Charter One Realty Blog

Raise your hand if you are ready for some new decor! If you are thinking about refreshing your home, a great place to start is in your main living room. Minor changes can go a long way in turning your current space into your dream living room.

The change of season has sparked our inner “interior design senses” and we’ve been dreaming of redecorating. If it feels like the perfect time to switch things up, you’re in the right place.

In today’s article, we will cover dream living room designs for a variety of aesthetics. Whether you are sprucing up your current room with a few new pieces, or donating the whole room and starting from scratch, we have plenty of inspirational ideas for you!

So, what makes a dream living room design really come to life? Depending on your taste, designs can be cozy or bold, modern or coastal or you might like the current take on a traditional design. No matter your taste, putting your own personal spin on the room is what takes it from beautiful to perfect! 

We have examples and details of every style below, so read on to determine how you can design the best living room for you.

Living Room Designs: Cozy Living Rooms

The most popular living room design at the moment mixes cozy and natural materials to create a modern farmhouse style. You can achieve this with oversized furniture, green indoor plants, wood, and wrought iron details, and a mix of rustic (and sometimes upcycled) antique items.

If you love this style but aren’t a huge fan of the rustic touches, you can create a very cozy and on-trend living room design by replacing rustic decor with timeless finishes like marble, silver or gold accent pieces, and glass. Here are some swaps to consider if you want to remove the rustic element: 

• Plant your fiddle fig tree in a marble holder instead of something made in cement or of actual pottery. 

• Frame your photos in silver or gold instead of black or wood. Or, add a touch of glam with mirrored picture frames.

• Ensure your wrought iron touches are minimal, such as light fixtures only, and make sure they’re new versus antiqued and visibly weathered. 

Bold Modern Living Room Designs

Ready to go bold? Dark colors are definitely in. Consider deep and moody tones like charcoal or emerald green for statement walls. 

Add more pillows and various textures to make the space baroque but still livable when you want to get comfy. If cozy is also your style, go big with a plush, luxurious sectional. 

Dark tones and a large piece of furniture are a must for a mood living room. If you don’t have space, a leather or chesterfield sofa are also great options.

Photo: Victoria Tonelli

Remember to mix the textures. When we think moody and bold, it’s all about the layered fabric and mixed textures. Say yes to velvet, pampas grass arrangements and a knit throw blanket. Don’t forget extra throw pillows! 

A professional tip is to stock up on seasonal throw pillow covers. This allows you to change them through versus buying new pillows every time and taking up valuable closet space with unused off-season pillows!

Go Coastal

Achieving the effortless sensation of a well-done coastal or California-style living room takes more than using whites and grays. Coastal style often contains subtle patterns, natural textures, and striking black pieces to give the space depth. 

Photo: MGCO

A crisp, coastal living room aesthetic exudes nature, so bring houseplants in for an instant facelift. To create an airy, pleasant, and relaxing vibe, the living room decor should feel as if a big breeze of air swept through the room and carefully placed the decor on its way out. 

For those searching for more color in the living room, choose one color hue like greens or a family of blues. Using color in a coastal living room brings a lived-in feeling.

For an even more playful look, try a surfer style with a bright teal accent wall and pair with rough or raw wood elements. 

New Traditional Living Room Designs

Blend the best of intricate finishings with contemporary living in a new traditional living room design. This look is exceptionally polished without feeling overly fancy. The luxury reads as livable and timeless.

Common elements include intricate crown mouldings, wall treatments like wainscotting, and shadow box trim. Keep the walls neutral or paint the ceiling to the baseboards the same color. 

Photo: JCathell

Furniture is fun in this design and includes a mix of styles, including tufted upholstery, large furniture pieces with woodworking details, and even a mix of acrylic to make it contemporary. 

The new traditional design maximizes wall decor and millwork. Include sconce lighting and large art or gallery walls that take up a lot of space. This style may be the most fun to shop and plan for because it’s easy to use your current furniture and decor pieces paired with timeless treasures.

Conclusion

Dream living room designs are one of the most fun to imagine and plan. Before you buy all new furniture, be sure to consider the ways you can redesign using decor and paint:

1. Create a cozy living room using plush materials and natural elements.

2. Make a bold statement with dark walls and layer textiles.

3. Coastal design can pack a punch with pops of surfer colors and beautiful woodgrains.

4. What’s old is new again in New Traditional designs. Feel free to mix old or current pieces with picks from a thrifting trip. 

Which of these living room decor options are you willing to try? Did we miss any great ideas? 

Share with us in the comments below!