This is an example of a large contemporary open concept living room in Detroit with light hardwood floors, a built-in media wall, a ribbon fireplace and a metal fireplace surround.

Twin Peaks House

Mihaly Slocombe

Twin Peaks House is a vibrant extension to a grand Edwardian homestead in Kensington. Originally built in 1913 for a wealthy family of butchers, when the surrounding landscape was pasture from horizon to horizon, the homestead endured as its acreage was carved up and subdivided into smaller terrace allotments. Our clients discovered the property decades ago during long walks around their neighbourhood, promising themselves that they would buy it should the opportunity ever arise. Many years later the opportunity did arise, and our clients made the leap. Not long after, they commissioned us to update the home for their family of five. They asked us to replace the pokey rear end of the house, shabbily renovated in the 1980s, with a generous extension that matched the scale of the original home and its voluminous garden. Our design intervention extends the massing of the original gable-roofed house towards the back garden, accommodating kids’ bedrooms, living areas downstairs and main bedroom suite tucked away upstairs gabled volume to the east earns the project its name, duplicating the main roof pitch at a smaller scale and housing dining, kitchen, laundry and informal entry. This arrangement of rooms supports our clients’ busy lifestyles with zones of communal and individual living, places to be together and places to be alone. The living area pivots around the kitchen island, positioned carefully to entice our clients' energetic teenaged boys with the aroma of cooking. A sculpted deck runs the length of the garden elevation, facing swimming pool, borrowed landscape and the sun. A first-floor hideout attached to the main bedroom floats above, vertical screening providing prospect and refuge. Neither quite indoors nor out, these spaces act as threshold between both, protected from the rain and flexibly dimensioned for either entertaining or retreat. Galvanised steel continuously wraps the exterior of the extension, distilling the decorative heritage of the original’s walls, roofs and gables into two cohesive volumes. The masculinity in this form-making is balanced by a light-filled, feminine interior. Its material palette of pale timbers and pastel shades are set against a textured white backdrop, with 2400mm high datum adding a human scale to the raked ceilings. Celebrating the tension between these design moves is a dramatic, top-lit 7m high void that slices through the centre of the house. Another type of threshold, the void bridges the old and the new, the private and the public, the formal and the informal. It acts as a clear spatial marker for each of these transitions and a living relic of the home’s long history.

Ranch House Great Room

Marin Design Co.

Large, bright, and airy great room with lots of layered textures.
Design ideas for a large traditional open concept living room in Sacramento with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, a built-in media wall, brown floor, vaulted and decorative wall panelling.

Columbia, TN Custom Home

Noble Johnson Architects

Architecture: Noble Johnson Architects Interior Design: Rachel Hughes - Ye Peddler Photography: Garett + Carrie Buell of Studiobuell/ studiobuell.com
Photo of a large transitional open concept living room in Nashville with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and vaulted.

Welwyn Open Plan Revamp

Sai Interiors

We loved working on this project! The clients brief was to create the Danish concept of Hygge in her new home. We completely redesigned and revamped the space. She wanted to keep all her existing furniture but wanted the space to feel completely different. We opened up the back wall into the garden and added bi-fold doors to create an indoor-outdoor space. New flooring, complete redecoration, new lighting and accessories to complete the transformation. Her tears of happiness said it all!

MCM Gem

Dunn Development, Inc.

Photo of a large midcentury enclosed living room in Nashville with medium hardwood floors, a two-sided fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and exposed beam.

Not Your Grandfather's Barn! A Modern Pole Barn House in Lauderdale Lake Area

Stebnitz Builders, Inc.

This 2,500 square-foot home, combines the an industrial-meets-contemporary gives its owners the perfect place to enjoy their rustic 30- acre property. Its multi-level rectangular shape is covered with corrugated red, black, and gray metal, which is low-maintenance and adds to the industrial feel. Encased in the metal exterior, are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and an aging-in-place suite that is made for the in-laws. This home also boasts two garage doors that open up to a sunroom that brings our clients close nature in the comfort of their own home. The flooring is polished concrete and the fireplaces are metal. Still, a warm aesthetic abounds with mixed textures of hand-scraped woodwork and quartz and spectacular granite counters. Clean, straight lines, rows of windows, soaring ceilings, and sleek design elements form a one-of-a-kind, 2,500 square-foot home

California Casual in the Midwest - Rue Magazine Feature

Kelsey Leigh Design Co.

Large transitional open concept living room in Oklahoma City with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a built-in media wall, beige floor and vaulted.

California Casual in the Midwest - Rue Magazine Feature

Kelsey Leigh Design Co.

Inspiration for a large transitional open concept living room in Oklahoma City with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a built-in media wall, beige floor and vaulted.

The San Anita Great Room

JayMarc Homes

The two-story volume great room looks into the entry and kitchen.
Photo of a large country open concept living room in Seattle with grey walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Maryland

La Marco Homes

Stylish, contemporary living room.
Design ideas for a large contemporary open concept living room in Detroit with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and brown floor.

Elegant Farmhouse Project

Alison Giese Interiors

Photo of a large country enclosed living room in Austin with beige walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a concealed tv.

3 kings condo re-fresh

Shearer Designs

leather chairs, carpet and dark hardwood floors, SW Shoji wall color, ski decor and paintings barn and animals. Decor flagstone rock fireplace surround with rustic wood beam and metal accents. Small workspace desk.

Living Room viewed from Kitchen

Guideline Studios, LLC

The expansive Living Room features a floating wood fireplace hearth and adjacent wood shelves. The linear electric fireplace keeps the wall mounted tv above at a comfortable viewing height. Generous windows fill the 14 foot high roof with ample daylight.

Petit House

iPhotographyHOMES

This is an example of a large transitional open concept living room in Los Angeles with grey walls, light hardwood floors, a wall-mounted tv, beige floor and recessed.

Kensington Terrace

Tollgard Design Group

This is an example of a large contemporary formal enclosed living room in London with grey walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and grey floor.

Great Room

Arch Studio, Inc.

California Ranch Farmhouse Style Design 2020
Design ideas for a large transitional open concept living room in San Francisco with grey walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, grey floor, vaulted and planked wall panelling.

PARADISE VALLEY TRANSITIONAL

Lissa Lee Hickman

Large transitional formal open concept living room in Phoenix with beige walls, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Firethorne

Voigt & Co

Large traditional formal living room in Charlotte with beige walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

Burgundy - Living Room

LDI Studio

Photo of a large modern open concept living room in Dallas with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and yellow floor.

Large Living Room Design Photos

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.