While kitchens and baths receive the most attention from renovating homeowners, the living room remains an area of great importance. Welcoming living rooms can serve as family gathering places and focal points of homes. Like all areas of the home, the living room is subject to design trends, some that will last and others that will not. Realtor.com highlights several design trends for the living room that can satisfy homeowner preferences and create a stylish and functional area.
Patterns on Patterns
For the past couple of years, design-focused homeowners have been trading in their solid accent walls for something with a little more oomph. Patterns and textures quickly became de rigueur, from rustic shiplap to bold and edgy wallpaper.
But now we're taking things one step further: We're not just choosing one look to highlight—we're choosing them all. While it might sound like scary overload, experimenting with layering patterns like animal prints, florals, stripes, and geometrics within the same color scheme can work, says Danielle Walish, creative director at furniture company The Inside.
Curved Furniture—With a Twist
You can also find patterns on another of the year's top living room trends: curved furniture. Curved sofas, chairs, tables, and accessories are rounding out living room looks now, explains Leslie Saul of Leslie Saul Architecture and Interiors.
"Not only is the furniture curvy," she says, "but it is also colorful and patterned, which is exciting for those of us who aren't minimalists."
"We're noticing more and more living rooms with nontraditional sofa shapes that are designed for conversation and hosting, rather than focused around a TV," Caroline Grant of Dekar Design says.
Throwback Lighting
A stylish lamp can really make your living room stand out. This year, designers are seeing a nod to the past, with semiconical lampshades replacing the more common drum shades.
Maximalist Fabrics
Maximalism is alive and well when it comes to home decor this year. That means over-the-top fabrics like velvet and mohair are appearing in living rooms everywhere, notes Susan Minard, an interior designer with San Francisco Design.
