Color and Style: Living Room Decorating Ideas

For me decor means making the most of the main pieces in the room, not really so much in adding decorations, accessories and small decor items. So when it comes to living room decorating ideas, here are the main areas and pieces to focus on.

The Coffee Table Area

The coffee table is going to a major focal point in a living room. This is because it takes up a lot of space, it is usually in the center, and everything else in the room is arranged around it (the seats, the TV). So the design of the coffee table matters and what you put on top of it.

Coffee Table Designs

Depending on the style you want to create in your living room, try and get creative with your coffee table so it makes a statement in the space – just like the coffee table in picture (1). If you are going for a modern look, then opt for a clean cut coffee table. For a more rustic or vintage style, use a trunk, log, or antique table (2). You’ve got Moroccan style metal coffee tables for a more exotic look. Or you can simply drape your favorite fabric design over a normal coffee table to add some style.

For more coffee table design ideas and a mood board have a look at my post here: Creative Coffee Table Ideas.

Coffee Table Decor Ideas

The next step after sorting out your coffee table is figuring out what to put on top of it. It is better to only go with a few items, as this space can easily get cluttered – you’ve already got remote controls to deal with.

2-3 coffee table books is one way to go. Choose books that you want to see everyday, rather than what would look good to visitors. Other decor ideas include using lanterns, candles, and small plants. One way to keep a clean and well designed look on the coffee table is to group everything together using a tray – just like in picture (3).

For more ideas have a look at my mood board here: Creative Coffee Table Decor Ideas.

The Seating Area

The seats in the living room also take up a lot of space. You can style and add color to your seats through the pillows you use (4). Play with the fabrics – you’ve got patterned designs, or simple but elegant textures. Keep all the pillows the same size or mix up the sizes.

You’ve also got blankets that can be draped over the couch. These blankets can use a fabric design that adds to the style of the room or can be a solid color that adds to your living room’s color scheme.

On the Floor

When it comes to the floors, you can decorate and define spaces with area rugs. For example, putting an area rug under the coffee table helps define that space. The style and and color you use for your area rugs also adds to the design of the room. Choices include: the popular chevron rugs, shag rugs for a vintage style, or Persian rugs for a more exotic look.

Floor pillows can also decorate the floor space and add some informal seating to the living room. Again, the fabric choice you use for the floor pillows will help decorate and add style to the room.

On the Walls

For living room wall decor you have the normal route of hanging up art and photography. Or hanging up a number of pieces to create a gallery wall – seen in picture (5). You’ve also got more structural design elements such as trim, crown molding, and wainscoting that can add style to the walls (6).

The curtains in a living room take up a lot of visual space, especially when they are closed. So the fabric you use can really add to the styling of the space. Even the curtain rod and how you tie back the curtains adds to the room’s style. For a modern look, it would be best to go with hookless curtains, that way you won’t need tie backs as they create a more traditional look. In my Decor Style: Vintage Living Room Ideas you can see vintage door knobs being used as tie back hooks for a shabby chic and vintage styled living room.

Lighting Tips for a Cozy Living Room

Here are some ways to create a cozy setting in a living room by using lighting:

Turn down the ceiling lights by hooking them up to a dimmer switch. Or turn them off and use table and floor lamps instead
Candles are the ultimate mood lights. To reduce the fire hazard the candles can be put into a lantern, or floating candles can be used in a bowl of water. You can also get battery powered candles that look just like real ones – some will even flicker
Hang up some string lights for a whimsical vibe. LED string lights give off less heat which means you can wrap them in a light fabric to create a very soft diffused glow
A lamp or LED strip behind the TV creates a nice soft glow in the room
Look to get a mood lamp if you white walls in your living room. This mood lamp can bathe your walls in a color of your choice, or can slowly cycle through different colors

Have a look at my mood board post here for more ideas: Relaxing and Cozy Living Room Lighting Ideas

Style + Storage Living Room Decor

The goal is to try and get every piece in your living room to add to the decor and style of the space. So even your storage pieces can come into play, especially if they are out in the open. What style are you going for in your living room? See what kind of creative and stylish storage solutions you can use in your living room. Some ideas include:

Using a ladder to hang up blankets and magazines. This can be an old rustic wooden ladder, or a more modern sleek looking one – seen in picture (7)
Wicker and wire baskets add style to a living room
A cheap galvanised bucket can be used as a trash can, to store extra pillows, magazines, or fire wood.
Shadow boxes can be used on the walls
Trunks can be used as a coffee table or side table

For more stylized storage ideas have a look at the images in these mood board posts:

For more general living room storage ideas have a look at these mood boards:

Creating a Color Palette and Living Room Design Scheme

To create a strong design in your living room, you want to try and keep the decor focused. For example if you want to create a blue color scheme in your living room, then you’ll want to focus all of your decor pieces to blue shades, and neutral colors such as white, cream, grey, black. This means taking out decor pieces that are not blue. An orange pillow, a purple area rug and a green picture frame takes away from your blue color scheme. You can have two colors or maybe even three in a color scheme, but you still want to focus all your decor items to the overall color scheme – and take pieces that are not inline.

For ideas on color schemes for your living room have a look at my posts here:

The same also applies for the style of the room. If you want to go for a vintage look, then you’ll want to avoid having modern pieces. Each decor piece that is off the main style you want, slowly reduces the overall style. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

For style related posts have a look at these mood boards: