Ideas on How to Decorate a Large Living Room
While it is a blessing to have a large living room, it’s not always easy deciding how to make the most of this space. You don’t want the room to feel too empty or add so much that it feels a little crowded. It doesn’t matter if this is a room in a flat, a house in the countryside or a maisonette, there are plenty of large living room ideas to tick all the boxes! We’ll take a look at how to make a living room cosy, from zoning, to furniture layout, dividers and more and hopefully you’ll come away with all the inspiration you need to get you started.
Layout Ideas
Let’s start with the shape of your room, as that can make all the difference in terms of styling options. Most rooms tend to be either long or square. In terms of long living rooms ideas, it’s possible to set up different zones to distinctive areas in the room. For example, if you have a feature fireplace, you could set up a sofa and some armchairs around this, and further down the room have a more informal space where you watch the television.
Depending on where your windows are and what it looks out onto, you could use one end of your room to create a cosy reading nook, with bookcases and a loveseat, or window seat, so you can relax and enjoy views of the garden while curling up with your favourite book.
If your room is more of a square shape that won’t benefit from zones, a corner sofa, L-shaped sofa or even U-shaped sofa can take centre stage in the space. Or, alternatively, two sofas facing each other. As well as a table which could be placed in between your sofas, additional furniture can be positioned around the edges of the room.
Multiple Seating
While it’s common to only have one seating area in your living room, when looking for big living room ideas, multiple seating is a great way to go. This could be all in one area, through a combination of modular sofas and accent chairs, or you could split your seating out across the room and use it for different purposes. One area may be where you spend the evening relaxing, while another may be a reading nook. Or if your room is big enough, you could create two similar seating set-ups, both offering you a place to relax at different times of the day.
If You Have a Fireplace
If you have a fireplace, you may want to make it into a feature in your space and you can use your furniture to help you do so. If it’s in the centre of a large living room, you can essentially build your furniture around it, with plenty of different options, including an armchair on either side of the fireplace, with a sofa opposite, or a sofa on either side and some armchairs opposite. It’s really up to you. If you have a television above the fireplace, this arrangement works well. However, if your tv is in another location, you may want to position your sofas in a place where you can relax in front of the tv, and use some armchairs for the fireplace, creating two distinctive areas in your space.
Decorating a Large Living Room Wall
Think of a large living room wall like a blank canvas – it’s a real opportunity to enhance your aesthetic and with a big living room you can be bold with your décor and it won’t feel too overwhelming. From large murals to a gallery wall, panelling, colour blocking or feature wallpaper, there’s a lot of different ways to stop this wall from feeling too vast, it’s just a case of what suits you. Think about what furniture you could place along the wall to break it up – whether it’s a bookcase, side table or sofa, it can help to add character to that area of your room.
Area Rugs
If you don’t want a carpet, how about an area rug? While it doesn’t cover your whole floor, it can cover a large area, while still giving you the freedom to change it as and when you feel like it. If you do choose to create separate zones in your space, having an area rug in one of them will help to create a sense of identity there. These rugs are more effective when placed under furniture, almost delineating an area – just try to leave equal space around the outsides.
Best Colours to Use
When choosing a colour for your living room, it really depends on the kind of ambience you want to create in your space. If you want your living room to be cosy, darker colours will work well, if you want to create a warm aesthetic, earthy tones can give your room real depth. If you want to keep your walls neutral, you can introduce colour through your furniture – bring grey walls to life with a mustard velvet sofa, or a hot pink velvet sofa!
Living Room Dividers
If you’ve decided to create different sections within your room, there are lots of ways of dividing the space. From open furniture such as cabinets or shelving to free standing screens, you can use these to split the room into sections without cutting out any natural light. Alternatively, you could look at using your sofas to create a natural boundary and incorporate an area rug.
Make Good Use of Lighting
When looking at large living room layout ideas, lighting needs to be a factor as this can dramatically impact your space. With a large space you can mix up your lighting, incorporating wall lights, floor lamps and table lamps to create the right ambience, without leaving areas in the dark. Think about what lighting you want during the day, and what you’d like in the evening and how you can create that. Just because it’s a large room, it doesn’t mean you need one big light source, in fact, lots of smaller lights will create a much more inviting atmosphere.
How to Decorate a Large Odd Shaped Living Room
While most living rooms tend to be either rectangular or square, if your living room isn’t a standard shape, celebrate it! Firstly, work out the focal point for your room and once you’ve decided, plan your furniture around it, taking care to provide space around tight corners and angles. If it’s an unconventional space, a modular sofa could be a good choice, giving you the option to position the different units to fit the area without looking too cramped. With an odd shape, it’s worth drawing a layout on paper and planning where your furniture will go and working out what will fit before making any substantial purchases.
