same color are taken. Living room with this approach does not look boring or faceless, as it might seem at first glance. We will only say that one violet has about 50 shades, for the use of which one room will not be enough.

To create accents in the design of the living room, you can take one or more bright colors that stand out against the background of more muted. For example, the contrast of furniture and walls, pillows and a sofa, several types of finishes.

Pastel shades - a fashionable design approach that allows you to diversify the color of the interior, while not oversaturated with bright colors. Often used in Provence or modern solutions, creating a romantic, calm mood.

One of the main trends of this year is a return to nature, which implies the use of natural materials in the interior design of the living room and, accordingly, the most natural range for humans: green, sand, shades of wood, gray, blue.

Despite the fact that each style provides its own requirements for decorating the living room, several recommendations will help determine the choice of a practical and aesthetic option.

As a floor covering, it is better to use finishing materials resistant to external influences, the purity of which is easy to monitor.The most budgetary, universal options - parquet or linoleum. If the living room is combined with the kitchen, you need to think about a solution that is suitable for two zones at once. However, in the relaxation room the floor is often covered with carpet, which hides design flaws.

For wall coverings in the living room, in addition to decorative ones, specific requirements are rarely advanced. Smooth plain walls are the perfect backdrop to fill the space. If you need to diversify it, then the wallpaper has a wide variety of colors, textures and patterns. Using decorative plaster, you can imitate natural materials, and a panel coating is able to "revive" the interior. If you can not stop on one option, they can be combined.

Much depends on the height of the ceiling - if it is more than three meters, you can think about suspended structures that are used to install built-in lighting, cover surface imperfections, zoning and create a unique look. In other cases, it will be enough just a smooth light coating.

The choice of the content of the living room is related to its size, number of inhabitants and their needs. But traditionally it includes a sofa, one or more armchairs, a coffee table, as well as a wall. They form the compositional center of the space, and the rest of the furniture is optionally added.

Often the room includes cabinets or shelves with books - a kind of home library. With an open plan, the dining room table may be located in the living room, but it belongs to the dining area, separated, for example, by a sofa.

The design of objects depends on the chosen style. Classics are characterized by glass facades of cabinets or doors with frames, soft sofas on curved legs with textile upholstery. Opposing him, minimalism prefers smooth smooth facades, which often form a monolithic structure, more mundane furniture, as well as modular models.

When arranging furniture, you need to pay attention to the geometry of the room. With a square layout of the living room, the main furniture ensemble is placed in the center, and with a rectangular layout along the walls, to make room for movement.

It is difficult to provide specific recommendations regarding the decor, because, as is the case with furniture, a lot depends on the chosen style. We will only mention a few elements in the interior that have wide decorative capabilities.

Firstly, curtains - these pieces of fabric not only hide you from prying eyes, but also create the comfort of a living space. You can stop on a transparent curtain, pick up massive textiles with lambrequins or buy Roman curtains.

Bright pillows look stylish against the background of the monochrome gamut of the rest of the space or a carpet with geometric patterns. The living room is an ideal place for a fireplace, not necessarily a real one - today you can purchase or make beautiful imitations yourself.

Along with the paintings, one should not forget about the shelves that can be decorated with figures, framed photographs or flowers. And don't forget, the more plants, the better, especially in polluted cities.

It’s unlikely to add additional square meters to a small living room, but everyone can improve the situation with a little tricks. So, if you want to visually increase the space, you should:

- Choose a light palette that does not create borders, but fills the room with light;
- Stop on light curtains or completely abandon them;
- Choose compact furniture and arrange it in accordance with the geometry of the room;
- Use hanging shelves instead of bulky cabinets;
- Limit yourself to a small number of decorative elements, leaving a place “for air”.

Following these recommendations will turn your "small" living room into a "compact" and "comfortable".

We made a photo selection of real projects to demonstrate the possibilities of modern design of living rooms and inspire you to transform your space. Enjoy watching!