There are so many benefits to having a living room with square footage to spare. If you are someone who enjoys hosting regular get-togethers in your home a large, open living area is ideal. If you have small children who love to play and roam a large living room will allow them to spread out and burn off some of their endless energy. If your kids have grown and have children of their own, you will likely thankful for your spacious family room when hosting holiday festivities with all the kids in tow.
Choosing Furniture
While there are many benefits to having an expansive living room, it can be difficult, and expensive, to furnish it. This is where it is perfectly acceptable to incorporate large pieces of furniture like a sectional or a collection of coordinating coffee tables. Don’t worry, they won’t overwhelm the space. In fact, the concern is more that the space will feel sparse and uninviting, rather than cluttered and crowded.
Furniture Layout
When deciding on where to put your furniture in a spacious living room, avoid pushing furniture against the wall. The blessing of a large space is that you can effectively organize the furniture around a central focal point – rug, fireplace, set of windows – and there will still be plenty of space for traffic flow around the room.
Filling the Vertical Space
If your living room has a lot of vertical space you will need to incorporate a few elements to prevent the room from feeling cavernous and cold. This can be done by installing a large-scale chandelier or pendant. You can also do this by working from the ground floor. A mid-century arc floor lamp would work well if the room’s style allows. One or two large fig leaf trees will also help to fill the vertical space.
Check out our gallery below for ways to decorate and style your spacious living room. Your sure to find a few spaces that catch your eye and give you some ideas to take your space from ordinary to amazing.
A fireplace is a great addition to any space because it adds interest and warmth. This room features a large fireplace with a natural stone surround and a coordinating solid wood mantel.
A grand living room requires an equally impressive area rug to ground the design. This is not place to incorporate a rug that is boring or too small. The traditional area rug in this space has been centered around the fireplace with furniture placed perfectly around its edge.
Don’t be afraid to mix design styles. This living room has successfully combined modern elements, like the fireplace, with more traditional furnishings. The end result is an interesting and eclectic space.
In a room that has strong architectural details it is okay to let the structure speak for itself. This room does just that by keeping the furniture and decor to a minimum which allows the eye to continue upward to the impressive peaked ceiling, and the view outdoors.
In an open concept space that is long and narrow it is important to separate each activity zone from the next. This is often done by using area rugs or furniture placement to delineate each area (as seen above).
This light-filled living room has been designed with a careful selection of natural and neutral furnishings. The large fiddle-leaf fig tree in the corner is ideal for this sunny room and it also helps to fill the vertical space as well.
Contemporary design often features a neutral color palette of browns, creams and greys. This living room has been designed with this color scheme in mind. It even continues to the unique, recessed ceiling detail above.Stone does not have to be limited to a fireplace surround. Installing natural stone in a wall niche ( as seen above) adds a little interest and texture to a living room. Additionally, natural materials like stone can accommodate a number of furniture styles and colors.
Built-in bookcases are a great addition to a living room. They provide the ideal place to display decorative items, a personal library or favorite family photographs. This type of display is sure to draw guests into the space to discover what you have put on display.
Living spaces with lots of windows often require an equal amount of window treatments to manage the amount of light in the space. When choosing window coverings make sure that they can adequately cover the window length of the window with extra to spare.
A high ceiling is the perfect opportunity to introduce an unique ceiling fixture. So stay away from the expected and experiment with something eye-catching and dramatic.
Incorporating more than one pattern or texture can be difficult as you don’t want a space that overwhelms. One way to do this, without having to think about it too much, is to stick to a neutral color palette. This ensures that you don’t end up feeling overwhelmed by color or pattern.
Traditional design does not mean that it has too be boring. This living room displays this well in its use of a mustard yellow sofa and contrasting teal rug.
We often shy away from painted an entire room a dark and moody color. However, there are times when this is exactly the right choice. The design of the living room above works well with this gray-green wall color. The access to natural light also keeps the space from feeling dark and restrictive.
The backdrop to this modern living room is an impressive staircase and an open two-storey ceiling. The furniture features curved detailing in a modern style that contrasts well with the sleek lines and angular features of the space.
Living rooms that feature a fireplace often have a flat screen installed in the space above. However, it is actually preferable to take the attention off the television and onto the the architecture of the fireplace itself. This design choice is represented well in the space above.
White-on-white can be a scary concept for parents with young children or homes with pets. But for those who are willing to take the risk, a white-on-white color scheme can be strikingly beautiful. Just make sure the textiles are washable.
With a view like this you will want to keep the window sight lines as clear and unobstructed as possible. Large draperies have been installed to sit on either side of these expansive windows without blocking the beautiful view. At night time, if needed, they can be closed for privacy and television watching.
A large living room is the ideal place to incorporate a comfy sectional. While it can be difficult to accommodate a sectional in spaces that are smaller, they are an excellent choice because of the amount of seating they provide for large groups of people.
This living room may not be big, but it is grand. The wall paneling, solid stone fireplace surround and glitzy chandelier combine to create an elegant feel in this cozy space.
While you may want the natural beauty of your stone or hardwood flooring to shine through, it recommended to incorporate an area rug in spaces like livings rooms and family rooms. An area rug can add warmth and comfort underfoot where a stone floor can be cold and uninviting.
Its important to mix cool and warm tones so that a room doesn’t end up feeling cold and uninviting. This space does just that by incorporating gorgeous warm wood flooring and natural grey stone on the lofty fireplace surround.
Layering rugs is an excellent option for rooms that have a lot of square footage to work with. They can be arranged in such as way as to suit the dimensions of the space will adding velvety softness underfoot.
A small fireplace can be made to feel larger by installing paneling on either side and above. This creates additional visual weight making the entire wall a focal point.
Large spaces should have furniture to match. Small furniture will appear out of place and insignificant in big room. The room above exhibits this well by incorporating a spacious sectional and large coffee table. Even the lamps are supersized.
The showstopping aspect of this room is its architectural details. The built-in cabinetry, trim and fireplace are all built with the same beautiful wood that is featured in ceiling beams above the living space.
This exotic living room features a combination of warm woods and emerald green accents. The velvety green couch makes a dramatic statement and adds to the luxury of the entire room.
This classy living room features a substantial rug that is big enough for all of the rooms furniture to fit perfectly on it. The horizontal fireplace at the far end of the room grounds the space and adds a rustic appeal with the display of wooden logs.
The focal point of this living room is its unique bookcase that has been styled with a combination of books and decorative objects. This is a great example of how something functional can also be beautiful.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with a variety of furniture styles and upholstery colors. Your living room shouldn’t look like it was pulled straight from the pages of Sears. Their should be a certain level of personality injected into the space.
The curved edges of the furniture in this space mimic the soft lines of the built-ins and ceiling detail. A sea of blues, grays and green fill the space to add to the calming atmosphere of this retro living room.
The impressive living room features large, open windows that provide a great view of the water outside. There is no need for window treatments here as privacy is sufficient and they would block the gorgeous view.