New This Week: 5 Relaxing Living Rooms
Get inspiration for creating a restful indoor space worth hanging out in on a hot summer day
Outdoor spaces get a lot of attention in summer. But some days it’s just too hot to do anything outside. That’s when a comfortable living room comes into play. With the right mix of style and relaxing features, you won’t feel bad about staying indoors. Here are five living rooms to inspire yours.
2. Beachy Beauty
Designers: Meghan De Maria and Courtney Yanni of Moss Design
Location: Southport, Connecticut
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “With their children now teens, the homeowners wanted to transform the playroom into a more refined living room for the adults to enjoy and entertain in,” designer Meghan De Maria says.
Special features. Woven rattan pendant light. Wallpaper-backed built-in shelves, which display a collection of pottery and wooden bowls from France. “It was important to the homeowner that their personal collection be featured in the new living room design,” designer Courtney Yanni says. “The bold blue-and-white wallpaper beautifully contrasts against the natural wood and clay tones. The blue rug grounds the space by continuing the color scheme of the wallpaper. With a large collection on display, this repetition of color helps to pull everything together to create an overall look that is eclectic yet also polished.”
Designer tip. “This wallpaper was an investment piece, but since it only covers the shelves instead of entire walls, it was a cost-effective application that also makes a powerful design statement,” De Maria says.
Shop for living room furniture
Designers: Meghan De Maria and Courtney Yanni of Moss Design
Location: Southport, Connecticut
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “With their children now teens, the homeowners wanted to transform the playroom into a more refined living room for the adults to enjoy and entertain in,” designer Meghan De Maria says.
Special features. Woven rattan pendant light. Wallpaper-backed built-in shelves, which display a collection of pottery and wooden bowls from France. “It was important to the homeowner that their personal collection be featured in the new living room design,” designer Courtney Yanni says. “The bold blue-and-white wallpaper beautifully contrasts against the natural wood and clay tones. The blue rug grounds the space by continuing the color scheme of the wallpaper. With a large collection on display, this repetition of color helps to pull everything together to create an overall look that is eclectic yet also polished.”
Designer tip. “This wallpaper was an investment piece, but since it only covers the shelves instead of entire walls, it was a cost-effective application that also makes a powerful design statement,” De Maria says.
Shop for living room furniture
3. Laid-Back Lightness
Designer: Tess Hilgefort of Square Inch Design
Contractor: Johnbuilt
Location: Cincinnati
Size: 340 square feet (32 square meters); 17 by 20 feet
Homeowners’ request. “The design for this house was developed closely with the contractor as a spec home, so there was no specific client,” designer Tess Hilgefort says. “But the goal was to create a modern farmhouse feel with classic detailing that could work with a large number of prospective buyers’ taste. At the same time, the space needed to feel custom and one-of-a-kind.”
Special features. “The main feature of the space is the custom built-ins and fireplace,” Hilgefort says. “It serves as a counterpoint to the all-glass dining room that’s focused on the outdoors and deck. In order to appeal to a wide range of buyers, we kept the palette throughout the house consistent. A neutral gray paint (Agreeable Gray by Sherwin-Williams) sets off the white woodwork, while small accents of black and natural oak give the house a warm and inviting feel.”
Designer tip. “The contractor went with a 42-inch prefab fireplace that we were able to dress up by using black slate for both the hearth and surround,” Hilgefort says. “The color of the slate closely matches the metal frame of the fireplace unit, which simplifies the overall look and makes the fireplace feel larger. Houzz was a great resource for finding inspiration for the living room as well as the overall look and feel of the house. Working with the contractor, we could easily share ideas and images that helped to create a cohesive vision for the house.”
Home staging: Design to Market
How to Decorate a Living Room
Designer: Tess Hilgefort of Square Inch Design
Contractor: Johnbuilt
Location: Cincinnati
Size: 340 square feet (32 square meters); 17 by 20 feet
Homeowners’ request. “The design for this house was developed closely with the contractor as a spec home, so there was no specific client,” designer Tess Hilgefort says. “But the goal was to create a modern farmhouse feel with classic detailing that could work with a large number of prospective buyers’ taste. At the same time, the space needed to feel custom and one-of-a-kind.”
Special features. “The main feature of the space is the custom built-ins and fireplace,” Hilgefort says. “It serves as a counterpoint to the all-glass dining room that’s focused on the outdoors and deck. In order to appeal to a wide range of buyers, we kept the palette throughout the house consistent. A neutral gray paint (Agreeable Gray by Sherwin-Williams) sets off the white woodwork, while small accents of black and natural oak give the house a warm and inviting feel.”
Designer tip. “The contractor went with a 42-inch prefab fireplace that we were able to dress up by using black slate for both the hearth and surround,” Hilgefort says. “The color of the slate closely matches the metal frame of the fireplace unit, which simplifies the overall look and makes the fireplace feel larger. Houzz was a great resource for finding inspiration for the living room as well as the overall look and feel of the house. Working with the contractor, we could easily share ideas and images that helped to create a cohesive vision for the house.”
Home staging: Design to Market
How to Decorate a Living Room
Need a pro for your home remodeling project?
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
4. Island Dream
Designer: Ray Langhammer Design
Location: Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. This was a collaboration between designer Ray Langhammer and friend Kerry McGowan Freimann, who often work together designing and building homes to sell. For this island home, they wanted to create a colorful coastal style.
Special features. Tangerine and navy accents. “The bright tangerine at different points in the room really makes the living space come to life,” Langhammer says. Starfish and coral accessories, as well as sand-colored woven wallpaper backing the built-ins, give the space an island vibe. The floors are 8-inch-wide white oak planks.
Designer tip. “Stuff!” Langhammer says. “People are scared to put too much in a room. But the more items that are properly placed in a room, the more it can make a space look bigger than it actually is.”
Designer: Ray Langhammer Design
Location: Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. This was a collaboration between designer Ray Langhammer and friend Kerry McGowan Freimann, who often work together designing and building homes to sell. For this island home, they wanted to create a colorful coastal style.
Special features. Tangerine and navy accents. “The bright tangerine at different points in the room really makes the living space come to life,” Langhammer says. Starfish and coral accessories, as well as sand-colored woven wallpaper backing the built-ins, give the space an island vibe. The floors are 8-inch-wide white oak planks.
Designer tip. “Stuff!” Langhammer says. “People are scared to put too much in a room. But the more items that are properly placed in a room, the more it can make a space look bigger than it actually is.”
5. Indoor-Outdoor Invitation
Designer: Laura Koshel of LK Design
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “I met with the homeowners soon after they moved from another state,” designer Laura Koshel says. “They had a good collection of traditional furniture but it didn’t quite work with the modern feel of their new home. So we updated the family space by adding furnishings with clean lines, a new light fixture and worked on improving the overall styling.”
Special features. “The room itself has very strong architectural details: a large wall of sliding glass doors leading to the screened porch, the ceiling beams painted in a dark color and the wood paneling on the fireplace wall,” Koshel says.
A blue-and-white wool rug anchors two sofas in a neutral fabric. A perforated metal chandelier hangs overhead.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The main challenge in this space was the depth of the floating shelves, which is 5 inches,” Koshel says. “You can’t stack big-format books or incorporate large-size accessories on those shelves. It was a creative challenge to find decorating items of the right size that have a slim profile. If you can, do yourself a favor and get deeper floating shelves, 8 inches minimum. If you only have shallow shelves to work with, think height: Add taller sculptures, a tall framed photo and a vase with some florals.”
More on Houzz
Where to Splurge and Where to Save When Decorating
8 Open-Plan Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them
Get more home design ideas
Find and hire pros in your area
Shop for furniture and other products
Designer: Laura Koshel of LK Design
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “I met with the homeowners soon after they moved from another state,” designer Laura Koshel says. “They had a good collection of traditional furniture but it didn’t quite work with the modern feel of their new home. So we updated the family space by adding furnishings with clean lines, a new light fixture and worked on improving the overall styling.”
Special features. “The room itself has very strong architectural details: a large wall of sliding glass doors leading to the screened porch, the ceiling beams painted in a dark color and the wood paneling on the fireplace wall,” Koshel says.
A blue-and-white wool rug anchors two sofas in a neutral fabric. A perforated metal chandelier hangs overhead.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The main challenge in this space was the depth of the floating shelves, which is 5 inches,” Koshel says. “You can’t stack big-format books or incorporate large-size accessories on those shelves. It was a creative challenge to find decorating items of the right size that have a slim profile. If you can, do yourself a favor and get deeper floating shelves, 8 inches minimum. If you only have shallow shelves to work with, think height: Add taller sculptures, a tall framed photo and a vase with some florals.”
More on Houzz
Where to Splurge and Where to Save When Decorating
8 Open-Plan Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them
Get more home design ideas
Find and hire pros in your area
Shop for furniture and other products
Shop for living room products
Item 1 of 5
Designer: Judith Balis Interiors
Location: Eagle, Idaho
Homeowners’ request. A space that can comfortably seat their large family. “This home was a design-build and furnish project, so I was able to select every paint color, trim design and fabric sample to all go seamlessly together,” designer Judith Balis says.
Special features. “We designed this extra-large sectional that can accommodate at least eight people, and added two additional leather chairs on the adjacent wall,” Balis says. The walls are off-white (Silver Satin by Benjamin Moore). The mantel is a reclaimed barn timber, and the ceiling beams match it.
Designer tip. “We could not find a coffee table large enough to accommodate the large sectional, so we put two together to create a large square,” Balis says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The painters originally stained the ceiling beams too dark, so we had them sanded down,” Balis says. “They were going to restain them, but I loved the way they looked all raw and imperfect. I had them leave them alone without even putting on a clear coat because I didn’t want to risk them having any sort of sheen or darken. Now they go with the real reclaimed mantel timber perfectly.”
Find an interior designer or decorator near you