Best Living Room Decorating Ideas
In this post: get the best living room decorating ideas. Let’s start at the ceiling and work our way down to the floors covering everywhere in between.
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!
Decorating a living room is a thoughtful and creative process. It is a mix of science and art and your unique style. A living room is a gathering place for family, friends, and guests. And a sanctuary for quiet activities like reading. Your living room and family room is a multifunctional place and knowing the best decorating ideas will help it to not only look attractive but function its best too.
Today I’m helping you decorate your living room with lots of the best ideas and tips.
Let’s work on the outline and floor plan of the living room and then 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. for open-concept homes defining a space is about creating a floor plan with boundaries.
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, easy, and effortless pretty!
Choose a neutral paint color that works with the color palette of your living room. It’s best to choose a neutral color for your walls to reflect any natural light coming through the windows in your living room.
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!
And if you are considering white as a wall color make sure to read THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE PERFECT WHITE PAINT COLOR.
CEILING
Ceilings are prime real estate in a living room! We don’t always think about our ceilings. But we should.
If you go the crown molding or other architectural treatment 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!
Our ceiling in the living room is vaulted. The slanted design is interesting enough by itself.
FLOORS
There are lots of options 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 to correctly layer rugs!
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 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 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!
If you are opting to use different area rugs in your home HOW TO MIX AND MATCH AREA RUGS will be helpful and informative.
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.
You might like to read WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HANGING CURTAINS.
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 and LESS IS BEST 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.
- Leave 24-30 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.
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 furnishings are pieces that are of primary importance to the function of the room. So we are talking about sofas, chairs, coffee tables, etc!
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 can be a bit frustrating. It’s long and narrow and because it is a focal point it becomes the first thing 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!
My problem is I have a corner fireplace making it hard to arrange furniture. I never see how to decorate rooms which have a corner fireplace.
I also have a corner fireplace. How do you decorate around it. I only have 2 walls, the rest is open to,the dining area and kitchen with a slider and windows taking up the other walls
This is such a great question. I would not decorate it! If you have a mantel decorate that lightly! And maybe put an accent piece like a little stool with stacked baskets on it. Your corner fireplace is so unique that it does not need much. Hope this is helpful.
Hi Shirley, Sometimes we just can’t make our fireplaces the focal point. You might just have to arrange your living room furniture in a way that makes sense to you and leave a space for your fireplace. Choose another focal point. Hope this is helpful.
Yvonne, I love the dotted lamp on your white chest. Can you tell me where you got it?
Hi June, I found this lamp locally. I’m sorry I don’t have a source for you.
I have appreciated many ideas and today add the placement of space relationship between tables and chairs. Mine has seemed awkward and now I have inspiration to tweet them. Thanks!
Yay! I’m so happy this post is helping you, Darlene!
This is a very helpful article! Thank you for gathering all the relevant information in a succinct manner and also providing the links to even further info. Love your style; clean, but warm and inviting. In the past you wrote another super post that had information on sizes of pillows and quantities that I can no longer find. I tend to buy in twos (just too many twos)! Can you PLEASE help me find it, or re-post it? We are moving (downsizing) and I am struggling to weed my (overblown) collection?! I do intend to follow your guidance of storing the covers separately .Thanks!!
Hi Sandy, I’m so glad you are enjoying my posts. I try to give my readers the best interior design info in an easy-to-understand way that can be done over and over again in my readers’ own homes! I think this is the pillow post you might be looking for:https://www.stonegableblog.com/building-better-pillow-collection/
This is a fantastic article – your home is so perfect! Do you have a source for the large wall clock – am having a hard time finding something similar. Thanking you in advance!
I painted the clock. I found this clock on a super sale, for $49.00 and it had a brown frame. So I painted it.
Hi Anne, I found this wall clock years ago on sale. It had a big brown frame so I painted it.
I love the post! I added plants, and suddenly my living room found its personality as a restful space with green plants and a tranquil style. I decluttered and donated, too. I think avoiding theme-y, cheaply made, generic trend decor is a good move, too. Some seasonal decor is like that. I like sometimes theme-y decor as a new cute thing to get out, like Santa Clauses at Christmas, but then I get tired of them before it is even Christmas day! I don’t want to store something all year I feel THAT way about before it is even the season or holiday I am storing it for. I am reevaluating decor and in the past couple years kept donating. With that decluttering, the house looks even prettier!
My fake fireplace holds our TV, speakers, dvd player,etc where the fire would normally be. The surround and mantle are oak wood.
Come cooler days, I decorate the mantle with my fall ceramic village using books and boxes for risers. I have been adding little people to the village to make it come alive.
I change my drapes to a fall color and add brown slip covers to brown. Also change the pillows.
I love this fall village where everyone is busy and happy..
What are your accent chairs called?? The ones by the fireplace.
These are my favorite chairs. They are spindle chairs. See ones similar to the one I have Here:https://rstyle.me/+EmvwjXW8_FWhZYMmzIytaQ and here:https://amzn.to/3DNuf7N.
Hi Yvonne,
Your articles are the best I have come across…so insightful and helpful. How can I decorate an empty corner in a large family room? I have a focal point (fireplace) surrounded by a sofa, love seat and chair grouping on an area rug. Thank you. Sharon
A real or artificial tree is a great thing to put in an empty corner of a room. Find one that is not too dense and put it in a great basket or urn! Hope this helps. Happy New Year
I never thought of this before, but I like the idea of not “overcrowding the space”. That’s all too often my problem. Largely because of downsizing, and having things that I love and used often in the larger space we had. How do I do this. Things I love and used, but no longer have the space because of having to downsize?
Ivory, I feel your pain, friend. We too had the same problem when we downsized. But it’s been three years and I’m so happy I chose to get rid of things, even though I loved them. You might like to read my downsizing series. Go here to read:https://www.stonegableblog.com/category/downsizing/