Living Room Designs I Love

I’m working on updating two living room designs in our home right now—the peach room and the basement. Inspiring rooms from other designers are informing my design decisions in these two spaces.

Today I’m sharing seven of the living room designs I’m particularly drawn to and exactly what I love about each one.

I do think it’s important to note that what photographs well isn’t always what’s most livable. I’ve participated in enough photo shoots to know that when the spaces shown here were being photographed, it’s likely that the layouts and styling details changed to an extent. This caveat is helpful to keep in mind, especially when viewing expertly-designed spaces like these. However, I think there’s still a lot to learn and take away from these living room designs. I hope you enjoy browsing through them!

Hugo Toro (shown above)

Gorgeous architectural details aside, it’s the balance of restraint and unexpected drops of color that make this space feel elegant and casual all at the same time.

Jason Arnold Interiors

It’s clear that every detail in this room was intentionally considered—the slightly oversized artwork, the playfulness with height, and the relaxed nature of the layout. It’s not one thing that makes this room magic—it’s all of the things together.

Katarina Rulinskaya

This is my favorite living room of 2022. To me, it feels so inviting—like you could comfortably flop down on that sofa and lounge—while also being very elevated and chic. The particular magic of this room lies in the mix of old and new styles, along with the presence of blank space that allows the architectural details to sing. This design is my north star when it comes to designing the rest of our house.

Billy Cotton

I love that this room feels classic but not in a cookie-cutter way. It’s done with a very intentional level of restraint. I love the strong, feminine ruffle on the two chairs, particularly given its placement alongside the simple nature of the rest of the design elements. I love the scale of the rug pattern and I really enjoy how the gallery wall defines the seating area. Additionally, the huge, gorgeous greenery arrangement is amazing; it’s simple yet impactful in the very best way.

Danielle Frankel Studio | Design: Augusta Hoffman

This living room design is my second favorite (even though *technically* it’s a designer’s studio). The design showcases the importance of scale when it comes to selecting pieces for a space; the scale of the furniture pieces, light fixture, and large potted plant all work so well together. While the layout itself is not all that practical, it’s making me rethink my preference for traditional seating arrangements. I’ve never been someone who loves furniture arranged at an angle but this has me reconsidering everything.

Peter Muller

This living room represents open-concept living at its best. I love that while this is a truly modern space, it’s grounded in a very traditional rich red rug. These kinds of traditional design elements often fade into the background but here, the rug is the anchor for the entire living space. The design scheme of the entire home is something I would love to do someday in a similar way—perhaps in the future modern cabin of my dreams.

Sara Ruffin Costello

Photo by Paul Costello for The New York Times Style Magazine

What I love most about this room is that it turns formality on its head. A ping-pong table in a formal room? Sure, why not. This room reminds me that play can have a role anywhere and be beautiful at the same time. While this is technically the dining room of the home, its furnishings are reminiscent of a living room so it gets a spot here on this list.