If there is one room that best represents the overall feel and style of a home, it’s the living room. The living room acts as the hub of the entire dwelling, providing a common central area from which all other rooms branch outward. It’s often the first room that one sees when entering a home, and generally serves as a place for entertaining friends and other guests. The room itself can fill a variety of roles—from entertainment room, to dining room, to library, and more—but always seems to set the design tone for the rest of the dwelling. As such, the task of decorating your living room is one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Of course, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t be willing to try something new. After all, if the center of your entire apartment doesn’t look the way you want it to, then there’s not much hope for the rest of it. We can help. We’ve compiled a list of great living room decorating ideas that you can use to turn the heart of your home into something pulsing with style. Just make sure that you get permission from your property manager before you make any permanent changes to the apartment.
1.General Apartment Living Room Decorating Tips
When it comes to home decorating ideas, living room design lends itself very well to a broad range of possibilities. This is because the living room—as opposed to specific-function rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms—is limited in purpose only by your imagination. That means that you can take decorating ideas for living rooms in whatever direction you’d like. Of course, the downside to this almost-limitless freedom is that you’ll be relying a lot on your own imagination when coming up with possible decor. Remember to keep your eyes and ears open while you are in the planning stages; you never know where you’ll stumble upon new living room decorating ideas (pinterest, for example, can be an absolute goldmine of unique decor ideas). Here are some of our own to get your started:
Give the illusion of size. Many apartment living rooms suffer from a lack of available space. But while knocking down a wall and expanding the room probably isn’t a possibility, there are a number of tricks and hacks that you can use to make your living room appear more spacious than it is. Start by reducing the amount of space being taken up by your furniture. You can do this either by removing certain pieces of furniture, or by replacing the furniture you have with smaller versions. Large couches may seem like a great idea, but when they end up taking up all of the floor space and making it difficult to navigate the room, you’d probably be better off with something smaller. You can also create the illusion of space by choosing light colors (specifically white) for your walls and furniture. Hanging mirrors on the walls will likewise open the the room, as will uncovering windows to allow more natural light to enter. If you need more actual space, equipping your furniture pieces with casters will allow you to rearrange your room’s setup whenever you’d like, giving you as much floor space as you need, whenever you need it.
Don’t neglect the corners. After the main furniture pieces have been arranged, many renters find that they are left with completely underutilized corners. But while the corner of a room may not be ideal for main furniture pieces, it can still be put to good use. A small accent table or chair, or perhaps a corner bookshelf, can easily fit into this otherwise-unused space, and can lend an air of completion to your living room.
Introduce some storage. If you find that your living room has to fill several different rolls (entertainment room, library, office, etc.), you may discover that it quickly becomes cluttered. By adding some stylish, unobtrusive storage, however, you should be able to keep the various odds and ends out of sight until they are needed. For example, a polished wooden armoire that opens to reveal a computer and printer with pull-out keyboard drawer can quickly turn a living room into an in-home office. A large decorative trunk can give you apartment living room a grandiose and classic appearance, while still giving you a place to stash guest bedding or children’s toys. Small cubby shelves that make use of wall or corner space, when combined with decorative woven baskets, make it possible to easily organize and store entertainment equipment for when it is needed. You might even consider investing in furniture pieces that feature hidden storage compartments underneath. If you want your living room to fill multiple roles, then stylish or hidden storage is your best friend.
Upgrade to curtains. Most apartments come pre furnished with basic Venetian blinds covering the windows. And while these blinds may be perfectly suited to providing a variable level of illumination, they don’t generally do much for the overall appearance of a living room. Consider replacing your blinds with curtains. Curtains make a home feel less utilitarian, and more elegant. Curtains can also be used to accomplish a variety of decorating tricks. For example, vertically striped curtains, or ones that hang all the way from ceiling to floor, have a tendency to draw the eye upward, thus making the ceiling seem higher. Or, curtains can be hung in such a way that they extend well beyond the sides of the window, giving the impression that the window itself is larger. Just make sure that you get permission from your property manager first, and that you will be able to replace the blinds when it comes time to move out.
Focus on the floor. If you are renting an apartment, you are probably stuck with whatever flooring is already installed. But that’s not to say that you can’t improve it. Whether you have wooden floors, tile, or carpet, you can always add an area rug to give the room a much-needed splash of design under your feet. Consider finding a rug with a unique pattern, or one that introduces an interesting texture, and don’t feel as though you have to limit yourself to just one rug, either.
Mix styles. There’s nothing set in stone that suggests that you can’t have samples of different styles in your living room. After all, you’re trying to create a design scheme that makes you happy, and if that means mixing modern with classic, then so be it. Rather than focusing on one single style, just make design decisions that feel right. Choose furniture pieces because you like them, not because you think they’ll ‘fit’ with the rest of the room. You might end up with a living room full of contrasts, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
2.Walls
Your living room’s walls play a large part in the overall feel of your apartment. However, many renters feel as though their hands are tied when it comes to decorating apartment walls. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are a number of DIY wall decoration ideas for living rooms that won’t violate renter agreements, but that will still give your apartment a taste of unique home style. Here are a few of our favorite decoration ideas for living room walls that won’t lose you your security deposit.
Display a collection. One of the most common things to find on living room walls is art. Framed paintings, prints, photographs, etc. have a way of making a habitat feel more like a home. But you don’t have to stop there; almost any type of collection can be repurposed into living room wall art that will show off your personality while also adding color, texture, and contrast to your living room. Things such as coins can be mounted and framed, while unique figurines or other unevenly-shaped items can be displayed on simple DIY shelves. Small hooks can be used to showcase hats or other hangable collections. If you have a collection, consider using it as decorating ideas for living room walls; you’ll be able to improve the look of your home, while also showing off your interests.
Make a statement. There’s nothing wrong with busy-looking walls. On the other hand, sometimes less really is more. Consider leaving your walls mostly blank and uncovered, and then designating a single item or feature to act as a ‘statement’ piece. A single large framed painting, an ornate mirror, or some other eye-catching fixture can give the design flow of your room a sense of clear direction.
Use your words. Do you have a favorite quote? How about a personal motto? You can use these important phrases to decorate the walls of your living room. Wall lettering can give your home a contemporary, modern appearance, while also giving your personality a chance to shine through in your decor. By using letter stencils and some paint, it’s an easy DIY project to create attractive, professional-looking lettering. Typographical decorating ideas for walls of living rooms don’t have to involve paint, either. Vinyl letters, as well as certain graphics and images can be purchased and applied with minimum fuss, and can be easily removed later without having to repaint the wall in question. Likewise, there are those who prefer to use iron-on fabric, cut into words or other shapes, to create a more-colorful form of wall art that can be easily peeled off when the time comes.
Shelve it. Even if you don’t know your way around a carpenter’s bench, you can easily install nice looking shelves in your living room. These shelves will help decrease overall clutter, as well as give you a place of prominence to display items that you want your guests to be able to see. All you’ll need is a board of appropriate thickness, length, and width, a few brackets, a level, and some paint. Floating shelves are an unobtrusive way to make your storage options satisfy the requirements of both form and function. If, on the other hand, you want something a bit more striking, you can always adapt an antique standing shelf, small cabinet, or bookcase to serve as floating storage. Just make sure that the units in question are being properly secured to the walls, and that you aren’t overburdening them with more weight than they can handle (the last thing you’ll want is to have to deal with the repair expenses associated with a torn-out wall.
3.Lighting.
Living room decorating ideas for small apartments usually try not to play up the dark, cave-like ambiance that certain rented properties (particularly basement-level ones) a cursed with. Instead, those who understand how to make a small apartment look its best tend to favor the ‘more is better’ approach when it comes to light. Of course, that’s not to say that simply littering a room with blindingly bright light fixtures is a good way to go. Light, like any design medium, has to be used correctly in order to have the desired effect. Here are several tips on how to use light (both natural and artificial) to make the most of modern living room decorating ideas:
Diffuse your light sources. If you want to drive back the shadows in your living room, brighter isn’t necessarily better. An overly bright light will actually create harsher shadows, and make the contrast between light areas and dark areas much more noticeable. Instead, focus on using lighting that eliminates shadows altogether. This can be accomplished through the use of multiple light sources that overlap and blend in such a way as to provide illumination from multiple angles. Lampshades can also diffuse light, making it less harsh, and better suited for the cozy feel of a living room.
Let the sunshine in. As mentioned above, uncovering windows can help an apartment appear more spacious. But even if a larger-looking apartment isn’t your goal, you should still consider opening those curtains, raising those blinds, and letting in as much sunlight as possible. This is because when it comes to lighting a room, you just can’t beat natural illumination. Natural sunlight makes a room seem more inviting and exciting, so take advantage of it. Even if your windows aren’t very large, or if you don’t have many of them, you can still capture and reflect incoming light by using mirrors and light-colored wall paint.
Add a dimmer. Your living room will likely serve many purposes, so it doesn’t make much sense to lock yourself into a single lighting scheme. There will certainly be times when you want your room to be well lit and bright, but other times (such as when watching a movie or entertaining a date), you might prefer that it be more dimly lit. Dimmers can easily be added to most light switches, and provide a versatility to living room lighting that would otherwise be unavailable. Just be warned: You’ll need to get permission from your property owner before you attempt to install any dimmers into the wiring of your apartment, and you should never attempt any sort of electrical repairs or upgrades yourself unless you know exactly what you are doing. Instead, consider purchasing a few plug-in light dimmers. These will allow you to dim individual lamps, without risking electrocution or renter agreement issues.
Pick the right fixture. Your lamps and other fixtures are there to provide light. However, they’re also there to provide ambiance and style even when the aren’t giving any light. Remember this fact, and be sure to choose fixture designs that you think will improve the overall look of your living room.
Add festive string lights. If any holidays are approaching, then why not get into the festivities by hanging some strings of light? String lights provide soft, focused, limited illumination, and has a way of bringing out the child in those who see them. And rather than simply stringing them around the edge of the room, try incorporating them into the rest of your overall design scheme. Drape them across bookshelves, around mirrors, across tables, or anyplace else that might benefit from some festive flare.
4.Popular styles
Your living room should be an extension of your own unique personality. That having been said, there’s nothing wrong with getting a feel for what kind of modern decorating ideas for living rooms are currently enjoying popularity. By seeing which motifs are being used to good effect in living rooms across the country, you might just stumble upon something that is perfect for you as an individual (even if other individuals have been enjoying it as well). Here are some popular styles you might want to learn more about:
Gallery Walls. Gallery walls go beyond the simple displaying of artwork; a gallery wall is one that is completely devoted to art in a cohesive way, leaving little room for any other decorations or fixtures. Gallery walls generally feature framed photographs, paintings, or other art works all arranged in such a way as to showcase not only the individual pieces, but also the larger collection as a whole. And while it can be difficult knowing what looks good with creating a gallery wall, you will have the benefit of being able to hang and rearrange your art until you find the design that you prefer. Consider using matching frames, and positioning the pieces in such a way as to draw the eye towards the artwork that you favor above the others.
Western decor. Western decor has been finding a place in modern living room design, and even if you can’t stand the twang of country music or the clop of cowboy boots, the aged, rustic look of a western-style living room might be just what you’re looking for. The key to western decorating ideas for living rooms is in using earth-tone colors (tans, browns, and greens, mostly) and natural building materials (wood and stone). Antique wood furniture adds to the theme, as do antique farm equipment and materials. An old wagon wheel hung on the wall, or a barn door that has been cleaned up and repurposed as an accent wall will give your living room a unique western feel, as will animal hide blankets and upholstery. Just remember: If you are going to attempt a western theme for your apartment living room, you’ll need to really commit to it; If you only have one or two western elements in an otherwise modern room, then they’ll simply look strange and out of place.
Shabby chic decor. For a living room that is rustic, but more gentle than the aforementioned western decor, shabby chic is worth considering. Shabby chic uses soft hues, natural textures, and minimalist decoration to produce a simple-yet-elegant design. Shabby chic living room decorating ideas rely on light colors (generally white and off-white) for furniture as well as walls. The furniture is often antique, and may feature intricate (though understated) carvings or other designs. An important aspect of shabby chic is the interplay of available space, so if you’d like to attempt a shabby chic theme for your apartment living room, remember that you’ll want a lot of visible floor space.
Victorian decor. For the ultimate in grandeur and class, it’s difficult to beat the victorian-themed living room. Victorian design relies on a baroque sense of complexity that makes use of intricate patterns, gleaming metals, vibrant colors, and other lavish decorations. When considering Victorian living room decorating ideas, the first thing you’ll have to accept is that this particular style has a tendency to be a bit more expensive than many others. This is partially due to the fact that Victorian design depends largely upon the presence of Victorian furniture (or reasonable facsimiles), which can be a bit costly. If this doesn’t scare you off, then remember this: When attempting to adopt a Victorian design for your apartment living room, you’ll want to find detailed patterned rugs, choose dark, rich colors for your walls and fixtures, implement luxurious-looking fabric window fixtures (preferably trimmed with tassels and cords), have several pieces of ornately framed classical artwork on your walls, and garnish the entire design with candles, flowers, and classical accessories (such as chandeliers, oil lamps, pendulum clocks, etc.). We’re not going to say that the entire process isn’t daunting, but if you can pull it off, you’ll have a living room worth showing off.
Did we miss anything? Share your own modern decorating ideas for apartment living rooms in our comments section!
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