Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Color on Neutral
This Hollywood Hills home, designed by Studio Mellone, proves you don’t need particularly modern furniture to create a living room; colorful artwork will do just the trick. This artwork by Doug gives the rest of the neutral space a modern twist that creates contrast in the surrounding wood architecture.
Desert Retreat
Interior designer Nicole Hollis knows living rooms. In this minimal Indian Wells desert retreat, a curved Vladimir Kagan sofa and puff lounge chairs make for a sophisticated living space. Whether you’re coming here for a much-needed meditation moment, or throwing a raucous dinner party, there’s something for everyone here.
Dramatic Living Room
For Parisian architect and interior designer Hugo Toro, a tastefully curated home environment is everything, and this pied-à-terre in the Saint-Geriman-des-Prés district is no exception. We especially love the green as green Cassina chaise longue, which is begging for a sleepy resident to take up some space on it.
Patterned Living Room
If you love her movies, you’ll probably love her living room too. Academy Award winning actress, Marisa Tomei, showcases her passion for beautiful objects throughout her New York City apartment—and her living room is its crown jewel. It features a maximalist couch upholstered in a Kuba textile, an amorphic floor lamp, and floor cushions in a Dedar velvet. Take a seat? Why, don’t mind if we do.
Marble Living Room
A clean and delicate room will always be a timeless aesthetic. For Andrea and John Stark’s Hamptons home, this Azura marble fireplace wall, furnished by a pair of facing couches, sets the scene for fabulous face-to-face time with loved ones.
Eclectic Flair
This late 1970s house in Venice, California, designed by Frank Gehry and redecorated by owner Florian Marquardt, features a living room with harmonious contrasts. With a vintage sofa by Mario Bellini beside a wonderfully blobby cocktail table by Mike Ruiz Serra, we’d wager even Gehry himself would feel right at home here.
Statement Piece
If you have a statement art piece in your collection, framing it in the living room is probably the best way to showcase it. Architect Lee Mindel took on the role of decorating Darren Starr’s New York City loft, and this spheric artwork by Jose Dávila makes the room stand out.
Candy Living Room
Mixing and matching is the style of this outré oasis in Yucca Valley, California. Crafted by Another Human’s Leah Ring, neutrals and simple patterns were thrown out the door and color was the main character.
Retro Living Room
Interior designer Cliff Fong decorated this 1927 Mediterranean-style mansion in Los Angeles with a sartorial eye. For this modern living room, a loud and proud Paul McCarthy artwork became the starting point around which everything else fell into place.
Rainbow-Toned Living Room
If you’re asking Parisian-based interior design firm Uchronia, statement motifs, bright colors, patterns, and undulating lines are the bread and butter of a great room. In this Haussmannian apartment in the city’s 8th arrondissement, the goal was to create a space that looked like the inside of a jewel box, without any frills. Ombre walls were a great place to start.
Bold Silhouettes
Modern design needn’t be confined to right angles alone. In a sitting area of this California retreat, designed by Noz Nozawa, the asymmetry of the room is enhanced by a Casey McCafferty cocktail table that looks like it could come alive at any moment. The curvy rug underneath it by François Dumas further enlivens the room—both tonally and texturally—encouraging informal living that is as refined as it is comfortable.
Industrial Interest Living Room
Modernity lives in any time period. What is central to the concept is invention. In this Connecticut beach house, Amanda Jesse and Whitney Parris-Lamb looked to the industrial revolution to pinpoint their definition of modern. The presence of metal and concrete, plus the brightness of the space, allows for earthy, muted tones to take precedence in the furnishings. It’s a perfect opportunity to work with a carpenter like Jacob May (who designed the dining table to the left) or Palo Samko (who made the dining chairs).
Midcentury Modern Romance
In the modern home not every space has a single, distinct use. Sometimes one must choose between a dining area over a living room—or vice versa. When space is limited, make miniature modern living rooms out of unused corners, like Augusta Hoffman did here in her elegant New York City apartment.
Bold Tones and Graphic Prints
In the same way that a gray scale can evoke the silent films of the past, so can bold colors and graphic prints root you in the present moment. In the living room of a Manhattan townhouse, designer Danielle Colding brought in a royal blue biomorphic sofa and graphic upholstered armchairs that banish any thoughts of the old and fuddy-duddy.
The Old Meets the New
One colossal statement to modernity can steer a room down a forward moving path. In the living room of a West Hollywood pied-à-terre, Andre Herrero of Charlap Hyman & Herrero constructed a steel double-height fireplace with a hidden compartment for the client’s TV. The material evokes spaceships and factories—symbols of the modern day. Contemporary art, like the eyeball-shaped sculpture by Olivia Erlanger, hanging across from the fireplace, does its part to keep things fresh too. In this environment, choice antiques can make sense as well, when balanced by contemporary elements.
Treasure-Filled
Anyone can make a sleek living room appear warm and welcoming—all it takes are some thoughtful accessories. In this Brooklyn townhouse, Ishka Designs packed on the charm with intriguing ceramics and eye-catching artwork. The result? A living room that hits that sweet spot between luxe and lived-in.
Shape-Shifting
Move over, boxy armchairs and rectangular sofas: Furniture with an atypical silhouette is a surefire way to give those living room essentials some visual intrigue. The design duo at Ashe Leandro spruced up a Park Avenue pad with a curvy lounge chair from Move Mountains as well as a bulbous custom sofa that’s upholstered in Rose Uniacke wool.
Height-Defiant Living Room
If James Williams and Jonno Burden’s living room is any indication, the only way to go really is up. The duo accented their 30-foot-tall ceiling with two clusters of custom light pendants, drawing the eye upward and creating a light, airy space in the process.
Mirror Marvel
Want to dress up bare walls but traditional artwork feels overplayed? Consider dousing your space in decorative mirrors—just as Jacques Grange did in this Portuguese pad. Not only does this woven arrangement add some character to this spacious room, but the number of reflective spaces also helps bounce the light around just right.
Textural Living Room
Repeat after us: A neutral-tinged living room can be anything but boring. If you need any convincing, have a look at this relaxed space by Cochineal Design. Here, a rich array of light wood, cream bouclé upholstery, and high-contrast art offers a more nuanced take on the pared-back palette.
Sofia Quintero is the Editorial Assistant for ELLE DECOR. She helps out with all aspects of print production and is a frequent contributor to elledecor.com. She graduated from university in Paris, and is originally from Costa Rica.
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