Large contemporary open concept living room in Phoenix with white walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and beige floor.

House Union Street I

JPR Architects

Photo of a small contemporary open concept living room in Sydney with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a metal fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and a library.

Robinson St.

LETTER FOUR, INC.

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern open concept living room in Los Angeles with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and wood walls.

Vail River house

Judge + Associates

A modern mountain home with a hidden integrated river, this is showing the glass railing staircase and the living room with a linear fireplace.
Design ideas for a large contemporary formal open concept living room in Denver with beige walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace and a built-in media wall.

Lincoln Park Japandi Loft

Devon Grace Interiors

This main living area is the truly the heart of the home. The living and dining room are filled with natural light from the double-height windows, and the kitchen feels like an extension of the space.

Crouch End Apartment

A New Day - Interior Design Studio

The living room at our Crouch End apartment project, creating a chic, cosy space to relax and entertain. A soft powder blue adorns the walls in a room that is flooded with natural light. Brass clad shelves bring a considered attention to detail, with contemporary fixtures contrasted with a traditional sofa shape.

Contemporary Living Room

Large contemporary living room in Dallas with white walls, light hardwood floors and a built-in media wall.

Wisconsin Lake Retreat

Albertsson Hansen Architecture, Ltd

A cabin in Western Wisconsin is transformed from within to become a serene and modern retreat. In a past life, this cabin was a fishing cottage which was part of a resort built in the 1920’s on a small lake not far from the Twin Cities. The cabin has had multiple additions over the years so improving flow to the outdoor space, creating a family friendly kitchen, and relocating a bigger master bedroom on the lake side were priorities. The solution was to bring the kitchen from the back of the cabin up to the front, reduce the size of an overly large bedroom in the back in order to create a more generous front entry way/mudroom adjacent to the kitchen, and add a fireplace in the center of the main floor. Photographer: Wing Ta Interior Design: Jennaea Gearhart Design

The Castlelands

Jacqueline Murray Interiors

A neutral and calming open plan living space including a white kitchen with an oak interior, oak timber slats feature on the island clad in a Silestone Halcyon worktop and backsplash. The kitchen included a Quooker Fusion Square Tap, Fisher & Paykel Integrated Dishwasher Drawer, Bora Pursu Recirculation Hob, Zanussi Undercounter Oven. All walls, ceiling, kitchen units, home office, banquette & TV unit are painted Farrow and Ball Wevet. The oak floor finish is a combination of hard wax oil and a harder wearing lacquer. Discreet home office with white hide and slide doors and an oak veneer interior. LED lighting within the home office, under the TV unit and over counter kitchen units. Corner banquette with a solid oak veneer seat and white drawers underneath for storage. TV unit appears floating, features an oak slat backboard and white drawers for storage. Furnishings from CA Design, Neptune and Zara Home.

Annunciation Street Living Room

Rivers Spencer

This Rivers Spencer living room was designed with the idea of livable luxury in mind. Using soft tones of blues, taupes, and whites the space is serene and comfortable for the home owner.

Scandinavian Sophistication

City Homes, LLC

Photo of a mid-sized scandinavian open concept living room in Minneapolis with beige walls, light hardwood floors, a wood stove, a metal fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and beige floor.

Projet Trocadéro

Mon Concept Habitation

Nos clients ont fait l'acquisition de ce 135 m² afin d'y loger leur future famille. Le couple avait une certaine vision de leur intérieur idéal : de grands espaces de vie et de nombreux rangements. ⁠ ⁠ Nos équipes ont donc traduit cette vision physiquement. Ainsi, l'appartement s'ouvre sur une entrée intemporelle où se dresse un meuble Ikea et une niche boisée. Éléments parfaits pour habiller le couloir et y ranger des éléments sans l'encombrer d'éléments extérieurs.⁠ ⁠ Les pièces de vie baignent dans la lumière. Au fond, il y a la cuisine, située à la place d'une ancienne chambre. Elle détonne de par sa singularité : un look contemporain avec ses façades grises et ses finitions en laiton sur fond de papier au style anglais. ⁠ ⁠ Les rangements de la cuisine s'invitent jusqu'au premier salon comme un trait d'union parfait entre les 2 pièces. ⁠ ⁠ Derrière une verrière coulissante, on trouve le 2e salon, lieu de détente ultime avec sa bibliothèque-meuble télé conçue sur-mesure par nos équipes. ⁠ ⁠ Enfin, les SDB sont un exemple de notre savoir-faire ! Il y a celle destinée aux enfants : spacieuse, chaleureuse avec sa baignoire ovale. Et celle des parents : compacte et aux traits plus masculins avec ses touches de noir.

Brae Burn Modern

Flavin Architects

This new house is located in a quiet residential neighborhood developed in the 1920’s, that is in transition, with new larger homes replacing the original modest-sized homes. The house is designed to be harmonious with its traditional neighbors, with divided lite windows, and hip roofs. The roofline of the shingled house steps down with the sloping property, keeping the house in scale with the neighborhood. The interior of the great room is oriented around a massive double-sided chimney, and opens to the south to an outdoor stone terrace and garden. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

Living Room Remodel

Blueprint Dreams LLC

We built-in a reading alcove and enlarged the entry to match the reading alcove. We refaced the old brick fireplace with a German Smear treatment and replace an old wood stove with a new one.

Living Room

ODS Architecture

Living room with built-in entertainment cabinet, large sliding doors.
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary loft-style living room in San Francisco with white walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, beige floor, a stone fireplace surround and a built-in media wall.

Petites rénovations DME

DME batiment

Rénovation complète d'une maison à Lyon. Salon scandinave par DME batiment
Inspiration for a large scandinavian formal open concept living room in Lyon with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and beige floor.

West of Eden

SGDI - Sarah Gallop Design Inc.

For a family that loves hosting large gatherings, this expansive home is a dream; boasting two unique entertaining spaces, each expanding onto outdoor-living areas, that capture its magnificent views. The sheer size of the home allows for various ‘experiences’; from a rec room perfect for hosting game day and an eat-in wine room escape on the lower-level, to a calming 2-story family greatroom on the main. Floors are connected by freestanding stairs, framing a custom cascading-pendant light, backed by a stone accent wall, and facing a 3-story waterfall. A custom metal art installation, templated from a cherished tree on the property, both brings nature inside and showcases the immense vertical volume of the house. Photography: Paul Grdina

Mulberry Walk

Maxwell & Company Architects

Peter Landers Photography
Large contemporary formal enclosed living room in London with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a built-in media wall.

Great Room

Denise Maloney Interior Design

Cesar Rubio Photography
Photo of a large traditional open concept living room in San Francisco with a home bar, grey walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a built-in media wall.

Fairhope Wall Unit

Larry Harmse

Photo of a mid-sized traditional enclosed living room in Miami with brown walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace, a built-in media wall and beige floor.

Living Room Design Photos with Light Hardwood Floors and a Built-in Media Wall

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.