Published on August 7th, 2022

Last updated on February 6th, 2023

20 Decor Tips For Living Room: Beginners Guide

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
home decor in white tones

The living room is the most important place for spending time in every house. It is where you bring your guests, relax, and have fun with your family. It doesn’t matter if your living room is big or small because the most significant thing is a well-chosen design. For this reason, you should use top decor ideas for the living room because you spend almost all your time there. You should feel comfortable and relaxed in the living room. The atmosphere of your style should fill you and your guests with positivity. 

So, decorating a living room in a specific style and choosing a modern design is essential. Design is not about a bunch of set-up furniture that only spoils the whole look. Design is about an organic general picture of your room. Even if you have little space, you can make it fashionable. 

20 Tips On How To Decorate A Living Room

Thinking about how to furnish your living room for a long time and can’t decide on the decor? It is a common problem for people who are starting to repair. They come up with many ideas for decorating the room, but they cannot decide what will be better. Indeed, this task is not easy because improperly selected wallpaper or furniture can spoil everything. So, if you need help with home decorating your living room, read the following tips prepared especially for you:

Tip #1: Measure The Room

measure tape

You will need to buy furniture, and you should know which ones will fit your room and which ones will not. For this, measure the square footage of your living room, the walls, floor, height, and width. 

Measuring the space will save you time in the different selections of furniture. Also, consider your windows because the most common problem is buying a wardrobe that covers the window. 

Tip #2: Do Not Throw Away Old Furniture

old furniture as decor element

When furnishing your new living room, you probably want to update the furniture and change the style. But if you have leftover furniture that fits your interior, don’t rush to throw it away. You can add it to your new style of living room. 

Likewise, if you have any accessories or pictures, you can use them only if they match your design. So, you can save money without having to waste time looking for new decorations.

Tip #3: Choose A Style

smart living room

You need to decide which living room you want and how you see it. Choose the style you like, for example, loft or minimalism. Think about which furniture and decorations will suit your style and decide how you will decorate your living room. 

It is not necessary to do everything according to the rules of a specific style. Of course, you can add something of your own or, on the contrary, remove it. The main thing is to think carefully about your aesthetics and the room’s appearance because you have to feel comfortable there.

Tip #4: Manage The Space 

the process of living room space management

People furnish the living room based on the size of the room. The smaller the living room, the more petite they buy furniture and vice versa. But this is not quite right. You don’t need to buy a small sofa because you have little space. On the contrary, you need to decorate, so everything looks more extensive.

For instance, different wallpapers visually enlarge the room or large sofas that give a living room dimensions. And one more, If you have a large living room, do not leave a lot of free space on one side, but do not furnish the whole living room with furniture. You need to arrange everything evenly to look neat and have enough space.

Tip #5: Pick Colors

picking colors for living room decor

One of the most important and challenging things is to choose a color. Before you paint the walls, you should think carefully about whether it is fashionable for you. Think about what colors you would like to be in and what color you like. Someone picks olive because it calms them, and someone chooses pink because they like fun. 

You can also select a color in such a way based on your personality. But don’t rush it. If you have decided which shade you want, look at living room samples in this color on the Internet or take paint pieces from a designer. 

Tip #6: Think About What You Will Do In The Living Room

woman in the living room

When you start to decorate your living room, think about what you will be doing there. Everyone has their own rules in the house, someone can drink tea in the living room, and someone does it only in the kitchen. Therefore, decide whether you will relax there with your friends, watch TV, maybe your children will do their homework there, or you want to read there and need a bookcase. 

Think about the living room’s functionality and, accordingly, make a list of furniture and decorations you need for this. Also, take pets into account. Perhaps you need to put toys there for them or remove them altogether.

Tip #7: Light Up The Room

light as the decor element

The lighter your living room gets, the bigger it looks. If you do not have enough windows and the light does not reach you well, equip the ceiling with lamps. It has many options, from LED strips to pendant lights.

Make sure it will fit into your interior and look like an element of decor. For example, wall lamps look aesthetic in any style and give the room elegance. So, furnishing your living room with additional lamps is one of the best ideas.

Tip #8: Add Accessories

pink flowers with decor element on the table

It is also an essential element in the room’s decor. But you should understand that many accessories will not make your room look more beautiful. They should fit your design and not be directed around your room. In general, accessories can enliven your space and give it interest, or vice versa. 

Think about where your vase will look beautiful or where to hang pictures. Removing them is better if they do not fit in the living room. Also, remember that you don’t need to cover the shelves with small details such as magnets, figurines, etc. They only collect dust. It is better to fill the shelves with something bigger and more compact. For example, put a flower pot and a couple of books. It will look much more harmonious.

Tip #9: Organize The Furniture Shopping List

the process of writing the shopping list

Understanding your home decorating the living room will take a long time. But you can make it easier with a list you must create yourself. You need to think about what furniture and decorations you need for complete comfort and decide in what order you will arrange them.

 Furniture is not a cheap pleasure, so start furnishing the living room with the most important. The sofa is probably the most crucial for everyone because you sit there daily and your guests spend time on it. Next, go to the wardrobes and gradually go through the list. It’s better to finish with such elements as accessories and miniature bedside tables. It is not the most necessary so that it can be added over time.

Tip #10: Fill The Walls

woman decorates the wall with painting

Do not leave empty walls. You can spoil the general picture of the living room. The walls allow you to show your creativity and give the room highlights. Paint the walls in some pattern, hang pictures or your photos there.

You can also furnish your living room walls with shelves and fill them with books, or put a chest of drawers with a mirror. So the living room will be decorated much more efficiently.

Tip #11: Add Wooden Elements

wooden table with the plant

If your room is in neutral colors, use wood as decoration. It will make your living room spacious and welcoming. Make a wooden ceiling, attach wooden staves to a particular wall section, or do wooden shelves.

Tip #12: Decorate A Living Room With Greenery

decorative greenery on the table

Your living room should convey a pleasant atmosphere. Sometimes people impose a lot of decorations, which gets annoying over time. Therefore, we recommend adding a couple of vases instead of monotonous decorative details. Vases on the floor and grow to a meter height look especially beautiful. 

Such flower pots should be placed near a window where the light will fall. It would also be an excellent option to put small green flower pots on the shelf and in places where they will stand out. If you do not have such an opportunity, place a vase on the coffee table and put flowers into it. Your home decorating the living room will look fresher.

Tip #13: Put Decorative Pillows On The Sofa

decorative pillows on the sofa

There should always be something in the living room that will stand out and attract attention. You can do this with pillows. Buy them with patterns or bright colors and put them on the sofa. They will stand out in the interior, giving the living room a more pretty picture. 

But it should be done in the case when your room is painted in one tone and has soft classic color. If your room has many bright colors and the walls are painted in a couple of shades, you can add such pillows to the interior, but they will not stand out. In this case, it is better to put monochrome pillows on the contrary.

Tip #14: Install A Fireplace

fireplace in the wall of a living room

A fireplace is such a thing that gives the living room coziness and a warm atmosphere. It is always in fashion and suits any style. When you furnish the living room with a fireplace, it becomes the central element of the room. You can arrange a beautiful recreation area near it with a sofa and a table. 

Modern electric models are on sale if you cannot install a fireplace that runs on natural fuel. Do not hesitate whether a fireplace will suit your living room because there are many types of it, and you can choose any of them that will emphasize your design.

Tip #15: Use Books As An Element Of Decor

beige and light blue stands with books

Books are always in fashion, both in reading and decoration. Make a wall of shelves if you have a space or an empty wall and don’t know what to fill it with. But don’t just put the books in order, but interestingly furnish them in the living room. 

Do you want it to look atmospheric? Nail the shelves to the wall in a chaotic order so the books can be placed at different angles. It will be very unusual, and your space will look different. If you need more ideas, you can ask for help from designers or search for ideas on the Internet about home decorating the living room.

Tip #16: Decorate A Living Room With A Wall Clock

living room decor with a round clock

It is another option for decorating a living room wall. Use stylish watches that blend into your living room and give it elegance. Don’t buy old-fashioned small round clocks. Better look at the new variants and choose something modern. You can make it yourself, out of wood, metal, paper, or whatever. The main thing is creativity and good taste in decor.

Tip #17: Mix Light With Dark

living room decor in light and dark tones

Do not make the room monotonous. Everything will seem clean and perfect if your living room is light. If the room is dark, everything will seem too harsh and look not attractive. For this reason, it is worth mixing these colors so that there is a contrast in your home decorating the living room. Add something dark to a light room to keep the balance and vice versa. 

Tip #18: Consider The Distance Behind The Table

living room decor with distance in mind

Often there is such a problem that the distance between the table and the sofa is minimal, making it uncomfortable for guests to sit. And what can we say about men who can’t put their feet there? 

We recommend you resolve this issue in advance. It doesn’t matter if your living room is big or small. You and your guests should feel comfortable. Therefore, furnish the table from the sofa at such a distance that it is comfortable to sit there and the living room looks harmonious from the side.

Tip #19: Focus On Carpets

carpet-focused living room decor

Almost no one completely covers the floor with carpets. But buying a small rug highlighting a particular living room area will look elegant. You can, for example, lay a soft round rug under the table with chairs where you will chat with your guests or place a small rug under the sofa. Usually, designers try to furnish the living room exactly with such carpets.

Tip #20: Combine Materials

living room decor with combined materials

If you do everything the same, your living room will be dull and not attractive. Therefore, do not buy all furniture from the same material. Combine metal, wood, glass, and so on. It will look modern and provide luxury.

As you can see, there are endless ideas for your living room. You just need to know what you want and combine everything organically. A living room is a room where you feel at home even when you are away. Therefore, furnish your living room, so you and your guests feel cozy and warm.

FAQ

Which color is best for the living room?

It is green because it gives harmony and peace to your room. Green will remind you of nature, and your walls will be more spacious.

How can I decorate my living room on a low budget?

Use old furniture if it suits your style, create decorations with your hands, and don’t buy accessories you don’t need. Also, contact a few stores when looking for furniture because prices may differ.

How do I start decorating my living room?

Think about what furniture will be in your room and start arranging it. We also recommend that you first organize the process of creating a living room and do everything in order.

What makes small living rooms look bigger?

The home decorating living room looks better when you create color contrast. Also, spaciousness is provided by large ceilings and curtains that are hung as high as possible above the window. It is not necessary to build a bigger room. You can increase it with the help of such tricks.