Bill Taylor
Traditional formal open concept living room in Boston with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and coffered.

Salon with Custom Plaster Ceiling

dSPACE Studio Ltd, AIA

This ceiling was designed and detailed by dSPACE Studio. We created a custom plaster mold that was fabricated by a Chicago plaster company and installed and finished on-site.

Kirkland Custom Living Room with Fireplace & Stone Accent Wall

John Buchan Homes

John Buchan Homes
Photo of a mid-sized transitional loft-style living room in Seattle with a stone fireplace surround, white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Beach Style Living Room

Design ideas for a large beach style living room in Dallas with dark hardwood floors, white walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, a concealed tv and brown floor.

Split Level Modern Renovation

Clear Home Design

mid century living room decor with shag rug in pale grey, mid century grey sofa with cobalt blue accent pillows. metallic amorphous shape cocktail table. swivel cobalt blue velvet chairs. living room art deco inspired built ins around the fireplace. wall mounted mirror over quartzite fireplace. mid century side table.

Del Mar Model - Summerwood Estates

Angela Arnone-Orel,

This is an example of a transitional open concept living room in Kansas City with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Mill Valley Bungalow

Elena Calabrese Design & Decor

Michelle Drewes
Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional open concept living room in San Francisco with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, brown floor and a wall-mounted tv.

Lake Shore Drive Co-Op featured in House & Garden

Summer Thornton Design, Inc

Josh Thornton
Inspiration for a large eclectic formal enclosed living room in Chicago with blue walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace, no tv and brown floor.

Architekt Stefan Schramm - Chalet in Kitzbühel

Architekt Stefan Schramm

Daniela Polak und Wolf Lux
Design ideas for a country formal enclosed living room in Munich with brown walls, dark hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Southern Living Showcase Home at Bluejack National Golf Community

Cindy Aplanalp & Chairma Design Group

Mike Kaskel
Photo of a country formal enclosed living room in Houston with blue walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace and no tv.

Home Office Turned Inspiration Room

Layers+Lines

Design ideas for a transitional enclosed living room in Denver with white walls and dark hardwood floors.

Traditional Vibrant Living Room

Loom Decor

Photgrapher: Mary Summers Designer: Cassie from Hi Sugarplum Blog Cassie Freeman accented this already vibrant room with Loom Decor's custom yellow linen drapery to even out the space and put a spin on a traditional room. For a unique style add a contrasting color trim to tie the drapery into the traditional aspects of the room. Shop and create your custom window treatments at loomdecor.com

Gold Mansion at Turtle Creek

Traci Connell Interiors

The main focal point of this space is the wallpapered wall sitting as the backdrop to this magnificent setting. The magenta in the floral perfectly pulls out the accent color throughout.

Family Residence

Oliver Burns

The heart of the home is the reception room where deep blues from the Tyrrhenian Seas beautifully coalesce with soft whites and soupçons of antique gold under a bespoke chandelier of 1,800 hand-hung crystal droplets.

Jay Street Loft - Living Room

Jane Kim Architect

A custom millwork piece in the living room was designed to house an entertainment center, work space, and mud room storage for this 1700 square foot loft in Tribeca. Reclaimed gray wood clads the storage and compliments the gray leather desk. Blackened Steel works with the gray material palette at the desk wall and entertainment area. An island with customization for the family dog completes the large, open kitchen. The floors were ebonized to emphasize the raw materials in the space.

Rosenwald House

Flavin Architects

This remodel of a mid century gem is located in the town of Lincoln, MA a hot bed of modernist homes inspired by Gropius’ own house built nearby in the 1940’s. By the time the house was built, modernism had evolved from the Gropius era, to incorporate the rural vibe of Lincoln with spectacular exposed wooden beams and deep overhangs. The design rejects the traditional New England house with its enclosing wall and inward posture. The low pitched roofs, open floor plan, and large windows openings connect the house to nature to make the most of its rural setting. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

Cherry Hills Western Eclectic

Ekman Design Studio

This elegant expression of a modern Colorado style home combines a rustic regional exterior with a refined contemporary interior. The client's private art collection is embraced by a combination of modern steel trusses, stonework and traditional timber beams. Generous expanses of glass allow for view corridors of the mountains to the west, open space wetlands towards the south and the adjacent horse pasture on the east. Builder: Cadre General Contractors http://www.cadregc.com Interior Design: Comstock Design http://comstockdesign.com Photograph: Ron Ruscio Photography http://ronrusciophotography.com/

Walnut Grove

TOTAL CONCEPTS

Inspiration for a country open concept living room in San Francisco with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, brown floor, vaulted and planked wall panelling.

Greenwich Transitional

James Schettino Architects

Photo of a mid-sized transitional formal open concept living room in New York with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, no tv and brown floor.

Russian River Barn Home

Kadello & Larsen Architectural Designs

Inspiration for a large country open concept living room in San Francisco with beige walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace surround.

Blue Living Room Design Photos with Dark Hardwood Floors

A living room, often referred to as a lounge room in Australia and New Zealand, is the hub of the home. If you only have one living room in the house, it’s likely to serve multiple purposes: be it a place to watch TV, play games, spend quality time with family or hang out with friends. If you have the luxury of two living areas, one is usually a formal living room or lounge room, reserved for reading, relaxing and entertaining. A successful living room design is inviting, has enough seating for the whole clan – a comfortable couch is a must – and encourages conversation. Browse photos on Houzz for living room layouts, furniture and decor, and strike up a conversation with the interior designers or architects of your favourite picks. For even more living room ideas, check out the Stories section on Houzz.

Which living room layouts will work best for you?

Every living area will have design challenges. A long, narrow lounge room, for example, risks looking like a hallway if furniture is lined up against the walls. Instead, opt for small furniture items, like a cosy two-seater couch, and create various focal points throughout the space. In square living rooms, a symmetrical layout encourages a formal setting. Place seating on either side of the room, with a focal point in the middle to pull the room together. For a truly intimate vibe, replace your couch with some occasional chairs positioned around a coffee table or ottoman. This will make the main focus conversation. An open-plan home – one where the lines are blurred between kitchen, dining and living – may require a layout that focuses on definition. You’ll want to make sure furniture doesn’t block the flow between spaces, and instead use something like an area rug to create zones.

How can you decorate your living room?

The living room can be a place in which to show off your personality, but if you want a timeless living room scheme, stick to neutral walls, couches and ottomans. Colour can be added through accessories, and is a lot more interchangeable! Rugs, cushions and throws are great for adding colour, while mirrors, lamps and ceiling lights will set the mood. Make your living room unique by including family heirlooms and photos. For a polished look, try creating a coffee table vignette – you could use books as pedestals or group items together on a tray. Try adding a vase, a mixture of round and rectangular objects and some books.

What are some small living room ideas?

Small living room designs can be tricky to work with, but aren’t doomed to fail. Often, you just have to get creative with furniture. An open-back chaise can create a sense of spaciousness, while small side tables paired together can substitute a coffee table. Even better, an ottoman can be used as a footrest, coffee table or extra seating. Big furniture items like the couch are best kept in light colours, and if there’s room for a coffee table, a glass-top one is best. If you have two spaces in one – perhaps your living room sits in front of a single-wall kitchen – make sure they are connected by decor, colour and style. For definition, just add area rugs, or use your couch as a dividing wall. It’s worth having a few furniture pieces, whether a bookshelf, couch or entertainment unit, in the same colour as the walls, too, so they blend into the room and visually expand the space.

Is open-plan living for you?

Today’s homes often embrace open-plan living, whereby the living room runs off the kitchen and/or dining areas. Open-plan living allows greater functionality, but can risk creating a vast, soulless space if not done right. To avoid a cavernous feel in an open-plan design, define areas with furniture, rugs and lighting, or consider using a wall divider. Also be sure to keep flooring, lighting and materials consistent throughout, for cohesiveness. Noise may be an issue – someone banging pots and pans while you’re watching TV, for example – so include lots of soft furnishings, such as rugs, curtains and couches to help absorb the noise. You will also need to factor in plenty of storage, so mess is kept at bay.