26 Living Room Decor Ideas
Our editors share ideas for living room decor to jump-start your redecorating project.
Are you moving into your first home or revamping your current style? If you’re looking for living room decor ideas, you’ve come to the right place. With proper planning, you can transform your living room into a stylish and inviting space. Follow these simple tips on how to decorate your living room to get started!
How to Decorate Your Living Room
26 Ideas for Living Room Decor
How to Decorate Your Living Room
1. Take Stock
Step back and look at your existing living room decor. To make space for new decor, get rid of items that are damaged, outdated, too large, too small, or that you just don't like anymore. If it's a family heirloom or a piece you want to keep that no longer fits, give it a new spot somewhere else in your house.
Now that you have only the pieces you want to use going forward, you're ready for the next step!
Tip!
Donate your unwanted items or host a yard sale, and put that extra cash toward your redecorating project.
2. Hone Your Color Palette
Colors set the tone for your room. Look at your current living room color palette, from your walls to your furniture, and decide what colors you want to change and what colors you want to keep. Think about different colors that will complement and enhance the current look of your room. A mostly blue and green room will have a calming effect, while vibrant, bold colors like red, yellow, and orange are more energizing. A neutral room of white, tan, and gray is the perfect canvas for bright, bold accents. Depending on your personal style, you may want to focus on an accent piece and base the rest of your room off that color or add in pops of color throughout different decor items.
Tip!
To learn more about decorating with color, check out our Home Color Guide for Beginners.
3. Pinpoint Your Style
Spend time reading blogs and magazines to find your ideal style for your living room design (or check out our style page!). Pinterest is a great resource, too! If you love white wood and nautical decor, you would love coastal style. Or if you prefer light-colored wood, shiplap walls, and floral or animal prints, you may love farmhouse decor. Love ornate details and dark woods? Traditional is for you.
26 Ideas for Living Room Decor
Review this section to get inspired on the range of living room decor ideas you can incorporate into your own space.
1. Focus On Throw Pillows
Throw pillows are an easy swap while also providing comfort and visual interest to the room. Match your throw pillows to the color or patterns in the room, or add a decorative pillow to introduce a pop of color that will complement your sofa.
Area rugs are a great way to make a big statement in your living room while requiring little effort. The large profile area rug pictured above automatically transforms this living space by creating a cozy zone to angle your living room furniture around. The blue abstract pattern plays off of the blue gingham chairs and walls for a cool blue appearance.
Forget the coffee table and swap in a pair of decorative pouf ottomans, instead! The velvet-like storage ottomans pictured above provide a fun pop of color and the button-tufted lids add another element of cozy texture to the space. Love your coffee table? Place the pouf ottomans on the opposite side of the coffee table or at a right angle from the sofa for seating in a pinch.
Decorating with wall art is a great way to define the theme of your living room while adding interest to your walls. Colorful abstract art and 3D wall sculptures are vibrant living room decor options that help liven up neutral spaces. Ultimately, wall art fills blank wall spaces and adds character to make your living room feel complete.
Blankets and throws add another layer of comfort to your sofa, helping your living room look stylish but lived in. You can match the blanket’s color to complement your sofa or your throw pillows. Blankets not only add color and texture to your living room, but they also give you something to snuggle up with after work!
Plants, whether real or faux, have the power to enhance living room aesthetics. The lush diversity of green foliage adds life to the room and can even help further your design aesthetic. Ferns, pothos, and ivy work well as decor in traditional living rooms. Add a hint of sophistication to a glam living room aesthetic with a stunning display of orchids. The introduction of tropical houseplants like the palm trees and monstera above help complete the tropical glam-themed living room design.
Wall mirrors are a decor option that looks great in any living room. Wall mirrors come in many styles and colors to match your style, whether you want a simple mirror with thin borders or a decorative mirror that is the centerpiece of your room. If you have a small living room, wall mirrors will make your room look more spacious as they bounce light around the room.
We had to include gingham when talking about living room decor. Gingham patterns go with a variety of decor styles including modern, traditional, farmhouse, and coastal. The pair of blue gingham armchairs pictured above add comfort and visual interest to the living space. They also create a cozy contrast to the stone fireplace. Instead of gingham upholstered chairs for your living room, you can swap in gingham pillows, throws, or even a gingham-patterned area rug.
Decorate your living room and amplify your lighting options with a statement light fixture. The living room above has an oversized arched floor lamp that adds to the room's modern design aesthetic. You can easily adjust this idea to your living room decor scheme (think statement table lamps, chandeliers, wall sconces, or pendant lights). Light fixtures provide functionality and style, making them a smart living room decor choice.
Give your living room fireplace a glow-up with a decorative fireplace screen. Fireplace screens come in a variety of styles and finishes. The golden branch design pictured above adds a fun twist to the space and elevates the pared-back fireplace. Fireplace screens also come in a variety of other patterns and nature scene outlines to bring character to your living room.
If you want to fill your living room walls and increase storage space, shelving is the perfect option for you. You can use shelves to display your favorite decorative items, family photos, or books. Display items can be color-coordinated to blend seamlessly with the theme of your living room or can be used as decorative accents. If you want to add more storage space, try freestanding shelves, or if you want a smaller display space, stick with wall shelves.
The right coffee table can transform your living room and act as a statement decor piece! Center your living room around a mirrored coffee table to bring a bit of glam to your space. Or opt for a coffee table with an abstract-shaped base to add a decorative flair to modern living rooms.
Who said you need one area rug for your living room? Layer multiple area rugs to add depth and warmth. Start by setting the tone with a large area rug featuring a solid color or muted pattern. Place a smaller area rug with a bold pattern directly on top for a fun dimensional look. This decor idea works in small and large living rooms alike to anchor furnishings and add personality to your space.
Use living room decor to add a bit of color to otherwise neutral living rooms. Take brown leather and gray upholstery to the next level with bold yellow decorative pillows and a blue throw blanket. Spread notes of color onto the walls with a yellow abstract art print and ground neutral living rooms with a blue area rug. Swap out these colors for other shades that speak to you.
Dress up your coffee table with a display fit for a French country or farmhouse aesthetic. Start with a few stacks of books you want to have on display. Elevate the look with a trio of decorative candlesticks. Leave room for a floral arrangement and decorative vase with your favorite seasonal flowers – or faux ones.
If you’re looking for striking decor to tie together your living room design, consider a wall clock. Wall clocks come in many different styles, from industrial to glam, and are sure to be the center of attention in your living room.
Separate books and decor by color for a simple yet striking way to decorate your living room. The TV stand/bookshelf pictured above demonstrates how effective and easy this idea is to recreate. You can easily translate the monochrome idea to your coffee table or living room bookshelf.
18. Stick to a Pattern
Create a cohesive look with living room decor of the same pattern. The black-and-white striped decor pictured above serves as the perfect example. A black-and-white striped area rug acts as the base, while striped throw pillows carry the theme onto the sofa. A striped jar and abstract art print add subtle notes to the theme to tie the room together.
A decorative bowl can go a long way to add to your living room design aesthetic. The decorative bowl pictured above serves to showcase the ceramic baubles. However, there are a variety of decorative bowl designs that can stand on their own without fillers. This includes blown glass designs, faux shell configurations, hammered metal styles, and more.
Decorate living room window seats to create a cozy spot to read, enjoy a cup of coffee, and soak up some natural light. Start with a long seat cushion to cozy up the spot. Add a few decorative pillows so you can lean back and relax. Grab a decorative tray to hold your reading materials. Don't have a spacious window seat area? Create your own using a bench!
Make your living room look well-designed by using decor to add symmetry. Four identical table lamps and end tables create a sense of cohesion throughout the room. Matching curtains also help to create symmetry on either side of the fireplace. Together, these simple decorative elements help to level up your living room design without much effort on your part.
Instantly transform your living room with a wallpapered feature wall. The floral wallpaper above is just one example of wallpaper designs you can choose from to complete your living room. Opt for faux brick, embossed designs, geometric patterns, or faux shiplap wallpaper to help bring your vision to life.
Tip!
Check out Wallpapering 101: How to Install Wallpaper to discover how easy it is!
23. Showcase Oversized Wall Art
Keep things simple yet impactful with oversized wall art for living room decor. The three-paneled canvas pictured above instantly adds character to the neutral living space. Hang large prints above your sectional or above the fireplace mantle for a big impact.
Stack decorative trunks or baskets for a quirky alternative to a living room side table. You can also use a large decorative trunk as a makeshift coffee table with plenty of storage space inside. Decorative trunks work well in coastal, farmhouse, rustic, and traditional living room styles.
Mix things up by bringing topiaries into your living room. Topiaries can pair with modern and traditional aesthetics alike thanks to their shape and design. Traditional topiaries look great on either side of the fireplace or to either side of the sofa. You can also place topiary balls in a decorative tray or opt for a pre-made arrangement like the one pictured above.
Curtains come in a variety of colors, designs, and patterns, which makes them a must-have decor item for your living room. Instantly refine your living room with damask-patterned curtains like the ones pictured above. The height at which you hang curtains can also help add vertical height to the room.
Tip!
Review our guide on How to Hang Curtains for tips to get started, or jump right to Your Guide to Styling Curtains for more inspiration.
