8 Ideas for Furnishing a Living Room Space
Elevate your living room with the right furnishings.
Strike the perfect balance between comfortable seating and chic accents to create the ideal spot for entertaining, relaxing, and everything in between. From basic furniture needs to statement pieces and styling ideas, we've covered all of our living room must-haves. Keep reading for our fav tips and tricks for furnishing a living room.
1. Create a Cozy Setup
The best place to start when creating a welcoming living room is with a comfortable sofa. The right sofa choice will add shape, texture, and color to your living room, while suiting your lifestyle and seating needs. Standard sofas are perfect for most living room spaces, but if you’ve got a smaller room, then a loveseat is the way to go. If you want to have extra lounge space to kick up your feet, then a sectional is a go-to. The upholstery material matters too: Leather blends effortlessly in a traditional, rustic, or modern space, a luxurious velvet is perfect for a glam living room, and a pared-back linen or cotton fits best in a contemporary or transitional room. Complete the look with bold throw pillows. We love how this beige sectional gets a pop of color and pattern with three different throw patterns.
Pro Tip:
Read our guide How to Arrange Pillows on a Sofa to find the right balance of texture, size, and throw pillow placement.
2. Ground the Room
Add an injection of color and anchor your sofa and other seating with an area rug. We love the way mixing patterns adds flair to a space – it's perfect for a transitional aesthetic. The Southwest-inspired design on the rug pairs perfectly with the patterned throw pillows. You can also blend multiple styles by layering two or more rugs. Learn the art of layering with our guide Easy Ideas for Layering Rugs.
Pro Tip:
Need help picking out the right rug? Check out our guide Rug Designs for Every Style.
3. Incorporate Bold Color
Too much of the same color creates a flat look – add dimension to your living room’s color palette with a bold accent color. We love how the forest green sofa and umber curtains above add an inviting coziness that works perfectly with the wood coffee table and neutral beige armchairs. When furnishing a living room, it's important to keep your color palette refined – two bold accent colors pair nicely with a base color, but any more and they can overwhelm the room.
Get the most out of your living room space with the help of a couple accent chairs. There are so many ways to use accent chairs: create space for conversation around your coffee table or across from your sofa, fill an open corner with a lounge chair and a floor lamp to create a reading nook, or add extra TV seating next to your sectional for movie night. Bonus: Use your accent chairs to bring in the pop of color we mentioned above!
Pro Tip:
Learn how to choose the right accent chair with our guide How to Style an Accent Chair for Your Living Room.
5. Mix Materials
One of our favorite parts of furnishing a living room is mixing materials to create a personalized style. Take inspiration from transitional spaces to blend colors and textures that speak to you. We love the range of materials used in the living room above: The leather couch brings an inviting, rustic feel to the room, yet goes perfectly with the modern marble and metal coffee table. Don't just stop at your larger pieces – play with your end table and table lamp material too. These black metal tables and concrete lamps add even more visual interest to the space.
Positioning a coffee table in the middle of your space creates a steady centerpoint for the room – when you shift around seating and end tables, your coffee table will always stay in place to center the space. Not only is it great for storing remotes or setting down a glass or current read, it's also a place to display decor. This stone octagon coffee table is one of our favorite modern living room ideas, since it makes such a statement.
Furnishing a living room also includes setting up your entertainment space. Your TV stand can double as extra storage space, and isa perfect spot to display decor. If you have wires you want to conceal and loose items in need of a home, consider a TV stand with cabinets or drawers. For a sleek and minimalist style, choose a stand with open shelving.
Pro Tip:
Get more TV stand inspo with our guide TV Stand Ideas for Living Rooms.
8. Don't Forget Decor
Elevate your living room’s style with decor. Fill a vase or indoor planter with faux plants for some lush greenery. Display decorative trays and books on coffee or end tables. Accessorize your fireplace mantle or floating shelves with sculptural pieces and framed art. Even simple living room designs benefit from decor. Embrace a trendy transitional style with abstract pieces, mixed materials, and a blend of contemporary straight lines and traditional curves.
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