Stylish Ideas for a Large Living Room

kips bay nyc 2019 large living room design by Cindy Rinfret - photo by Nickolas Sargent

Sorting through all the ideas for decorating your large living room can leave you overwhelmed and confused. You aren’t sure how much furniture to add, how and where to arrange different items, or how to link up the living room, dining area, and the open layout kitchen. The challenges never seem to end.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. With simple guidelines to follow, you will regain your styling confidence and eventually succeed in making the most of your spacious living area. Read on for 5 fabulous ideas to help you design the large living room of your dreams:


5 Stylish Ideas for a Large Living Room


1. Add several anchoring pieces

This remedies the challenge of having too much furniture in a single room. Of course, large living areas will need more furniture than normal-sized rooms, but then the room can end up looking disorganized and feeling unnecessarily cluttered. To prevent that, simply install a couple of anchoring pieces in strategic places.

large white living room design by carlyle designs
Interior design by Carlyle Design

Some of the items that will help you anchor your large living room include a large sofa, a large piano, and a big built-in bookcase. Go ahead and replace the small coffee table with a bigger one so as to close down the excess gap between the chairs and the table. After installing the anchors, you can now tuck in smaller pieces to increase the seating area and accentuate the room.


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2. Create wide passage areas

Your space is big enough so it is best that you be generous with spacing. Ensure that you arrange the room’s furniture in a way that maximizes the passage areas. Get the sofas off the wall to allow passage areas behind them and to create a smaller, cohesive seating area — an area that supports natural conversations but that has sufficient breathing space. A space of 5 feet between chairs will be okay as that will allow you enough room to add small side tables in between. The coffee table, on the other hand, can be about 2 feet from the seats (that is the estimated arm length for most adults).

Robyn-Jensen_Family-Living-hh-prince-khalid-al-saud-villa
Interior design by Robyn Jensen (Photo by Mark Luscombe-Whyte)

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3. Install large art on the walls

A large piece of wall art or a grand mirror will help fill up your large walls and inject some life into your space. The possibilities for your bare, stark walls are immeasurable, but it is up to you to make the most of that potential by adding stylish pieces. Choose something that goes beyond setting the tone of your living room, to commanding the attention of everyone who sets foot in it. Choose oversized wall art that adds tons of color and vibrancy; a painting or a paragraph that can make a house feel like a home.

luxury living room ideas - beyond house by saoto south africaq
‘Beyond’, a stunning home designed by SAOTA in Cape Town, South Africa

4. Create dividers within your space

Large living rooms tend to leave the impression that the room is too big and there is always something missing. Instead, to fill up space and give the room a warm touch, you can add ceiling beams, pillars, or bookshelves. Try using bookshelves in the form of squares covering a certain part of the area so they serve as a divider between areas like the kitchen and eating table. The shelves not only help you fill up space, but could also be a great decoration option that allows you to store things as well. Nevertheless, there are tons of other options you could explore to get the perfect divider. You can choose from something decent and cheap, up to something expensive and fancy. It is up to your preference, home-style, and budget.

Kelly Hoppen’s luxury living room at her London Home (Photo by Mel Yates / Courtesy of Alexandra PR)
Interior designer Kelly Hoppen’s luxury living room at her London Home (Photo by Mel Yates / Courtesy of Alexandra PR)
floor screen with brass butterflies by koket

5. Add plants

Plants can be a great addition to your living room. The good thing about plants is that there are plants that match almost any design style, so there is definitely a choice for you out there. However, we would suggest you opt for plants that are taller in height, such as Fig, Bird of Paradise, Money Tree, etc. Tall plants, make the room look fuller as they also absorb the noise to reduce echoing. Nevertheless, obviously, we should not leave the key benefit, which is their advantage of air purifying. All you need is a window through which plants get light and you are all set.

luxury interior of gia eradze designed by tatyana mironova featuring the magemoiselle armoire by koket, gold chair by boca do lobo and a white feature chandelier by a grand modern tour
A whimsical luxury living room designed by Mironova Design featuring blue & gold Mademoiselle armoires by KOKET

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6. Get creative with your lighting

Maximize the intake of natural light by starting with some home remodeling adding windows and doors, if possible. For that, you will need a contractor who can break some of your walls to install the windows. Ensure that there are as many windows as possible and that the panes are well cleaned and translucent enough.

Your day-time lighting problems will be solved. But you still have the night to worry about it. To eliminate the ugly shadows and scary dark corners in your large living room, install several light sources around the room to complement the central ceiling light. A grand chandelier can make a stunning statement and again help fill the open ceiling space for a cozier feel.

Cadogan Place designed by London Projects

However, be careful not to create an awkward-looking room with lamp overload. Install one slim lamp for each corner, and then add a few wall lamps in between. Metal floor lamps are also great additions for those who find lampstands to be obstructive and unnecessarily huge. If you want to be unique, a few glass lamps will be great too.


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7. … and with colors too

Colors have a magical way of making rooms appear bigger or smaller than they actually are. Light colors appear to recede and make smaller rooms appear bigger. Intense colors, on the other hand, appear to come forward and make a cavernous room seem smaller — they enclose big spaces. Reduce your living room’s perceived space by painting the walls with intense colors. This color influence can also make your ceiling appear lower. For your furniture, go for deep colors so as to give them additional visual weight and make them seem larger than they actually are.

large living room with dark colors designed by lori morris
Interior design by Lori Morris (Photo by Brandon Barre)

Final Words

The ideas above will help you make the best of your large living room, or to make an awkwardly-shaped room appear more connected and functional. Their inspiration will ease your furnishing challenges and leave your oversized living room looking great, warm, welcoming, and cozy!

Feature Image: 2nd Floor Salon Design by Ally Coulter Designs for Holiday House NYC 2019 Photo by Alan Barry Photography