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Living Room Ideas and Designs

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Lakefront Timber Frame Home and Pavillions
Lakefront Timber Frame Home and Pavillions
KohlMark Architects and BuildersKohlMark Architects and Builders
The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography
Residence
Residence
Craine ArchitectureCraine Architecture
Photo Credit: James Ray Spahn
Inspiration for a contemporary open plan living room in Denver with white walls, medium hardwood flooring, a ribbon fireplace and a tiled fireplace surround.
Modern Living Room
Modern Living Room
Bill Bocken Architecture & Interior DesignBill Bocken Architecture & Interior Design
Inspiration for a modern living room in San Diego with white walls.
Find the right local pro for your project
Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz
Living Room
Living Room
Fredman Design GroupFredman Design Group
Due to an open floor plan, the natural light from the dark-stained window frames permeates throughout the house.
Large rustic open plan living room in Chicago with a stone fireplace surround, beige walls, dark hardwood flooring, a standard fireplace and brown floors.
Northcove
Northcove
John Bynum Custom Homes, Inc.John Bynum Custom Homes, Inc.
Photo of a traditional living room in Atlanta with beige walls and a built-in media unit.
Living Room - View through house
Living Room - View through house
Andrew Snow PhotographyAndrew Snow Photography
Andrew Snow Photography © Houzz 2012 My Houzz: MIllworker House
Modern living room in Toronto with white walls.
eco+historical Victorian Update
eco+historical Victorian Update
Feldman Architecture, Inc.Feldman Architecture, Inc.
Small contemporary living room in San Francisco with white walls.
Sefcovic Residence
Sefcovic Residence
Tate Studio ArchitectsTate Studio Architects
Photo by Mark Boisclair Interior Design: Aileen Fabella , ASID
This is an example of a living room in Phoenix.
GRIFFIN ENRIGHT ARCHITECTS: Hollywood Hills Residence
GRIFFIN ENRIGHT ARCHITECTS: Hollywood Hills Residence
Griffin Enright ArchitectsGriffin Enright Architects
By moving four walls and replacing them with a column and four beams a new open living area was created.
This is an example of a small modern open plan living room in Los Angeles with a reading nook, white walls, dark hardwood flooring and brown floors.
Villanova Residence - living room
Villanova Residence - living room
Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.
Photographer: Tom Crane
Design ideas for a large classic formal open plan living room in Philadelphia with beige walls, no tv, carpet, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a dado rail.
Living room
Living room
SH interiorsSH interiors
Transitional to modern Photography IK Complete remodel - Interior design and all furniture, finishes and materials designed by SH interiors.
Inspiration for a bohemian living room in Los Angeles.
California Dreamin'
California Dreamin'
NUMI BuildNUMI Build
The Salty Shutters
Farmhouse open plan living room in Los Angeles with white walls, light hardwood flooring and no fireplace.
Trousdale
Trousdale
Studio William HefnerStudio William Hefner
James Ray Spahn
Photo of a contemporary living room in Los Angeles with white walls and a ribbon fireplace.
Contemporary Living Room
Contemporary Living Room
Diehl InteriorsDiehl Interiors
Contemporary living room with custom TV enclosure which slides open to reveal TV. Custom storage. Dramatic wall colors. First Place Design Excellence Award CA Central/Nevada ASID. Sleek and clean lined for a new home. photo: Dave Adams
Modern Peninsula Estate
Modern Peninsula Estate
Lencioni ConstructionLencioni Construction
Photo of a modern open plan living room in San Francisco.
Busch House - Living Room
Busch House - Living Room
Vega ArchitectureVega Architecture
Copyright © Dana Miller www.millerhallphoto.com
This is an example of a modern open plan living room in Denver with a reading nook.
Lake O'Brien 1 - Fieldstone Fireplace
Lake O'Brien 1 - Fieldstone Fireplace
Lands End Development - Designers & BuildersLands End Development - Designers & Builders
This is an example of a rustic living room in Minneapolis with a stone fireplace surround.
Lahaye Residence
Lahaye Residence
Nakhshab Development and DesignNakhshab Development and Design
Photo of a contemporary formal living room in San Diego with white walls, no fireplace and a wall mounted tv.
Wellesley Contemporary
Wellesley Contemporary
The Lagasse Group, LLCThe Lagasse Group, LLC
Architect: Morehouse MacDonald Associates Interior Designer: Annsley Interiors Photo: Sam Gray Photography
Inspiration for an expansive classic living room in Boston with white walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace surround.

Living Room Ideas and Designs

Looking for living room ideas? Whether your living room is lacklustre, your lounge is limited in space, your sitting room is suffering from outdated decor or your front room is full of clutter, there are living room ideas and designs that will inspire you to breathe life into your living space. Discover small living room ideas to help maximise tiny spaces or layout ideas that will work with awkward shaped living rooms. Perhaps you’re struggling to decide on living room colours? Read on for help with colours, layout and design ideas, or find inspiration from the millions of living room photos on Houzz.

Living room wallpaper ideas

A good place to start when it comes to redesigning your living room is with the walls. While paint may seem the simplest choice, and easy to change, don’t discredit the design opportunities of wallpaper in living rooms. There are tons of great living room wallpaper ideas, from modern geometric patterns to traditional florals, and loads of ways to use them – you don’t have to cover the whole room or go for the ubiquitous feature wall. You could wallpaper only above the dado rail (if you have one), either side of a chimney breast, or behind a shelving unit to give your displayed items a stylish backdrop. Discover more living room wallpaper ideas or if paint is more your style, there’s plenty of living room designs to discover when it comes to paint ideas; just browse through the huge selection of living photos and search for the specific paint you’re after if you really want to narrow it down.

Small living room ideas

When it comes to our living room design, we want it to feel as welcoming and personality-filled as possible, but that can be a struggle when we’re working with a small space. But not to fear, there are small living room ideas to help you make most out of what you’re working with. A couple of small living room ideas can include: working with the height you have – installing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves or drawing the eye to the top of the walls with wallpaper; choosing space-saving or storage-incorporating (or both!) furniture, such as corner sofas with storage space under the chaise longue section; and keeping things symmetrical – a central fireplace with seating opposite, or seats facing each other, can give the illusion of a larger, more grand room. When it comes to the best decor for small living rooms, you can either choose to keep things light and airy to open up the space, or embrace the cosiness of the smaller area you have by going for warm colours and filling the room with your favourite accessories.

Living room layouts and choosing the right living room furniture

When it comes to the layout of your living room, it will depend on what pieces of furniture you have – but how do you choose what living room furniture to add, whether you’re refreshing your living room design or starting from scratch? The best place to start is with the seating – one corner sofa will usually seat three to four people, and if that’s all you think you’ll need, then you can leave it at that. Placing your sofa along the longest wall helps to make the most of the space, but think about where you want the focus of the room to be, too. If you need more seating, look at armchairs that offer comfort but don’t take up too much space – cramming a room with too many large armchairs is something to avoid. But armchairs and sofas don’t have to be your only options – go for bean bags and floor cushions for an eclectic feel, pouffes and ottomans if you’re more traditional, and smart design chairs for contemporary living room ideas. Coffee tables are always handy, but you can always add a couple of side tables if you don’t want to clutter the central space in front of seating with anything. If you centre your living room design around a fireplace or TV, then you might want storage and shelving to feature around the focus of your room. There are plenty of style options when it comes to TV units, and you can even go for bespoke living room storage units to make the most of the space if you want a sleek, built-in look. Keep reading below for more living room storage ideas. Discover a huge range of living room furniture, as well as living room accessories, to help you finish your room design.

Living room design ideas

Struggling with what living room colours to choose, or what style to go with? While a grey living room design is popular at the moment, you might not want to go with the ubiquitous colour. Although, if neutral and contemporary are the living room ideas you’re after, a grey sofa or grey walls will give you a good base to work on. If you want to stay neutral, beige is not your only other option, either. Light yellows, taupes and soft greys will work. Why not try adding simple but plush cushions to your sofa and a rug in these colours to achieve a modern-traditional look? For contemporary living room ideas, dark blues and greens are on trend, but if you don’t want to dive straight into the dark wall trend, you could opt for a couple of pieces of furniture, or go for dark-hued living room accessories instead. Whites, woods and pastels could work well for Scandinavian living room designs. If an eclectic living room is what you’re after, you could go for large print wallpaper, a statement lighting piece, vibrant rug and lots of colourful book or ornament displays. For a country feel, rustic carpet, stone hearths, comfy armchairs and traditional patterns in creams, greens and browns will give you that cosy cottage feel.

Living room storage ideas

It’s natural that our living rooms tend to attract lots of items and belongings seeing as they act as multipurpose living spaces. Whether you love to read a book; watch a film; let your children play with their toys; practise a craft like knitting or drawing; play a musical instrument or play video games in your sitting room, there will always be a need for a few extra living room ideas that can help you with storage. Apart from the standard bookcases, side tables and TV units, there are a few other handy living room storage ideas you can invest in. As mentioned before, if you have the room and budget for it, a built-in storage unit could be the way forward. With a well-built unit you could hide your TV, DVDs, players, books, video consoles and all sorts away in one place. If you don’t quite have a large enough area for one, you could look at shelving – either side of the chimney breast is a great place to install shelving if you have one in your living room. And don’t forget living room furniture such as sofas, benches and ottomans that lift up to reveal hidden storage; providing seating and storing space at the same time. With the right storage solutions your living room design could open up and feel so much more spacious and stylish. Discover more living room storage ideas by browsing these photos. Once you have your living room storage, colours, design, layout and furniture sorted, all that’s left is to browse the millions of living room ideas on Houzz and save your favourites to an ideabook. If you’re still searching for specific living room ideas, check out the popular pages below:
Interiors
Interiors
Brandon Beechler PhotographyBrandon Beechler Photography
Brandon Beechler
Large classic formal open plan living room in Orange County with no tv.
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