Traditional living room in Melbourne with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and brown floor.

Landmark Photography
This is an example of a traditional open concept living room in Minneapolis with grey walls, brown floor and coffered.

DAGR Design Media Wall _ Calm -TV above Linear Fireplace

DAGR Design Custom Home Theater

DAGR Design creates walls that reflect your design style, whether you like off center, creative design or prefer the calming feeling of this symmetrical wall. Warm up a grey space with textures like wood shelves and panel stone. Add a pop of color or pattern to create interest. image credits DAGR Design

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.

Lincoln Park Single Family Home

Gemma Parker Design, LLC

Photography: Dustin Halleck, Home Builder: Middlefork Development, LLC, Architect: Burns + Beyerl Architects
Mid-sized traditional formal open concept living room in Chicago with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace surround, no tv and brown floor.

Nevis Rd. - Sold

Park Bradley Homes

This is an example of a traditional open concept living room in DC Metro with grey walls, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Club

Castro Design Studio

High 5 Productions
Design ideas for a traditional formal living room in Atlanta with grey walls.

Living Room

Cardea Building Co.

Design & Construction: Cardea Building Co. Photo by: John D Hayes of OpenHomes Photography
This is an example of a traditional living room in San Francisco with grey walls and a standard fireplace.

Parkwood Road Residence Living Room

O’Hara Interiors

All furnishings are available through Martha O'Hara Interiors. www.oharainteriors.com Martha O'Hara Interiors, Interior Selections & Furnishings | Charles Cudd De Novo, Architecture | Troy Thies Photography | Shannon Gale, Photo Styling

Powell

Natasha Nash

Inspiration for a small traditional formal open concept living room in Ottawa with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, no tv and coffered.

Southern Traditional Brick Two Story

Wyrick Residential Design

Inspiration for a large traditional open concept living room in Houston with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, a built-in media wall, brown floor and coffered.

Grade II Listed Home

Murray Hurst Interiors

Traditional open concept living room in Other with grey walls, carpet, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, white floor and panelled walls.

Сталинка в центре Москвы

Елена Музыченко

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional formal enclosed living room in Moscow with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, no tv and brown floor.

BRENTWOOD

STEFANI STEIN

Design ideas for a traditional enclosed living room in Los Angeles with a library, grey walls and medium hardwood floors.

Blushing Neutral Formal Living Room

Harmony Drive Interiors

Traditional formal living room in DC Metro with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, no fireplace and no tv.

Aqua Vista at Keowee Falls

Gabriel Builders Inc.

Photographer: Will Keown
Photo of a large traditional formal enclosed living room in Other with grey walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace, no tv and brown floor.

Vibrant Classic Bungalow

User

An overdyed rug in tones of charcoal grey and violet covers a walnut stained hardwood floor, setting the stage for the inventive use of purples and mixed metals found in this traditional living room. Elegant gold accents abound. Sapphire blue and white striped silk draperies hang from silver rods affixed with gold rings that echo the gold frame of the sofa and marble cocktail table. The gold thread continues onto the side tables, whose mahogany stain adds depth and coordinates with the espresso frames of the lounge chairs, which have been upholstered in a lavender tone-on-tone floral. Resting on the dark grey crushed velvet of the sofa are a pair of floral pillows in shades of white, grey, purple, and blue. These pillows partner with two flame stitched navy and turquoise pillows that are accented with a turquoise striped velvet. Adding additional watery blue are a pair of aqua porcelain lamps topped with crisp white shades. Light gray walls and ceiling are trimmed in white and provide the quiet canvas required to allow the room’s regal colors to reign supreme. Carter Tippins Photography

Park Hill Tudor

Ashleigh Weatherill Interior Design

Meagan Larsen
Design ideas for a traditional formal enclosed living room in Phoenix with grey walls, carpet and beige floor.

Megan Wunderlich Designs

DesignDot

Design ideas for a traditional formal living room in New York with grey walls and a standard fireplace.

Wilbraham Custom Colonial

Pecoy Homes and Remodeling

Photo of a traditional living room in Boston with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

Traditional Living Room Design Photos with Grey Walls

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 traditional 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 traditional living room ideas, check out the Stories section on Houzz.

Which traditional 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 traditional 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 traditional 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 traditional 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.