You’re looking at your empty living room. You want a room beautifully decorated with chic living room decor in the end, but you’re not sure how to get there. It’s a blank slate so filled with possibilities that you don’t know where to start!

Don’t worry, decorating your home may seem like a daunting task, but injecting your personality into each room can be a great deal of fun.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the endless living room decor options, you’re in the right place! Read on to learn a few tips that will help you bring your design goals to life.

1. Concentrate on Conversation

For those working with a smaller space, this shouldn’t be an issue. But if you have a large living room, putting the furniture too far apart can make conversation difficult. And what’s a living room if not a place to sit and talk with family and friends?

To avoid shouting across the room at each other, your seating should be no more than 8 feet apart. Meaning if you’re using the classic U-shape arrangement, each seat should be about 4 feet from the center.

2. Choose Practical Materials

When you’re trying to create a chic space, you may be tempted to disregard practicality. But in order to be able to use your furniture for years to come, you’ll need to choose pieces made of practical fabrics.

Mid-tone fabric is a great choice, as colors in this range are less likely to show stains and wear. Leather is also easy to clean, however, it’s prone to scratches.

It all comes down to how you use your living room. If you have children and pets, that white sofa might not be a good idea, no matter how beautiful it looks in the store.

3. Bring in a Mixture of Textures

To give your decor a professional flair, add a mix of textures to the room. There should be a mix of cozy fabrics and hard textures to contrast. This means bringing in cotton, leather, and wool as well as metal, glass, wood, and stone.

It’s also important to add a houseplant or two. Not only will it give you an additional texture, but it will also give the room a finished look. Houseplants also give your health a boost, which is a great bonus!

4. Balance Your Colors

Filling your living room with all white furniture can give it a high-end appearance, but it will likely also make the room feel sterile and unapproachable. Alternatively, a room filled with dark furniture will often make the room too dark.

Instead, mix light and dark pieces to balance out the room and give your design depth. Every room should include a bit of both white and black, but in moderation.

5. Vary Your Upholstery

While many Victorian living rooms include perfectly matching sets of furniture, this isn’t the best route to take if you’re going for chic but cozy. To make your living room more welcoming, don’t be afraid to mix and match upholstery from different sets!

You can even achieve this look without going too wild with your patterns. Simply put leather chairs with your fabric couch. You’ll be mixing fabrics and textures!

6. Contrast is Key

When choosing your other colors, particularly if you’re going with neutral tones, you want to be sure you’re picking contrasting pieces.

For example, if you have white walls, make your palette feel rich by adding leather, a light fabric, a metallic feature or two, and a splash of color. All of these materials contrast and therefore highlight each other.

7. Use Lightweight Tables and Ottomans

One of the best things you can do to make your living room comfortable is to ensure your tables and ottomans are lightweight.

This may sound strange, but it will allow you and your guests to move them as needed. You never want someone to have to walk across the room to set their drink down! If your main coffee table is rather heavy, consider adding a few footstools to allow movement.

8. Give the Room a Pop of Color

When you think “pop of color,” don’t feel like you have to buy the brightest pillow or wall art you can find. If you’re a fan of vibrant colors, go for it!

However, if you’re going for a more subdued look, you can add a soft color here and there. It doesn’t take much to make your living room feel relaxed and welcoming.

Not sure what color to choose? Consider going with blue! Blue goes well with any warm elements and will work with virtually any other color.

9. Add an Area Rug

Whether you have carpeting or hard flooring, an area rug is a must in your living room. A patterned rug will add energy to the room while anchoring your seating area and minimizing the appearance of any future stains.

If you do have carpeting, try a rug with a higher pile than that on the floor to create contrast and warmth.

Use These Chic Living Room Decor Tips to Create a Stunning Space

The most important thing when designing your living room is your personal taste! Use these chic living room decor tips to take your design up a notch, but at the end of the day, you should always pick pieces that speak to you.

Remember, when browsing for furniture and decor, try to mix patterns, textures, and colors. And don’t take the process too seriously! Your living room should a place where you and your family and friends have fun.

Looking for more design tips to make your home look even more beautiful? Be sure to check out our website.