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.

Sherwin Williams Projects

Painting Monkey

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary open concept living room in Detroit with green walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace and beige floor.

Waterfront Transitional

Onshore Construction & Development, Inc.

Large contemporary open concept living room in Miami with light hardwood floors, a stone fireplace surround, beige walls, a ribbon fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Black Brick Fireplace

Fireclay Tile

Photo of a contemporary open concept living room in Austin with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, beige floor and vaulted.

UPDATED TRADITIONAL

Lissa Lee Hickman

This is an example of a large mediterranean open concept living room in Phoenix with beige walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Notting Hill Pied a Terre

Imperfect Interiors

The open plan living room in this flat is light and bright, and the beautiful Georgian sash windows are the main feature. The white oiled oak floor & Carl Hansen Wegner chairs contrast with the original Georgian fire surround, cornice and skirting boards. The contemporary tan leather sofa and sideboard sit happily next to the mid-century armchair & cast iron radiator. Plaster wall lights, a large table lamp and a multi bulb pendant provide layers of light when required.

3 bedroom apartment at Sunglade

KNQ Associates

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary living room in Singapore with grey walls, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Penthouse at The Edition

Viv & Leone

This is an example of a large contemporary open concept living room in San Diego with white walls, light hardwood floors, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Sleek & Inspiring

South Bay Design Center

Living Room features Walnut floating shelves, Herman Miller Lounge chair.
Contemporary open concept living room in Los Angeles with a library, white walls, carpet, beige floor, exposed beam and vaulted.

Miami Beach Townhouse

Janet Patterson Interior Design (JPID)

Modern beach townhouse living room with custom bookcase wall unit and curated art & accessories
Design ideas for an expansive contemporary open concept living room in Miami with a library, white walls, no tv, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

Shooting Star 72, Teton Village, Wyoming

KAM Designs

Mountain Modern Great Room.
Large country formal open concept living room with light hardwood floors, a stone fireplace surround, white walls, a standard fireplace, no tv and beige floor.

Furndale

Thomas Philips Woodworking LTD.

Photo of a mid-sized transitional formal open concept living room in Other with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, beige floor, no tv and timber.

Weston Residence

Choeff Levy Fischman, P.A.

Choeff Levy Designed a bespoke residence with indoor-outdoor concepts to achieve a resort-style living experience.
This is an example of an expansive midcentury open concept living room in Miami with multi-coloured walls, limestone floors, a built-in media wall and beige floor.

Flower Mound Transitional Modern

Urbanology Designs

Large transitional open concept living room with white walls, light hardwood floors, a plaster fireplace surround, beige floor and a ribbon fireplace.

Homey Project

Blue Copper Design

open living room with large windows and exposed beams. tv mounted over fireplace
Mid-sized country open concept living room in Phoenix with white walls, laminate floors, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Modern Mediterranean

Lewis Design-Build-Remodel

Inspiration for a large modern formal open concept living room in Other with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Modern Farmhouse | Home

Meriwether Design Group

Photo of a large country open concept living room in Atlanta with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and beige floor.

Shoreline Drive

LORI HANDBERG / Studio M Interiors, Plymouth, MN.

Inspiration for a large transitional formal open concept living room in Minneapolis with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, no tv and beige floor.

Tuscany Project

SmithErickson Designs

Design ideas for a mid-sized scandinavian enclosed living room in Calgary with white walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, beige floor and medium hardwood floors.

Malvern II whole house renovation

EC Trethewey Building Contractors, Inc.

This is an example of a large country formal living room in Philadelphia with white walls, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

Living Room Design Photos with Beige Floor and Green 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.