Category: Living Rooms

Your living room is the central point in your home. It is one of the rooms that see the most action. Unlike your laundry room, which is hidden away and rarely seen by guests, your living room is front and center. Because of this, it needs to be presentable, clean, and well decorated. This goes beyond just having living room furniture. Having the right decor takes a boring living room and turns it into a welcoming space that people want to be in. It can help to look at decorating ideas to get an idea of what you want your living room to look like. Check out these living room decor ideas and get inspired to add decor to your living room.

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1. Bohemian-Inspired Living Room Transformation

Create a comfy and casual entertaining space by taking a bohemian approach. If you are not ready to buy all new furniture, arrange colorful pillows on your current furniture. Adding a brightly colored blanket and printed pillows can transform a plain neutral colored sofa into a bohemian inspired space.

If you want to take the decor a step further, replace traditional light fixtures with metal lantern ones. Replace the curtains with colorful drapes that feature hand woven embroidery. Finally, add unique pieces that are from exotic places, such as a hand carved wooden bowl, artisan sculpted figurines, or hand dipped candles.

2. Elevate Your Living Room with Chandelier Chic

Chandeliers are not just for your dining room. Add a touch of elegance and glamor to your living room by using a chandelier. Not only will this style of light fixture add visual interest and style, but they are also good at creating plenty of light in the space.

Choose a chandelier with multiple bulbs on all sides for bright, all-over ambient light. Match the style and materials of the chandelier to the decor style in the living room. Branches and reclaimed wood are suitable for a rustic or farmhouse design. Sleek black metal looks modern, while a metal design with intricate designs will look more traditional.

3. Creating a Cozy Fireplace Focal Point

Having a fireplace in your family room is a valuable asset because it acts as a natural focal point in the room. You could place a large basket or bin on the floor around the hearth that is full of extra linens like decorative pillows and blankets. Then give the fireplace mantel a traditional style with candlesticks, a vase full of blooms, and picture frames. Add height to the display with a large framed mirror or artwork.

You can place these directly on the mantel if your mantel is larger. If your mantel is smaller, hang them on the wall over the mantel instead. Be sure to choose the right size mirror or framed picture to maintain proper proportions.

4. Mastering Minimalist Design: Less is More

The key to creating a beautifully minimalist design is to keep the decorative items to a minimum. This does not mean not having any, just being very selective in what you use. Keep the color pallet simple for a neutral living room. There needs to be a balance of light and dark to create visual interest and depth. An all light neutral color scheme will fall flat.

Decide where you want the focal point to be, then add a single decorative item in that focal point area. This could be a decorative bowl on the coffee table, a single vase with grasses on the fireplace mantel, or a large picture hung on the wall over the sofa.

5. Maximizing Small Living Spaces with Mirrors

If you have a small living room, using a mirror as your decor is a perfect solution for adding natural light. Interior designers use this trick because more natural light helps a space feel brighter and more welcoming. Look at where the natural light comes into the room.

The mirror should be placed where the light comes in for maximum effect. It will then reflect the light to another point in the room. The traditional approach is to hang the mirror on the wall. But you could also place the mirror on a shelf or buy a large mirror that sits on the ground and leans against the wall.

6. Elevate Modern Living with Bold Colors and Texture

If you want to create a modern living room, do not be afraid to add bold pops of color to your white living room. People often confuse minimalist and modern design. While modern design is clean and clutter-free, it is not bare or simplistic the way minimalism is.

Play with different textiles and textures in your modern living room. Use wood, metal, and fabrics for your decor. Blending the three together creates a fresh feeling space. You could also add a vibrant leafy green plant for a natural pop of color. The decor you choose can have some details but not too many, or it will lean too much towards traditionalism.

See more modern living room ideas here.

7. Transform Your Living Room with Striking Wall Murals

Instead of adding extra wall art to your large living room, why not turn the living room into the decor? Take a plain white wall and add a large wall mural. If you are creative, grab some paints and a brush and get to work painting a custom piece of artwork. Modern wallpapers can be an alternative solution for homeowners that are not that creative. Measure the wall and order a custom sized mural. Hang the pieces on the wall and have a full wall design that makes a bold statement in your living room.

Traditional murals are scenic pictures, such as a landscape. Modern murals have large scale designs, such as a single flower taking up a quarter of the wall space. The difference would be looking at a mural that features a meadow of wildflowers or a single bunch of flowers.

See more wall art ideas for a living room here.

8. Designing Your Living Room’s Artful Gallery Wall

If you love art, create a gallery wall in your living room. This is a perfect use of a large blank wall that you aren’t sure what to do with. This is one of those DIY projects that anyone can do. Adapt the display to complement the rest of the living room. You could match all of the frames to be the same size and design. Then arrange them lined up vertically and horizontally. This creates a minimalist look.

For a more creative design, use complementary but different frames and arrange them with wall decor in a scattered design on the wall.

9. Bringing the Outdoors In with Plants

Adding plants to your contemporary living room design will give it a touch of nature that creates a welcoming space. Plants are an easy home decor solution because they add natural color that won’t compete with your chosen color scheme.

To ensure that your chosen plants thrive in your living room, pay attention to the amount of light they will get. Match the amount of light to the needs of the plant. If you are not good about remembering to water the plant, then look for plants that prefer arid environments.

10. Maximizing Living Room Space with Wall-Mounted Shelves

Adding shelves to your living room walls gives you more flexibility in implementing living room ideas. Mount a single large shelf or several smaller ones. This approach works well in a small space because wall mounted shelves do not take up valuable floor space.

You can then move around and change out the decor on the shelves without having to make more holes in your walls. This is essential if you live in an apartment because many leases specifically state that tenants need to limit the number of holes they make.

11. Enhancing Your Living Room with a Striking Sofa Arrangement

The sofa is the primary furniture piece in the living room. It is the largest piece and is typically centrally located. Because of this, you can highlight the sofa and its natural stance as the focal point. Frame the sofa with accent chairs on one or both sides. These chairs could be a part of a matching set or of a different design that compliments your sofa.

Visually tie the large furniture pieces together with throw pillows. Doing this can bring a single accent color throughout the room. If your sofa is looking a bit tired, consider covering it up with a cover. This can give your sofa a refresh without having to buy a new sofa.

12. Tabletop Essentials for a Complete Living Room

It is not enough to have seating in your living room. You also need tabletop surfaces for setting down drinks, personal items, or anything else. Adding a coffee table also helps tie a room together.

If you have spread an area rug on the floor space, adding a coffee table will help ground the rug in the space. Framing the sofa with coffee tables can also add balance to the living space. To create a formal living room, add decor to these tables. It does not need to be a lot. A single framed picture on the end table or a bowl on the coffee table is plenty.

What is a foyer and why would you want one in an open floor plan? A foyer is the area just inside a building’s main door. Older homes with separate spaces almost always included a foyer. Even if it was just a small entryway, foyer space was considered a necessary part of the floor plan.

A foyer traditionally includes a coat closet and tile or vinyl flooring instead of carpet. It’s an easy-to-clean transition zone between indoor and outdoor spaces. Modern open floor plans often eliminate this useful zone, but it’s fairly easy to create a functional foyer space anyway. Keep reading to learn how to create a foyer in an open living room. 

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Easy Foyer Design Ideas

Open concept homes provide great space for entertaining, but their lack of a clearly defined entry space can be a problem. Never fear, though–there are so many simple ways to delineate your entryway from the rest of your living space. 

Rugs

A large area rug is perfect for visually defining your entryway from the rest of the living room. If your home gets a lot of foot traffic, choose a washable rug. Sisal or jute rugs are good design ideas in the foyer, especially if your home has a casual atmosphere.

Furniture

There are many ways to arrange your living room furniture so that it feels like the room has a separate foyer. For instance, you can place your sofa so that its back faces the front door. Put a console table against the sofa back to make it feel like a foyer entrance.

You can also place the console table on a wall, perhaps beside the front door. Wherever you place the console table, add a table lamp and tuck some baskets underneath shoe storage space. A narrow dresser can be used instead of a classic console table.

A bench is helpful in any entryway because it provides a place for people to sit while putting on their shoes. Add a coat tree and umbrella stand in the corner so your guests have a place to put their outerwear and gear.

If you don’t have room for a console table or bench, a regular chair and small table will fulfill the same purpose of providing a place to sit and a spot to hold your mail and keys. A small tabletop basket can help keep those items neatly organized.

Wall Hooks

Wall hooks are useful and stylish decorating ideas in an open living room foyer zone. Use them for the family’s coats and hats, and encourage your guests to hang their outerwear on the wall hooks, too. 

Either hang hooks directly on the wall, or buy a shelf that has hooks beneath it. The shelf will add additional space to place your keys or add decorative touches like framed photos. 

Storage Space

An entryway could always use a bit of storage room. Always look for furniture that has integrated storage space, such as a console table with drawers or a bench with cubbies and baskets beneath. Hang wall baskets or shelf cubes for a home decor touch that also provides room to stash things.

Lighting

Center a special ceiling light fixture a few feet away from the door. A special chandelier or pendant light will provide a focal point that automatically makes it look like a proper living room foyer. It will also provide valuable light when coming and going at night. Tuck a lamp in the corner for a more subtle entryway light feature.

Privacy Screen

A foldable privacy screen is a good way to create a foyer in an open floor plan home or apartment. Depending on the room’s layout and how much floor space you have, you can use the screen as a “wall” people see when they enter your home. Or you can place it to one side if that better suits your floor plan.

Entryway Renovation Ideas

If you’re up for a more complicated project, you can make permanent changes that create a foyer where there was none. If you’re great at DIYing, you may be able to do the work yourself. If not—or when in doubt—it’s best to hire a contractor for professional results. 

Tile

Usually, an open floor plan has the same type of flooring throughout the space. Laying a different—but complementary—type of flooring by the entryway creates a real foyer feeling. 

Because it’s a small area, you might be able to afford a nicer type of tile than you would in a larger area. Hand-painted Mediterranean tiles, marble tile, or black-and-white encaustic tiles are all stylish choices for an open floor plan foyer. You could also simply match the type of tile used on the kitchen floor. 

Room Divider

A sofa or bookcase can serve as a divider between a foyer and an open space great room. Tall, medium, and short bookshelves work equally well. You can also have a room divider custom made to fit your color scheme, entryway and wall configuration. 

Wall

A new wall—or half-wall—will clearly set a boundary between the foyer and living room. If you’re going to the trouble of hiring a contractor to build a wall, consider whether you need an additional room at the same time. It might be a good opportunity to break up your open space and create a new home office or designated dining area. 

Mudroom

While you might not want to stick a mudroom in a corner of your living room, a DIY mudroom is great when the main door you use is located in a laundry room or off the kitchen. A wall shelf, bench, lighting, and perhaps a chalkboard wall or dry erase board are all you need for a DIY mudroom.

Foyer Styling Tips

Use these tips to make the most of your new designated entryway.

• Measure the living room and foyer space before buying anything that goes there. This holds true whether you’re making permanent or temporary changes to your foyer zone.
• Maintain interior design continuity. Color is a good way to create cohesiveness between the kitchen, dining area, and family room of an open layout home. Use the same color choices, fabrics, textures, and style that’s represented in the adjacent living area and dining room. 
• Remember to accessorize your foyer furniture and walls. Hang wall art, toss a throw pillow on the bench, and place a tall potted plant in the corner. 
• Hang a mirror in the foyer space. Not only is it great for last minute appearance checks before heading out, it reflects light and makes a small space feel larger. Round mirrors add a modern vibe to an open living room foyer.

Grey is a hugely popular neutral color. It’s a color that comes in a huge range of shades, from dramatic charcoal to barely-there dove grey. Each grey color also has an undertone, which may be subtle or obvious. Warm greys have a red or yellow undertone while cool greys have a bluish tint.

So, what color furniture goes with grey walls? You really can’t go wrong with any color of furniture when grey is the background. However, some pairings seem to work a bit better than others. Choose from the following furniture colors to create an agreeable grey based room.

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Beige

You might think beige or taupe is a bad pairing with another neutral like grey. However, depending on your interior designer skills, it’s possible for two neutrals to cohabitate nicely in one space. 

Beige color furniture looks best against a warm grey wall color like Sherwin Williams’ Repose Grey. This color is a perfect “greige” or combination of grey and beige paint. To emphasize the grey in your color scheme, include a darker shade of charcoal grey in your area rug, throw pillows, and curtains.

Black

Black furniture always looks elegant next to grey walls. Black is a sophisticated color that, like grey, goes with virtually anything. Black color furniture is equally good with light grey or dark grey walls, depending on the look you’re going for. You can also mix and match black and grey furniture pieces.

Using black color furniture with grey walls creates a monochromatic color scheme, especially when grey is represented in several different shade options. Find an area rug that includes multiple shades of grey, black, and touches of white. A big area rug that includes these hues will bring together your monochromatic color scheme. 

Blue

Blue is a peaceful color in its lighter shades, but can be dramatic when it’s dark or bright. Brilliant cobalt blue or sealike turquoise are two colors that really stand out, and either works well against dark grey or light grey walls. 

For the best blue pairing, choose slate grey for its cool background tint. Slate grey comes in pale and dark grey versions. Light grey slate walls and soft powder blue are a soothing combination in a bedroom or living room.  

Green

Earthy shades of green are a great choice when you’re wondering what color furniture goes with grey walls. Sage and other soft, soothing greens carry a calming vibe next to grey. Olive green furniture is excellent against grey walls, and you can add to that natural ambience with brown woods and other warm neutrals. 

Brighter green furniture colors can also be used with grey walls. Think jade, emerald, or grass green against a neutral grey wall. Because red is on the opposite side of green on the color wheel, red is a good accent color for a green and grey living room. An earthy brick red or dark terra cotta accents will make the green stand out from the grey walls.

Grey 

Grey might not immediately come to mind when you’re wondering what color furniture goes with grey walls. After all, as a neutral, grey furniture against a grey wall sounds dull. But the truth is that varied shades of grey make an elegant color scheme, especially in a formal living room or primary bedroom. 

If you’re going for a grey monochromatic color scheme in the living room, choose at least one piece of grey furniture that  has a highly textured or printed pattern. Pair a grey sofa with printed side chairs and hang shimmery grey color curtains on the windows. These features are what keeps a grey room from being boring, and are a fun way to add detail when you’d prefer not to introduce a whole new color. 

Red

Choose red furniture if you want a bright, exciting look in your grey living room or bedroom. Red is also ideal if your grey wall room has an Asian flair, especially if you add gold accents. 

Furniture upholstered with dark reds, like burgundy and maroon, have long been popular living room ideas. If a large red sofa seems a bit much, use smaller touches of red, such as a red bookcase or accent chair.

White

White will always be a top furniture or wall color choice when you’re going after a fresh, clean vibe. White walls with grey trim or grey walls with white trim are both good when you want to include white furniture in the living room. White furniture is a flexible design choice as it looks great against a light grey wall or a dark grey wall. 

Warm grey color paint looks better with a warmer shade of white furniture, such as cream or ecru. Keep your warmer color palette consistent with an ivory curtain color instead of a bright white curtain. 

Read also: 42 White Living Room Ideas

Yellow

Yellow is a bright color that adds a cheerful, whimsical ambience to a living room with grey walls. Pure butter yellow, bright primary yellow, or deep sunflower gold are all great upholstery living room ideas to pair with grey. 

If you feel that yellow is a too bright color to use on a large piece of furniture, use it as an accent color. Perhaps paint one accent wall your chosen yellow color and include it in your curtains, throw pillows, and other home decor accents. 

Oversized living rooms and open floor plans have become popular in modern home architectural design. However, these large spaces now create a new problem for homeowners. You now have a big space that you need to fill to create an intimate and comfortable space. You don’t want to overstuff the space, but you also don’t want it to feel sparse and vacant. A good option is to arrange two sofas to create a cozy entertaining space that’s perfect for engaging with friends, family, and guests. Use these tips to arrange two sofas in your living room. 

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The Wide Angle

Because this arrangement doesn’t have a clearly defined shape or arrangement, it’s perfect for unique rooms. If your living room is awkward or undefined, consider this arrangement. You can start with your two sofas but easily add in other seating.

To achieve this arrangement, space the sofas out with plenty of room in between them. Position the sofas at an angle to each other, like a wide “V” shape with less harsh angles. The final look should have a gentle slope or curve to it. If you have more than one piece of furniture, the angle degree should match each piece of furniture. Be careful not to create a disjointed or too angular setup. This will make the room feel awkward, hard to navigate, and even more difficult to communicate with people sitting on the other sofas.  

Add small tables between or in front of the sofas. This creates more definition and helps to tie the entire arrangement together. A large area is also good for tying the room together and can actually make the room feel even larger.  

Two Opposite Facing Sofas

One of the most common arrangements is to place their two sofas parallel to and facing each other. This positioning makes it easy for everyone to engage with each other. It also creates an asymmetrical design in your living room, which is visually appealing. The angular and mirrored arrangement makes it perfect for rectangle and square rooms, which is the most common living room shape. 

Because it’s so simple, you have a lot of freedom in how you implement this arrangement in your living room. Larger spaces mean you can scale up the size of the sofas, push them far apart, and place a coffee table in the middle. Small spaces are easily adaptable by removing the centra coffee table and adding small end tables. Whatever your living room size, add a large area rug to tie everything together and give your arrangement a completed look. 

The downfall of this setup is that it makes watching a movie or playing video games difficult. You either need to lay full length on the sofa, leaving no room for anyone else, or crane your neck to one side. 

Back to Back Sofas

If your home has an open floor plan or an extra-large living space, then consider back-to-back sofas. This creates a visual divider between the two separate spaces. That way, you have a natural way of breaking up the space into smaller, more intimate spaces. Typically, you would place the sofas in the center of the room to equally divide the space. Push the sofas so that their backs are up against each other. If you want to give the sofas a bit of space, pull them apart and place a sofa table between them. This is a table that’s long and narrow, with the tabletop at the same or close to the same height as the sofa back. 

L-Shaped Arrangement

If you have a rectangular or long and narrow living room, then this is an ideal arrangement. You will use two sofas, one longer than the other. Place the long sofa along the longest wall of your living room. Then place the short sofa at a 90-degree angle to the end of the longer sofa. This approach is good if you aren’t concerned about symmetry and want to utilize the entire room. 

The advantage of this setup is that it works well for family living rooms. Because the sofas don’t face each other, everyone can easily watch a movie, play video games, or do some other group activity without having to stare their neck to one side. However, this also means that an L-shaped arrangement is less beneficial for living rooms where you hope to engage and conversate with your guests. 

To make this arrangement a success, always follow the lines of the room. Try to place the two sofas in the corner of the room. That way, the sofas follow the shape of the room and can easily be pushed back to create more space in front. This helps to prevent the space from looking closed in or cramped. 

Room Size and Shape

The size and shape of the room guide you in how you arrange your two sofas. That way, you’re working with the space and not against it. The shape of the room will dictate the layout. A large square or wide rectangle is pretty flexible in your setup. A long and narrow room will be more limited. Oddly shaped rooms work best with angled arrangements because you can change the angle to suit the room. Trying to have the sofas facing each other or at a 90-degree angle results in awkward dead spaces. 

When it comes to the size of the room, scale the furniture up or down to fit the room. It doesn’t matter what arrangement you choose; if the furniture is too large, your living room will feel cramped and overstuffed. IF the furniture is scaled down too much, it will look too small in the space. The living room will feel empty and bare. 

Read also: What Colors Go With a Gray Sofa?

Intended Use

How you plan to use your living room will dictate the layout that works best for you. If you do a lot of entertaining, then perhaps you want multiple smaller spaces for intimate conversation. If you have children or a large family, then perhaps you’ll want a more casual space. Sofas that are angled towards the TV can make movie night more fun as everyone can lounge back and easily watch the movie. 

Can My Living Room Have Two Different Couches?

Yes! You can use two different sofas in your living room. To prevent a hodge-podge look, try to at least coordinate your sofas. Some people will think a mismatched sofa look will have a bohemian or rustic look. Others will think that mismatched sofas look like a mess with no real design theme. They should share a common design element, such as color, pattern, or theme. 

Keep in mind that it’s typically cheaper to buy a set of matching sofas. Retailers and manufacturers are more likely to give you a volume discount when you buy more than one sofa. 

What is a daybed and why would you want one? Day beds are a classic yet innovative idea for obtaining extra sleeping space without giving up any of a room’s square footage. They’re like the perfect furniture marriage between a couch and a regular bed.

Modern daybeds have three sides, with the front open so that it provides the same seating as a sofa. They come in a huge variety of styles to fit every type of home decor. Keep reading to find out why this multi-purpose piece of furniture could be a great way to make your house beautiful and functional.

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Daybed Details

Daybed History

Nearly all cultures have utilized some version of a daybed. Ancient Greeks called them “klines” and placed them in areas where people would congregate at home. This type of furniture was shaped like a modern chaise lounge. 

Ancient klines had a wooden frame and a seat made from woven leather straps—not too different from modern daybed construction. In areas where lumber was scarce, klines were made of stone or marble. Throughout history, this type of furniture has been topped with a cushion or pillow collection for comfort. 

Modern Daybed Features

Modern daybeds have a headboard that extends along one long side and wraps around both short ends. Like other headboards, this part may be made of metal or wood and possibly covered in upholstery. The frame is made from metal or wood. No box spring is needed on a daybed as it includes a mattress foundation made from wood slats or metal link springs. 

Most daybeds are built to hold a standard twin size mattress (38 inches wide by 75 inches long). However, you may be able to find a daybed that holds a full size mattress (54 inches wide by 75 inches long). Queen or king size mattress daybeds are not unheard-of, but they usually must be custom made. 

A trundle—also called a trundle bed—is often tucked underneath. The trundle is similarly fitted with a twin mattress and can be rolled out when an extra bed is needed. Some day beds have drawers underneath instead of a trundle.

Spaces Where a Daybed Makes Sense

Day beds are a logical choice in a small space. There are lots of additional places where it makes sense to buy one instead of a traditional bed. 

Studio Apartment

A studio apartment is a true open concept type of housing, where the living room and bedroom are combined in one space. Since studio apartment dwellers have to sleep in the same space they use for entertaining and dining, multi-purpose furniture is a huge help. 

Other dual purpose sit/sleep furniture includes sleeper sofas and futons. As explained below, a daybed offers benefits that the other pieces can’t duplicate.

Guest Room

A day bed is one of the best single bed options for a guest bedroom. It only occupies the same amount of floor space as a twin bed, and can be placed against the wall to make the guest room feel more open and airy.

If you choose a daybed with a trundle bed beneath, you’ll have space for a couple to sleep comfortably. Be sure to put good quality daybed mattresses on the main bed and the trundle, and include a warm daybed cover if it gets chilly at night. Line up each bed’s pillow set along the back of the daybed to create a faux sofa back for daytime relaxation. 

Kids’ Room

If a bunk bed is too rustic or bulky for your child’s bedroom, you might find a daybed a perfect choice. However, even the best daybed might not be ideal in a room shared by two children as it quickly becomes inconvenient to roll a trundle bed out every night. 

A daybed with a trundle is a great option for sleepovers in a single child’s room. Look for a daybed with drawers instead of a trundle if your child needs storage space under the bed.  

Living Room

A traditional couch or sofa is probably your first choice when buying living room furniture, but if you know you’ll need extra sleep space on a regular basis, a daybed could be a good idea. There are now daybeds with upholstered backs and sides that look less like a bed and more like a traditional sofa.  

Of course, if you’re into whimsical or bohemian decor, any type of daybed could fit right in to your casual living room space. And you really can’t beat a daybed when it comes to living room sleeping comfort.

Home Office

One of the most common places to find a daybed is in a home office that doubles as a guest room. A daybed looks more attractive than an ordinary bed, and can provide extra storage space if it has drawers beneath. If it has a trundle mattress instead of drawers, then you have room for an additional overnight guest without taking up any of your vital office space during the day.

The Differences Between a Daybed, Sofa Bed and Futon

A daybed, sleeper sofa, and futon are all variations of the same theme: a sleeping space that can double as a daytime seating area. There are pros and cons to each type of furniture. 

A daybed is usually far more comfortable to sleep on than a sleeper sofa or futon. You can top it with a luxurious memory foam mattress—something that isn’t possible with most sleeper sofas or futons. The downside? Most daybeds look more like a bed than a sofa, which may be an issue for some.

A sleeper sofa—also called a pullout sofa—is popular because it looks like a regular couch. However, their mattresses are notoriously uncomfortable, especially if someone plans to sleep on it every night. Even higher-end sleeper sofa mattresses are thinner and wear out faster than traditional bed mattresses.

A futon is the most affordable dual-purpose type of living room furniture. It has a platform that folds in the middle to become a sofa during the day, and folds out flat for sleeping at night. Futons have a modern style that some people love. However, their mattresses are also thin and become uncomfortable with regular use.

Read also: How to Arrange Two Sofas in Your Living Room

Best Mattress for a Daybed

What is a daybed mattress like? One of the best things about a day bed is that you can put your favorite type of mattress on top. 

Of course, the right size mattress depends on the bed frame size, but you can pick the best mattress type for the person who will be sleeping on it. Generally, you should buy the best memory foam mattress or pillow top mattress you can afford. 

Daybed Bedding

What is a daybed covered with? You can buy special daybed sheet and blanket sets, or use regular twin size bedding. Daybed slipcovers are available to give the piece a more sofa-like appearance.

While throw pillows are a nice home decor touch on a couch or normal bed, they’re a necessity on top of a day bed. A twin daybed has a depth of 38 inches—much deeper than the average sofa depth of 18 to 22 inches. Therefore, a generous row of throw pillows is necessary to create a back that supports you like a regular sofa. 

Despite their impracticality, all-white rooms aren’t going away. Homeowners can’t resist decorating their home with this ultimate neutral. White gives your home a clean and bright design that helps it to feel larger and brighter. All white designs are more complicated than painting the walls and adding white furniture, though. 

These white living room ideas will help you create a beautiful interior design in your home that won’t fall flat or be boring.

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1. Enhancing Natural Light with White

The standard color scheme for apartments is to have white walls and a light-colored neutral carpet. Instead of painting the walls or doing a lot of work to restyle your apartment, embrace the white interior.

Leaving the walls white makes it easier to move out and helps to reflect the natural light. All you need to do is add white furniture, rug, and textiles. Because apartments tend to have smaller square footage than single-family homes, using mainly white will help the small space feel bigger.

2. Merging Bohemian and Minimalist Styles

The bohemian home decor style is typically associated with bright color schemes. However, recent trends have merged bohemian and minimalist styles to create a more subdued design style. Gone are the bold colors, and in their place are whites and neutrals. The style features plenty of handmade items curated from all over the world.

The wood tones add warmth and richness to the room without taking away from the white color scheme. To bring life into the design, use house plants. Place an indoor plant in a dead corner, on the coffee table, or anywhere else you’d like to accent. Use handmade pots made from white clay, porcelain, or white glaze to continue the white color scheme while also adding texture and depth. 

3. Coastal Elegance with White Hues

Typically, coastal themes feature shades of blue and green. However, you can create a successful coastal look using a white color scheme. This approach will keep your living room from feeling too nautical or tropical, which may not make sense for all homes that aren’t located in these geographical regions.

Instead of using pure white, stick with cream shades that are softer and warmer. Add wood accents but focus on using weathered wood. It could have a slightly grey hue and worn paint as if it was left on the beach and suffered sun, sand, and salt exposure. Additionally, use driftwood in your decor for a touch of authenticity.

4. Clean and Contemporary Living Space

If you’re looking for a simple and clean design that looks timeless, then it’s time to consider a white color scheme for your contemporary living space. Arrange a plush sofa that is in a white color and upholstered with durable yet comfortable material.

Mix neutrals in with your white furniture. The different shades won’t detract from the white aesthetic but will help with adding depth and definition to the room. A contemporary approach to your living room is a good idea if you also have a home office in the space. The timeless design works well in an office for a professional look.

5. Embracing the Delicate Country Cottage Design

A country cottage design is soft and delicate, as if you could walk out of your living room and into a beautiful English country garden. Use white textiles that have a subtle floral motif. Choose wood furniture that has a whitewash treatment. Add delicate accents like lace trim.

Furniture pieces should be simple but not plain. It should like humble but not worn and used. Country design is more elegant than farmhouse and higher quality than rustic. Don’t be afraid of a bit of clutter, as this is the perfect room for displaying your collection of figurines, vintage plates, or teacups.

See more country living room ideas here.

6. Cozy Farmhouse Vibes in Your White Living Room

Instead of rustic, give your white living room a farmhouse design. This unassuming and almost humble design style is perfect for someone who wants a comfortable living room that makes anyone feel welcome in your home.

Focus on practicality and reuse. Farmhouse decor is often the tools used around the property. While furniture items can look well-loved and lived with, they shouldn’t be as beaten up as rustic designs. Instead of living plants, add season produce, grains, or wildflowers for a pop of color.

7. Elevate Your White Living Room with Glamour

Just because you choose a white color scheme doesn’t mean your living room has to be plain or boring. Your white living room will be anything but dull with a glam approach. Add luxurious fur accent pieces. Embrace polished metal accents. Highlight the space with crystals to add maximum drama.

Glam is Hollywood excess that takes sophisticated elegance and makes it slightly over the top and tacky in a delightful way. Perhaps you have clear acrylic chairs that have Swarovski crystal trim. There could be a faux fur rug with extra long fur that feels deep when you walk on it.

8. Brightening Up Industrial Design with White

When you see industrial design, it’s typically dark and moody looking with a lot of gray and black. However, this isn’t your only option. A white industrial living room can look brighter and more approachable.

Keep the same style, and don’t be afraid to use black accents. Just inject more white elements. It won’t be an all-white living room like some other design styles, but it will be brighter than traditional industrial. An easy approach is to paint the walls white and fill the space with black, gray, concrete, metal, and wood elements.

See more industrial living room ideas here.

9. Create a Luxurious White Living Room

White is often associated with luxury, and you can easily achieve this look in your living room. This is a perfect approach if your living room and dining room share a common space. Stick with the white color scheme, but use elevated materials and construction. Gold is often associated with a more expensive design, so use it for the fixtures.

Replace concrete and stone with marble or granite. Replace white cotton curtains with window treatments made from velvet or silk. Train the curtains to have perfect folds and decorate the curtains with opulent trim.

10. Embracing Openness and Simplicity with White

Taking a minimalist approach to your living room will help your living room feel bigger because it will have more open space and less furniture. Instead of having a large wrap-around sofa, you could have a few accent chairs.

Choose a white paint color that is as pure as possible. This is not the design style to be using cream or white with a yellow, peach, pink, or orange undertone. Use high-quality materials like expensive stone, leather, or handwoven rugs to keep your minimalist living room from looking cheap.

11. Sleek and Clean: Modern White Living Room Design

If you love the sleek and clean aesthetic of modern interior design, you’ll be happy with a modern living room. Embrace open space by using a limited number of furniture pieces. Choose furniture pieces that aren’t overstuffed and instead have a structured design.

Instead of wood, it could have a metal frame or legs. Don’t feel obligated to fill the space and keep the clutter to a minimum. Whether you embrace straight or curved lines, they should be long and elegant with minimum design or ornamentation.

See more modern living room ideas here.

12. Incorporating Natural Accents for Warmth

While an all-white living room sounds clean and beautiful, it does have its drawbacks. When you have white paint on the walls and white furniture arranged, it can look cold and sterile. What you need are texture and layers. This adds softness and depth, making the space feel more welcoming and comfortable.

Add natural accents to the room, such as wood, stone, plants, and fabric textiles. Place a few plants, choose accent furniture made of wood, and add soft textiles made from cotton, linen, mohair, or wool. This could be throw pillows, blankets, curtains, or an area rug.

13. Achieving Scandinavian Elegance in Your White Living Room

Scandinavian interior design is about creating a clean and minimal design that blends beauty and functionality. For your living room, focus on creating a well-lit space that’s more than just a white room. For example, interior designers may add a gray sofa but pair it with a wood or stone coffee table.

If you’re unsure how to create a clutter-free Scandinavian design, you can look at living room ideas that feature this design style. Then model the elements that you see.

14. Elevating Rustic with Shabby Chic Decor

For some, rustic decor can look too run-down and drab. To give rustic an upgrade, consider using shabby chic. This is a blend of rustic charm and chic modern design. Use living room furniture that’s slightly worn and antique-looking. Then add feminine and elegant touches that are beautiful but also unassuming.

The space should look comfortable, lived in, slightly feminine, and a little country. Add delicate materials like lace and fine materials like porcelain. Just choose vintage and worn pieces instead of perfect and brand new.

15. Maximizing Space with a Monochromatic White Living Room

If your living room is small, sticking with a monochromatic white color scheme is smart. Using only white helps everything blend together, preventing the room from feeling closed in or cramped.

White is also excellent at reflecting light, helping your small room to feel brighter and thusly bigger. Hang a mirror on the wall and bounce the natural light around, making the room feel more spacious. To help your small white living room feel bigger, arrange furniture that is low in height and scaled down to fit the room.

See more small living room ideas here.

16. Freshening Up Traditional Elegance with White

Using a white color scheme for your traditional living room can give a traditional aesthetic a fresh and approachable take. Style your living room with traditionally designed furniture but uses white or cream upholstery.

Pair the white furniture with a white rug, curtains, and wall decor. Soften the look with classic elements, such as a chandelier, natural wood accents, and greenery. Traditional furniture typically has a wood frame and is on legs. The upholstery will be tufted. Place armchairs on the other side of a coffee table to create an intimate conversation space.

Everyone knows that you put a sofa in your living room. But did you know this should not be the only living room furniture that you have? Having additional seating means entertaining more guests and having a more welcoming living room.

There are several types of chairs for living rooms to choose from. The chair type you choose will depend on your available space, your budget, and the interior design theme you have.

Consider all of these different types of chairs and find the perfect chair for your living room.

1. Accent Chairs

This term is the most generic on the list because it covers the majority of chairs on this list. It is used as an umbrella term to cover chairs that you place in your living room to complement the sofa and the rest of your design.

Choose an accent chair for your living room that suits its size, style, color, design, and seating needs. For example, if you have a small living room, choose an either scaled down or visually lightweight chair.

A stately Chesterfield chair will easily overwhelm your living room. On the other hand, a ghost chair will blend into the room and help it to feel open.

 

2. Armchair

The armchair is the classic upholstered chair that most people think of when they decide to add a chair to their living room. They get their name from the prominent armrests. They give the illusion that you are sinking into the chair as they rise up on either side of you.

Because these chairs come in a range of sizes, from contemporary to traditional, you’ll find that they also range in comfort.

Typically, you will see two armchairs placed on either side of a sofa with a coffee table placed in the center. This creates a U shape that is perfect for engaging with others while also not blocking the flow of foot traffic.

 

3. Barcelona Chair

This iconic chair is the result of a collaboration between famous furniture designers Mies Van Der Rohe and his partner Lilly Reich. Its simple and sleek design makes it a staple in modern interior design despite being a product of mid-century modern innovations.

This is the chair you see in trendy company lobbies or upscale loft downtown apartments. It features a stainless-steel frame and two rectangle cushions that are upholstered in black bovine leather.

 

4. Barrel Chair

Also known as tub chairs, barrel chairs like this one from Rosevera have a distinctly round chair back that creates a semicircle. The back also comes up quite high, giving you the feeling of sitting in a barrel or tub.

Some people liken sitting in a barrel chair to getting an all-encompassing hug because the seat is on the narrow side and closes in around you. These chairs are great if you have children because they are built solid and sturdy, making them capable of taking a beating and heavy use.

In addition, the balance of masculine and feminine design features makes them the perfect accent for a wide variety of design themes.

 

5. Bergère Chair

If you love traditional French style and design, then you will love these living room chairs. We have French King Louis XV to thank for this furniture staple. They look similar to a dining chair, but they are the perfect opulent accent to your living room.

Expect to pay more for this chair style. They have an ornately carved wood frame, legs, and armrests with plenty of intricate details. The back and seat are cushioned with expensive upholstery fabric that features an intricate design. There may even be small cushions on the armrests.

 

6. Chaise Lounge

Did you know that the name for this unique chair is the English mangling of a French phrase? It originally was called chaise longue, which is French for “long chair”, a literal description of the chair. However, “chaise lounge” still works because you lounge out on the chair.

They first appeared in the 16th century for aristocrats to lay on during the day. Chairs like this chaise lounge from BELLEZE are perfect as an accent in a dead corner.

Their long length helps to fill the empty space while not allowing the chair to get lost or feel like it is floating on its own. Add a lamp and dress the chaise lounge with a throw pillow and blanket to create a cozy reading corner.

 

7. Chesterfield Chair

When you say Chesterfield, most people think of the sofa, but you can actually buy a Chesterfield chair too. These oversized chairs sport the same upholstery style as their larger counterparts.

The hallmark of these upholstered chairs is the tufted design. They tend to be large in size with cushioned, rolled armrests. When looking at these chairs, they look large, square, and solid.

There is plenty of cushioning to make them a comfortable chair to sit back and relax in. The Elina Wide Tufted Velvet Chesterfield Chair features this classic style in a neutral color. While the majority of Chesterfields are leather, this one is upholstered in fabric for a softer, less masculine look.

 

8. Club Chair

The club chair has a vintage feel that will add an art deco feel to your living room. They are known for their comfortable seating thanks to their deep, oversized seats and sloped lower back. The armrests also start low and extend out and upward.

They are traditionally leather chairs. Originating in France, their origins are not totally clear. There is some speculation that they get their name from old-school gentlemen’s social clubs.

The unique shape and leather upholstery give these chairs a decidedly masculine feel, which adds a certain je ne sais quoi to your living room. They would look best in a vintage-inspired or industrial design.

 

9. Contemporary Round Chair

If you have a large living room with plenty of space, then you could add this modern chair to your living space. These chairs are not meant for just one person.

The extra-deep seating and extended width make them perfect for lounging with a partner. Or you could curl up with a throw blanket and a good book. You will find that they are most often upholstered in suede or leather, making them the perfect accent for a modern or contemporary home. Keep in mind that the round shape results in the chair taking up more square footage than a typical chair.

 

10. English Rolled Arm Chair

This simple and traditional soft chair is perfect for creating a cozy feel in your living room. It has nicely rounded and cushioned armrests with soft corners and deep seating. This is the chair that your guests sink into and never want to leave. This makes it a good reading chair.

The armrests are lower on this chair than other accent chairs, encouraging you to sit more leaned back and slouched. These chairs are typically upholstered in fabric, making it easy to find a chair that complements the rest of your living room design.

Choose a soft neutral for a contemporary take on this classic chair. Or go bold with a stripe or floral pattern.

 

11. Ghost Chair

No, these chairs do not look like ghosts or move around on their own. Ghost chairs get their name because they are completely clear. They are made from acrylic or polycarbonate plastic and have a distinctly modern feel.

They tend to lack any cushioning, have a perfectly flat seat and back, and no armrests, making them less comfortable than other chairs on this list. Their shape might look familiar to you; their design was inspired by King Louis XVI chairs with a square seat and round back.

These chairs are great for small living rooms because they help the space to feel open. Because you can see through them, it tricks the eye into thinking the space feels less crowded, and thusly, bigger.

Keep in mind that these chairs are not great if you have children or pets. They scratch easily, which will ruin the crystal-clear quality that makes them so appealing.

 

13. Hammock Chair

A hammock chair is a must for adding a whimsical or funky vibe to your living room. These one-of-a-kind chairs hang from the ceiling by a rope or chain. This lets the chair spin or swing around.

If you cannot mount the chair from the ceiling, there are some options that come with a stand. It will have a large base with an arm that arches overhead that the chair hangs from. They are typically made of wood or wicker and then have a plush cushion placed inside.

Once inside the chair, you will feel as though you are sitting in a cocoon. Because these chairs are so unique, they tend to only work in living rooms that are eclectic, artsy, or bohemian. The Vivere White Fabric Hammock Chair is beautiful in crisp white with macrame accenting.

 

14. Loveseat

These chairs look like mini sofas with enough seating for two. This ups the cuddle factor by creating a more intimate seating option. You could easily pair a matching or complementary love seat and sofa. Try placing them across from each other or in an L shape.

You will see loveseats come in a wide range of sizes and styles. Look for one that’s scaled to the size of your living room. One on simple slim legs with firm cushions has a mid-century modern vibe. Or you could have an industrial-inspired one that has metal legs, a wood frame, and leather cushioning.

 

15. Lawson Chair

This chair looks a bit mid-century modern, giving it a timeless appeal with a clean design and comfortable shape. It looks like a cousin to the club chair but with more straight lines.

The back comes up to about mid-back with armrests that are ideally positioned for the majority of adults. These chairs have a formal business feeling, making them perfect for a library or formal living room.

While they are comfortable to sit in, they are not ideal for lounging back and watching a movie. The upholstery is typically leather with firm or stiff cushioning.

 

16. Ottoman / Lounge Chairs

All too often, someone comes over to your home, and they sit down and want to kick their feet up. Unfortunately, this results in them putting their feet on the coffee table. You can prevent this by using extra seating that has an ottoman.

The Eames chair is the most famous lounge chair and ottoman combination. It is a classic office chair but can look chic in your living room. Its gentle slopes follow the spine’s natural curves with its tall back. Check out this Eames-style chair and Ottoman combo from TOOMOO.

While the position of the chair is already leaned back a bit, making it comfortable to sit back and stretch out as you kick your feet up. The Eames chair has a distinctly masculine feel, but there are other options that have soft lines and lighter fabric upholstery. Keep in mind that these chairs take up more space, so they are not great for small living rooms.

 

17. Papasan Chair

These large round chairs are right out of the 60s and 70s with a wicker or rattan frame that supports an oversized round pillow to match.

The most comfortable variety has a dip in the middle so that it cradles your body. These chairs are not the most comfortable for sitting in while having a conversation. However, they are great for curling up with a good book.

You typically see these chairs in college dorms and first apartments, which means you will need to be careful when choosing one for your living room. Focus on finding a Papasan chair that has a mature feel. This is best done with the fabric used for the upholstery.

 

18. Recliner Chair

These easy chairs are the hallmark of dads and grandpas across the globe. They feel like modern marvels, but in reality, have been around for centuries. They are the epitome of comfort with plush cushioning and the ability to literally lean back and kick your feet up.

You will even find some with vibration and heating ability. Whether you buy the manual or electronic version, these chairs are ideal for those who love to relax in their favorite chair and watch a good movie.

Choose from leather or fabric for the upholstery on your reclining chair. The Mervynn Wheat Polyester Club Chair Recliner is a perfect combination.

 

19. Rocking Chair

Rocking chairs get their name from the movement they make. The chair sits on curved rails that allow the chair to rock forward and back while sitting in it. They first started to appear in English homes in the 1700s.

The original chairs were made of wood, and then wicker became popular. It was initially considered outdoor furniture, but these days, it is common to see them indoors as additional seating.

The rhythmic motion is calming and can help you relax or ease a baby into sleep. You typically won’t find cushioning on a rocking chair. However, some people do place a pillow on the seat to help make it more comfortable.

Finally, there are modern versions that do not rock but glide. These chairs are also on rails but have a forward and back motion that moves slightly differently from the curved original design.

 

20. Slipper Chair

These armless chairs are just a seat and back. The seat tends to be lower to the ground with a taller back. They were first used during the Victorian era when upper-class women would sit on them to put on their shoes or slippers.

The lack of arms in the chair’s design makes it a great option as an accent chair. Especially for small living rooms because the lack of arms reduces the visual weight of the chair and makes it easier to navigate around them.

You will find these chairs are true accent and statement chairs with a plethora of options when it comes to color and pattern. If you want to keep the chair looking and feeling light, opt for one that has exposed legs.

If you are looking for a more formal feel, there are some that have upholstery that hides the legs for a continuous look that extends to the floor.

 

21. Wingback Chair

These elegant chairs make a bold statement with the large back and sides that extend up to the full height of the person in the chair. The “wings” are the sides that extend out and sort of wrap around the person in the chair.

These chairs have endured throughout the decades because they have a style that endures through the changing trends. Originally gaining popularity in England in the 1700s, the wing chairs were originally meant to block drafts and trap heat within the chair’s space.

Today, these chairs are not needed so much for heat retention and are used mainly for decor, relaxing, socializing, and reading.  You can find authentic vintage, contemporary, traditional, and French country designs.

The Jacob Green Accent Arm Chair with Tufted Back is the perfect accent to your living room because it comes as a pair in bright, bold colors.

 

22. Wishbone Chair

Sometimes you need a few extra chairs because you are having company. You do not want to clutter your living room with large accent chairs, but you need more places for people to sit. The wishbone chair is a perfect alternative to folding chairs.

These chairs get their name from the unique wishbone shape of the chair back. Unlike other chairs, the chair’s back arches around the body, making them more comfortable. They have a simple design with a wood frame, back, and legs with a woven uncushioned seat.

Chairs like this Tomile Wishbone Chair will blend perfectly into a farmhouse or Scandinavian living room. Because they are so lightweight, you can easily pick them up and move them around your house. So do not feel obligated to keep them in your living room permanently.

It is one of the most commonly faced dilemmas in home decorating; how to place a rug in a living room. Getting it right enhances your living room while getting it wrong can make the space feel awkward, cramped, and uncomfortable.

So, whether you are starting from scratch or doing a little redecorating, this guide will help you perfectly place your rug.

Choose the Right Size

Before you start figuring out living room arrangements, you need to take a step back and make sure you have the right rug size.

The perfect rug will enhance the room, making it feel more spacious, welcoming, and tied together. Unfortunately, people often underestimate the size of the area rug they need. So, when in doubt, always go with the bigger rug.

Unless your rug is curling up the walls, no one walks into a room and thinks, “gee, they bought a really big rug!”. However, even those not well versed in design will notice the awkwardness of a too small rug, even if they can’t articulate that the small rug is what makes the room feel awkward.

Buying a rug that is too small makes the living room feel smaller than it really is because it creates an unnatural visual line that breaks up the space. This also makes the room feel choppy, which makes it awkward to be in.

Finally, it brings down the quality, making the room feel cheap. The lack of design and forethought is a dead giveaway that someone other than a professional designed the room.

Rugs Size Guide

As a general rule, the majority of American homes have a living room that is large enough to support an 8 x 10 foot rug like this nuLOOM Ren Machine Washable Vintage Floral Area Rug. Unless your living room is unusually tiny, do not buy a rug under 6 x 9 feet. A 4 x 6 rug is simply too small for any living room in a home. Instead, save these smaller rugs for your bedroom, bathroom, or home office.

You Bought Small

If it is too late and you have already bought a small rug, there are a few things you do with it. This will save you from having to buy a new rug right away. Large rugs can be expensive. Try centering the small rug under the coffee table or a small table.

Consider layering the rug with another one underneath it. For example, your first rug is a lovely handwoven 4 x 6 that you picked up while traveling or is a family heirloom.

Place a jute or seagrass rug like the nuLOOM Elijah 9 x 12 Beige Solid Area Rug underneath for textural and color contrast. They are more affordable than other large rugs, and the two rugs create a purposeful feel to the smaller one.

 

Center the Rug

You shouldn’t position your rug so it is in the center of the entire room. Your rug placement needs to make sense with the positioning of the furniture.

As mentioned earlier, you can center a small rug under the coffee table. A larger rug should be positioned to coordinate with the largest furniture piece in the room. This is typically the sofa.

If you have two sofas, you should center the rug between the two. This may or may not be the center of the room. For example, if you have a sectional sofa that creates an L or U shape, the rug should be centered so that it is not longer on one side.

 

All Legs Off

Taking an all legs off approach works well in a small living room because it helps a small space to feel more open. The trick is placing the rug so that the edge of the rug just meets the front legs of the sofa.

This showcases the beauty of a patterned rug and makes it the focal point in the room. A smaller rug that does not meet the front of the furniture will not have the same effect and can lead to the choppy effect mentioned earlier.

 

All Legs On

For a living room that looks professionally designed, buy a larger rug that you can place all four legs of your furniture on. The rug needs to be large enough that it extends several inches or up to a foot beyond the outside legs.

The only exception is if your sofa is against the wall, then you would line both the rug’s edge and the sofa up with the wall. The all legs on approach works best in large living rooms or ones with an open floor plan.

This approach creates a visual zone, helping to define the living room space from the rest of the home.

If you have more than a sofa in your living room, this is an all or nothing approach. The rug should be large enough to position all of the furniture fully on it.

This includes multiple sofas or a sofa and accent chair combination. If the rug is not large enough for this, then scale back and position only the front legs of all of the furniture on the rug.

 

Front Legs On

If you do not have the budget or living space for the all legs on approach, then you can cheat by only putting the front furniture legs on the rug. The rug needs to be big enough that you won’t see the edge when it is tucked under. It also needs to extend beyond the sides of the sofa. This defines the seating area without overwhelming a smaller room.

 

Rounded

The traditional rule of vintage rugs is to choose a rug shape that matches the shape of the room. This helps create visual flow by creating parallel lines. The long lines of the walls match the long lines of the rectangular rug.

However, modern rules tend to put this aside for differently shaped rugs. Instead of using a square rug in a square room, try using a circular rug like this SAFAVIEH Chelsea Ivory Round Floral Border Solid Area Rug.

The curves of the round rug will create a unique visual effect that can soften the harsh corners of the room. It can also work well in a room that does not have a clearly defined shape.

 

Fully Cover High Traffic Areas

When choosing your living room rug size and placement, think about where people will walk through your living room.

The rug should either cover the entire walking path or leave it completely bare. You shouldn’t walk through with one foot on the rug and the other on the bare floor. This will feel awkward underfoot.

 

Leave Equal Space

Interior designers will tell you that the rules state that you should have about 8-12 inches of space on either side of the rug from the wall. However, this can vary greatly when you buy a larger rug.

Traditional rugs on hardwood floors can leave as little as 4-6 inches of space from the wall. The amount of space is not as important as it is equal.

The goal is to create a balanced look. If the rug covers the entire floor, look at the space between the edge of the rug and the wall.

If your rug is smaller, look at the amount of rug that extends beyond each end of the rug. If your rug is between multiple pieces of furniture, it should be equally positioned between them.

 

Use Multiple Rugs

The idea of layering rugs is relatively new in mainstream interior design. There are a couple of ways you can go about it. The first is simple, have two rugs that are the same shape, with one larger than the other.

Place the smaller rug centered on top of the larger one. Then arrange them as we described above. Typically, people choose a plain rug for the larger one because the majority of it will be covered. Then the top smaller one is more creative.

For example, it could be a patterned or colorful rug. You can skip the rug pads with this approach. The multiple rugs will feel thick like carpet, especially if you use wool rugs.

The other approach requires a bit more finesse and is harder to pull off. Buy several rugs that would be too small on their own, and then position them together.

This works well for Moroccan rugs like this Bungalow Rose Heba Moroccan Area Rug. You could position them with front legs on for each piece of seated furniture.

Or you could angle them haphazardly at 45-degree angles to cover the entire floor. This placement looks beautiful with bohemian decor or a nontraditional seating arrangement.

What colors go with a gray sofa? Well, the short answer is that almost any color can coordinate beautifully with your gray sofa. This gives you complete freedom to decorate your living room with your chosen color palette.

Unlike other colors, like blue or brown sofas, your creativity is not limited. When selecting your colors, think about more than just the colors. Consider the shades for a balance of light and dark and the interior design style you’re going for.

This guide will help you choose the perfect color palette for your room with a gray sofa.

1. White

White is bright, clean, and fresh feeling. It reflects the maximum amount of light, making it perfect for rooms that lack natural light. It’s also a top choice for those who like simple and modern designs. It doesn’t clutter up the space with unnecessary color.

However, the all-white aesthetic isn’t for everyone. This is where gray becomes an important addition. Adding gray upholstery to your white room softens the white and makes the room feel more comfortable and welcoming.

White works well with both light and dark shades of gray, so you can make your design work no matter what shade of gray your couch is. To really soften your white and gray room, add wood elements. Doing this gives you room a Scandinavian feel.

Try adding a light wood floor and furniture. This adds more warmth to the space and softens the white color’s brightness.

 

2. Black

On the opposite end of the color spectrum, there is black. It creates a moody and sophisticated feel. It also works well for a sleek and modern design.

You could commit to the black look and use it as the wall color on all four walls. However, this can be too much black for some people. Instead, try painting one wall black as an accent wall using a black wall paint like this one from Microblend, and leave the others white or a pale gray.

You could coordinate the light gray walls with a matching light gray sofa. The dark colors offset the light gray furniture. Be careful that the room doesn’t become too dark. Don’t block the windows with heavy curtains. Add light fixtures that can increase the amount of light.

 

3. Gray

Of course, gray decorative elements will coordinate with your gray sofa. Gray living room ideas are popular right now because gray is considered the trending neutral. It comes in a wide range of shades for versatile interior design options.

Don’t choose elements that match too closely. When you have gray walls, flooring, and furniture, everything blends to become one large bland blob of gray. It can look boring and dull. Instead, vary the gray tones to balance light and dark.

If you have a dark gray sofa, then choose light gray paint like this one from Prestige Paints for the wall, or vice versa. This creates depth in the room by making it clear that the sofa is separate from the wall and other furniture.

Choose textiles that have other colors in addition to gray. The pattern on the fabric and the weave of the material add texture to the room. This helps it to feel more cozy and welcoming.

 

4. Neutrals

Neutral may seem counterintuitive, but they can complement your gray sofa nicely. Choose neutral colors that are in the same shade family as your gray. For example, if you have a light gray sofa, then choose neutral shades that are also light.

If your gray sofa is darker, then choose shades that are also darker. This keeps the colors in the same family. It’s also good to choose either the gray or the neutrals to be the dominant feature in the room, and then the other color is a pop of color accent.

 

5. Earth Tones

Using earth tones with gray can bring some subtle and gentle warmth into the room. gray tends to be a cool color, so earth tones can make the gray feel less cold.

Colors that qualify as earth tones are ones that you would find in nature. For example, mustard, marigold, terra cotta, rust, burnt sienna, deep navy, and turmeric are all earth tones. These warm colors are a step up from the traditional neutrals.

Try using these colors with your gray sofa in the decor. This could be wall art, decorative pieces on a coffee table, pots for plants, or small items on a shelf.

 

6. Red

Red and gray don’t seem like they would go together, but this bold color can create a unique aesthetic in your home. The design choice tends to be hit or miss with people, so you’ll either love it or hate it.

Most people use a combination of bold, bright red with black and light gray. Balance the three colors in the room to create a balance of light, dark, and bright. Gray sofas are good for this because it provides a neutral furniture piece. Then you can add red accents.

If you decide you’re tired of this design, you can easily switch out the red decor for another color.

 

7. Pink

Pink and gray are a classic color combination that creates a design that’s the perfect balance between masculine and feminine design. Both colors work well together in light and dark shades, so you have a lot of freedom in choosing any color of pink that appeals to you most.

Darker shades of pink have a more sophisticated feel, while pastels work best in a rustic, farmhouse, or contemporary design. Mauve is a muted version of pink that works well for vintage-inspired designs like grand millennial decor.

To elevate your interior design, use more than one shade of pink. Choose one dominant shade for the room but then accent it with lighter and darker shades in the textiles with a multi-dimensional pattern. Florals like these decorative cushion covers work well for this because they naturally use varying shades of a single color.

 

8. Yellow

Using yellow in your interior design can help brighten your living space. It’s the color associated with the sun, so even if your room lacks light, this bright color gives the impression of more light. It’s a naturally bright and light color, so it will help reflect the light that is present in the room.

Pairing it with your gray sofa is a smart choice because the gray balances the yellow and gives it some softness. Pale yellow is perfect for farmhouse and contemporary designs. The light color adds some life to what would otherwise be a bland, neutral color palette.

If you like bold colors, choose a vibrant yellow that can balance nicely with a darker shade of gray. The contrast between light and dark makes for a bold interior design. Try to use equal amounts of each color so that your design is balanced.

 

9. Green

Bring a lush touch of nature into your living room by pairing your light gray sofa with rich green shades. Try adding a tropical leaf wallpaper to one wall and an accent. This will have multiple shades of green that will add depth to the room. You can then pick up those green colors throughout the rest of the room.

Add solid green curtains to frame the window. Dress the sofa with pillows and a blanket. Add an area rug that has a bold pattern that features green.

Finally, commit to the green nature aesthetic by adding actual live plants. Mount them on the wall opposite the feature wall or place one in a large plant in a dead corner.

 

10. Blue

Using blue with your gray couch is a smart choice if you want to create a calm and soothing aesthetic. Pale blue can brighten up a dark couch with a light throw pillow or a blanket.

Using light blue for the rug color is also good because it adds some lightness to the bottom half of the room, which keeps a dark gray sofa from absorbing too much light.

A charcoal gray color can also look beautiful with a deep blue paint color. The two dark shades will have a sophisticated and understated glamorous feel, especially if you accent it with gold fixtures and hardware.

Using blue, white, and gray can be a perfect color palette for a nautical interior design. It can also work well for a simple contemporary or Scandinavian design.

 

11. Jewel Tones

Choosing a jewel tone for your wall paint and color scheme will give your room richness and regality. These colors are highly saturated, and complement gray beautifully. Think deep peacock sapphire blue with hints of teal, deep ruby red that isn’t too bright but not dark burgundy either, and earthy emerald green that mimics the lush color of healthy tropical plants.

Inspired by the deep colors of gemstones, these jewel tones add life and vibrancy to your gray sofa. They work with both light and dark gray. Add metallic accents, and your plain gray sofa gets elevated into something that looks elegant or even luxurious.

Try pairing more than one jewel tone together for a coordinated look. For example, blue, green, and gray would look beautiful together and be a soothing design. Or red, orange, and gray can have an energizing but not overwhelming design.

 

12. Wood

Wood isn’t necessarily a color, but it’s an important element to discuss when styling your gray sofa. Adding natural elements to your living room helps bring warmth into your living space.

A common method for doing this is with wood flooring. However, having wood flooring typically means you’ll want to lay an area rug down. You’ll then need to consider the color carpet combination and how it coordinates with your gray sofa.

You can add more warmth to the room with wood end tables, a coffee table, or shelving. Choose woods that have cool undertones. This means avoiding woods like cherry with red undertones or oak.

Woods like ash, maple, pine, and popular all have cool undertones. These will pair better with the cool nature of gray. You could even further bring out these undertones by giving it a whitewash or graying treatment.