Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

Research Outer Eastern Melbourne

Substance Within

Inspiration for a contemporary living room in Melbourne with white walls, grey floor and wallpaper.

High House

Dieppe Design

Photo of a contemporary living room in Sydney with white walls, grey floor and brick walls.

Point Lonsdale II

Stonehouse + Irons Architecture

Concrete block walls provide thermal mass for heating and defence agains hot summer. The subdued colours create a quiet and cosy space focussed around the fire. Timber joinery adds warmth and texture , framing the collections of books and collected objects.

THE BAREFOOT BAY VILLA

The Designory

This is an example of a contemporary living room in Other with grey walls, a hanging fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, grey floor and brick walls.

Berkeley Vale Home

AMA Studio Interiors

This is an example of a mid-sized beach style open concept living room in Sydney with white walls, concrete floors, a corner fireplace, grey floor and planked wall panelling.

Hill House

Kaiko Design Interiors

Main living space - Dulux Terracotta Chip paint on the upper and ceiling with Dulux suede effect in matching colour to lower Dado. Matching curved sofas with graphic black and white accents. All lighting custom designed - shop today at Kaiko Design

Willoughby

Glenstone Living

This is an example of a contemporary living room in Sydney with white walls, concrete floors, grey floor and brick walls.

Bay Pearl

Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

Modern living room in Melbourne with grey walls, ceramic floors and grey floor.

Dumbo Loft

Benjamin Andres Architekt

This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury loft-style living room in New York with a music area, white walls, concrete floors, no fireplace, no tv, grey floor and brick walls.

Rawlings Street

Anthro Architecture

Detailed view from the main reception room out across the double-height dining space to the rear garden beyond. The timber panelling includes discrete linear LED lighting, creating a warm rhythmic glow across the space during the evening hours.

Wellesley Residence 2

Elms Interior Design

Photography by Michael. J Lee Photography
Mid-sized contemporary formal open concept living room in Boston with grey walls, carpet, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, grey floor and wallpaper.

Living Room

Harper Floors

Our Windsor waterproof SPC Vinyl Plank Floors add an effortless accent to this industrial styled home. The perfect shade of gray with wood grain texture to highlight the blacks and tonal browns in this living room.

Lakeside Modern Lodge

HAUS | Architecture For Modern Lifestyles

Open concept living space opens to dining, kitchen, and covered deck - HLODGE - Unionville, IN - Lake Lemon - HAUS | Architecture For Modern Lifestyles (architect + photographer) - WERK | Building Modern (builder)

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.

Apartment 402, Ahmedabad

Abhishek Shah

Modern Living Room
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary open concept living room in Ahmedabad with white walls, a wall-mounted tv, grey floor and wood walls.

Buckhead Client's Ski Retreat- Living Room

New Mood Design LLC

Level Three: We selected a suspension light (metal, glass and silver-leaf) as a key feature of the living room seating area to counter the bold fireplace. It lends drama (albeit, subtle) to the room with its abstract shapes. The silver planes become ephemeral when they reflect and refract the environment: high storefront windows overlooking big blue skies, roaming clouds and solid mountain vistas. Photograph © Darren Edwards, San Diego

Noe Valley 767

SF Design Build

This is an example of an asian living room in San Francisco with ceramic floors, grey floor, wood and wood walls.

Rénovation complète pour cette maison sur le Bassin d'Arcachon

La Crèmerie

L'intérieur a subi une transformation radicale à travers des matériaux durables et un style scandinave épuré et chaleureux. La circulation et les volumes ont été optimisés, et grâce à un jeu de couleurs le lieu prend vie.

1960's remodel - Japanese & Scandinavian style house

Mark Hazeldine Photography

Basement living room extension with floor to ceiling sliding doors, plywood panelling a stone tile feature wall (with integrated TV) and concrete/wood flooring to create an inside-outside living space.

All Wall Treatments Living Room Design Photos with Grey Floor

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.