You and your family spend a chunk of time every day in the living room, such as when you watch shows on TV together or you spend time chatting about your day.
It’s a warm room, and you enjoy spending time in it, but maybe you don’t feel it’s as luxurious as it could be.
What’s the easiest way to make a living room look more luxurious?
The best thing to start with is lighting, as this can completely change the ambiance of the room, making it feel more inviting and look sophisticated.
With that in mind, here are easy tips and tricks to make your living room feel cozy and luxurious. Best of all, you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money to achieve this.
Contents
Layer The Lighting
You need to have different types of lighting in order to give depth to the living room and create the right ambiance. You should have the following:
- Task lighting, which is lighting for a specific area and task in the room. In the living room, this could be a light for when you watch TV so that you can see clearly and not strain your eyes.
- Accent lighting, which is lighting that highlights something special in the room, such as a beautiful ornament, exotic plant, or painting on the wall.
- Ambient lighting, which is the general illumination in the room, usually referring to the lights that come on when you flick the switch.
One great idea to consider when lighting your living room is to have pendant lights. These can be used as task lighting. Another idea is to go for plug-in sconces.
These are affordable and by putting them next to furniture they can make the entire room look refreshed.
Pro tip: Add a dimmer switch so that the room will feel cozier and more relaxing.
Focus On Texture
The texture is what takes your living room design to a higher level and it also plays a big role in how warm your space is. Think of soft, plush carpets or pillows and luxurious throws on the sofa.
Mixing these up with harder textures, such as glass or metal, will bring sophistication to the living space.
Pro tip: Bring metallic items into your luxury living room!
These add instant glamor, so consider light fixtures that have metal as their finish, metallic wallpaper, or even just some glossy paint for the walls. These will really go the distance.
Mix Your Materials
Instead of having a living room that’s only got one or two materials in it, such as glass and metal, a good way to make it seem more expensive is to combine more.
This helps to produce a balanced symphony of textures and materials. For example, if your living room is all about glass and metal, bring in some woven materials and wood to add warmth.
Similarly, if you’ve got lots of leather in the room, give it a greater personality by adding pillows, sheepskin throws, or reclaimed wood.
These not only warm it up but will make it look more expensive.
Go Large With Art…
One of the quickest ways to make a space look more expensive is to hang a large piece of art on the wall. This will add visual appeal and be effortlessly chic.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a work of art for it to look good.
… And A Rug!
Maybe you found a beautiful small rug for the living room that you want to place underneath your coffee table, but the key to an expensive room is to bring in a larger rug.
The reason? A larger rug, even if it’s of a less expensive nature, will make the room look larger, and that in turn makes it look more luxurious.
Throw Away The Clutter
Although a lot of living is done in the living room, you don’t want it to be a mess. Some storage space will come in very handy to keep items out of the way.
It’s also good to avoid clutter by focusing on a few ornaments and other items that really make a statement and add value to the room, either by being practical or beautiful (or both).
Change Your Room’s Layout
This is an important rule to follow when you want to make your living room look more luxurious: simpler is better!
If you think of expensive rooms you’ve seen, either in magazines or online, chances are you remember them being chic and minimalist.
A simple layout basically means that you focus on the essentials when it comes to your furniture and decor items. What furniture items do you really need?
The usual candidates for the living room include a sofa, coffee table, chairs, sofa, and perhaps a side table or bookshelf.
Think about what you’ll use the living room for, such as social time with the family or reading, so that you can get the right furniture items to achieve your goals.
Connect The Colors
The color scheme you choose for your living room will have a big effect on its overall elegance – or lack of it. Here are some good tips to follow:
- Keep the same shade for your doors and trims to create balance. You can choose a darker shade for these small areas so that they look striking.
- The living room is a space where you relax, so you want it to be in earthy, warm colors as these feel cozy.
- Neutral colors are timeless and chic, so they’re always a good choice. Ivory is a specific color that always adds to the luxuriousness of a room. Other good colors include grey and camel.
- Paint the background, such as the walls, in a neutral color so that you can add splashes of bolder color via accessories or decor items.
- If you want to do something a bit more daring, like with patterned wallpaper, go ahead! Just make sure that other items in the room will pull up the colors in it. For example, if the wallpaper has some blue in it, add a blue trim around the windows or an elegant blue sofa to the room.
Choose A Focal Point
It’s cliched to make the TV in the living room the focal point.
If you want to make your living room look more luxurious it’s a better idea to choose a focal point that displays something you really love and want to showcase.
This could be something like a vintage bookshelf or a piece of art on the wall. Then, further bring it to the fore by highlighting it with accent lighting, such as with the use of light strips on shelves.
Create A Social Setting
You want your living room to feel intimate and cozy, so arrange the sofas and chairs in such a way that this encourages communication.
A coffee table between them will be the perfect spot to place a tray of delicious cocktails to serve your guests.
Pro tip: If you have natural light that streams into the room, make the most of it by placing your sofa in it. This is especially great in winter when you want to feel even cozier.
Avoid Common Living Room Design Errors
- Don’t use an old sofa or one you don’t really like. The sofa is one of the most important elements of the room, so make sure it looks good. If it’s tattered or doesn’t fit in with the rest of the decor, it will make everything look old instead of luxurious.
- Don’t hang your art incorrectly. Here’s a tip for finding the best spot to hang art: if the living room wall had to be divided into four sections from bottom to top, the art should be placed in the third quadrant (counting from the floor) .
- Don’t choose impractical items. If you have kids, a white sofa is probably a bad idea. Similarly, if the rug feels too posh and thin, it’s not going to tolerate wear and tear. Focus on materials and textiles that can handle everyday living but which still contribute to the room’s personality.
- Don’t place curtain rods above the window. This makes the room look smaller. Here’s a good tip: hang the rod about half a foot from the window frame to add more space to the room.
- Don’t put the furniture against the wall. Make use of your space by bringing items to the middle of the room as this provides greater balance to the room’s layout.
Related Questions
What are some luxurious house plants for the living room?
Great picks include the Jade Pothos that has dark green leaves which look luxurious and citrus trees that bear fruit and add elegance as well as interest in the space.
How can you display photos in the living room in a sophisticated way?
There are many ways to do this, such as by making a gallery wall with all the photos sharing the same frame color, or keeping your photos black and white.
Another idea: add some photos to your bookshelf where they can be interspersed with ornaments and textured items.
Conclusion
If you wish your living room could be a bit more luxurious, there are some simple things you can do to make it so.
In this article, we’ve looked at how to make your living room both cozy and luxurious so you get the best of comfort and beauty to make you feel right at home.
Resources:
