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London living room ideas


61 stylish living room ideas to copy now | House & Garden

There are so many elements involved in decorating a living room and it's a room that we spend a lot of our time in so you want to get it right. To make it more complicated, you need to consider the fact that you'll spend time in a living room at various points of the day, so it needs to work as well at midday as it will with the curtains drawn and candles lit. Starting with the bones of the room, there are paint colours and flooring to decide on, which will set the tone of the space. We love the distinguished feel of wooden flooring, preferably with some rugs layered on top for softness. Consider putting in some joinery and bookcases that can help you make the most of the room's height and provide valuable storage. If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace, make it a focal point, arranging your sofas and chairs to face it, and decorating the mantelpiece with pictures and ornaments.

How do you design a living room?

You should start with the space itself and map out where all your big furniture could go – so your sofa, any armchairs and freestanding bookshelves for example. Certain things are easy, such as an ottoman or coffee table will go in front of a sofa or in between two facing each other, but others depend entirely on the space you have. Once you have that in your mind, consider the light the living room receives and that will help you choose the paint colours. For how that might influence your decision, you can read Joa Studholme's guide in our gallery of Farrow & Ball paint colours in real homes. When you've mapped your key bits of furniture and chosen the paint colours, that's when you can add in the flourishes to make it cosy and choose cushions, a rug, storage and so on to fill the space out.

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How to choose your living room furniture

At that point, it's time to consider how to choose your living room furniture, taking into account how you use the space, what kind of sofa you prefer, how many armchairs you can fit in, whether you need a sofa bed, and the importance of a coffee table or ottoman, and of course side tables to put a drink on. The right furniture can make a huge difference to the feeling of a room. Consider the scale of it - you don't want tiny furniture drowning in a huge room, although small living rooms can often benefit from some oversized furniture. In an open plan living room-cum-kitchen, furniture can be essential for breaking up the space; a sofa with its back turned to the dining table is a handy way of differentiating between the living space and the dining space. And consider how you use your furniture before you make the final decision - do you prefer to lounge on a squashy sofa or is this a more formal room where you'd prefer to sit upright?

How to accessorise a living room

Finally you can get to the really fun bits, the textiles and accessories. The size and shape of your window might dictate your choices when it comes to curtains and blinds, but there's a huge variety out there to choose from. Perhaps you like simple, elegant curtains in heavy linen or wool, or something brighter and chintzier for a more eye-catching feel. In a small room, you may well prefer to stick to blinds, but think about getting them in a fun pattern so that they become a decorative feature. Almost every living room will be in need of a good rug, whether you opt for rustic sisal, a modern Berber rug or a traditional Turkish carpet. And then what’s a sofa without some beautiful cushions? They’re essential for adding colour and pattern to a room.

The art of the living room

Turning our attention back to the walls, the final thing you’ll need is some art, so don't miss our shopping guide to affordable art, as well as our advice on how to start a collection. And once you’ve assembled it all, find out the best ways to hang your pictures on the walls, with helpful tips for gallery walls, statement art and everything in between.

If you’re in need of inspiration, we’ve gathered the best living room designs and lounge ideas from the House & Garden archive here to help with your decoration, from country houses to studio flats and London townhouses.

How Alice Palmer turned her creative hand to every corner of her joyful London house

Alice Palmer is a woman of considerable confidence. Undertakings that might make other people blanch, such as designing an extension for her house with no help from an architect, or setting up a homewares business from scratch as a one-man band, she breezes through with no apparent hesitation. Her house in north-west London, where she lives with her husband and three children, is a showcase for these plucky projects, a joyful, colourful space decked out in her distinctive designs.

Alice and her family bought the 1930s terrace five years ago, in the full knowledge that they had a project on their hands. The previous owner had embarked on a renovation and gutted the interiors, but it had stalled when they ran out of money. But there were plenty of advantages to work with. “I love the proportions of these 1930s houses,” says Alice. “You always think you want a Victorian house but actually the houses of this period are more generous; they have wider rooms and seem to be filled with light. ”

As in most terraced houses, there were obvious directions to go in; the back of the house was ripe for a kitchen extension, and the loft could be developed to create a generous space for a master bedroom and bathroom. Alice had a certain level of confidence in renovations, having already undertaken a loft conversion at their previous flat in North Kensington, but it’s still rather remarkable that she decided to design everything herself and see it through with the builders, while she was pregnant with her first child, no less. “I wanted the flexibility of being able to make the decisions myself,” she explains. “We worked with an architect on our flat, and it would annoy me when they made decisions that we didn’t know about. With this house it was just me and the builder working it all out onsite.”

Although the essentials of the structural rearrangement – the rear extension and the loft conversion – were fairly typical, Alice was determined that the house wouldn’t end up looking just like everybody else’s. Eschewing the ubiquitous Crittall doors in her kitchen, she designed elegant wooden sash windows and french doors to open onto the garden. In her bedroom, she wanted floor to ceiling windows looking over the garden, but avoided the usual french doors and juliet balcony with a glorious expanse of paned windows.

If you needed any further convincing of Alice’s intrepidity, her next project was to set up a business during lockdown, when she was pregnant with her third child. Fuelled by frustration in finding the kind of lampshades she wanted, she simply set about making her own. “I had been obsessed with decoration for a long time, but I had no experience whatsoever,” she says cheerfully. Nonetheless, her bold striped shades with their informal pleats and frills have become an instant hit, immediately recognisable in stylish homes everywhere. “When people started actually buying them, I wasn’t really prepared,” she admits. Later on in 2020, therefore, she hired a seamstress, and has since expanded into cushions and valances, alongside a selection of Moroccan lamp bases and rugs. The red and white stripes that are her signature have been joined by embroidered fabrics and block-printed patterns, which work together to form a fresh and playful style.

Alice’s buoyant aesthetic and brisk approach to DIY are evident throughout the house. There are elements of the English country house style at work of course, but joined by plenty of vibrant inspiration from travels in Morocco, India and the Caribbean, a good deal of inherited and vintage furniture, and some stylish new purchases such as the striking BGFG wall hanging in the sitting room. A palette of yellow, green and terracotta pink prevails, with plenty of bold stripes in her own lampshades and cushions, which create a recurring theme throughout the house. She is enthusiastic with a paintbrush, lime-washing the ceiling of her kitchen to match the characterful raw plaster walls, painting patterns on her children’s walls, and adding colour in every possible context, from woodwork to ceilings. “I think it’s madness that everyone is expected to have white ceilings,” she remarks. “Using colour there can actually make rooms feel bigger, although everyone says the opposite.”

Alice’s favourite things in the house are all handmade, and include splatterware tiles in her bathroom, which she made when she couldn’t find the exact earthy look she wanted, and the graceful canopy over her bed, which she made with a friend, stapling the fabric onto a simple wooden frame. Her hand-block-printed textiles make appearances throughout, from the sofa in the sitting room to the valances on the beds. Designing everything yourself is certainly one way to make a house feel unique and coherent – if only we could all do the same.

alicepalmer.co

Elegant London apartment interior with contemporary décor

London apartment interior

London apartment interior is presented in Bohemian style. Today, the trend towards studio apartments is popular. However, creating a comfortable multifunctional space is not an easy task. This beautiful two-story studio in London's Notting Hill combines simple style with luxurious details.

Originally it was two apartments combined into one for a family of four. The space is kept elegant with original details such as fireplaces and plaster mouldings. The previous owners removed many of the original structures. For example, Victorian-style ceiling medallions and skirting boards are a designer's invention. nine0003

Stunning arched window frames and architraves were part of the former architecture. The two apartments were connected by a modern staircase with a glass balustrade, designed by a Belgian company. A staircase of this design does not take up much space.

Two-storey apartment in London

In order for the kitchen not to take up much space, it was divided into parts. It is made in cool gray with minimal finishes. In addition, the kitchen area fits perfectly into the interior of the room. The couple is not disposed to cook and often dine out. There is a laundry and dishwasher in a separate room. nine0003

Unusual interior of a London apartment

The space between the dining room and the living room seems to have always been here, but it was also created by the designer. If necessary, the dining room and living room can be separated by sliding doors. An orange lamp adds a retro chic to the design.

The interior of the apartment from different angles

The owners of the house chose interesting decor items: a 1950s marble table bought at a flea market in Paris and classic metal chairs from the Tolix cafe. nine0003

Unusual apartment interior

A large window floods the whole house with light. The color of the floor, walnut, was chosen for its timeless style.

The mirror opposite the dining room reflects the hearth of the fireplace. The interior of this apartment has a small functional wardrobe built into the wall, on which the owner's books look lovely.

Unusual design

Shabby furniture gives the apartment a touch of Parisian charm. Bookcase recesses were originally used for doorways. The color of the cabinets matches the color of the woodwork throughout the apartment. nine0003

White kitchen worktop matches white walls

Transparent backsplashes are so simple that they help the kitchen take a backseat.

View of the stairs from the dining room

The walnut color of the stairs matches the color of the parquet

The facade of the house

The design of the London apartment is so laconic that it resembles Scandinavian style, but the unusual decor gives it elegance and glamorous chic. Did you like this interior design?

Categories: Interior of apartments in England
Places: Large windows in the interior of the rooms • Fireplace • Stairs • Decor items • light design

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English style in a new way: an apartment in London

Apartments

Living room. Talisman and Bowl Sconces wall lights, Apparatus Studio.

photo
Nikolai Biryukov

Object parameters

Cloud chandelier, Apparatus Studio. Curtains, Dedar. Sofa, Meridiani. Stools Dot, Reda Amalou Design. Pink onyx coffee table, Baxter. Coffee table in Saarinen white marble. nine0003

Photo
Nikolai Biryukov

This apartment is located in a respectable nineteenth-century residential building in Belgravia. Over the years, the interior lost its luster and much of its original features until the current owners of the apartment took it upon themselves to bring it back to life. Thinking about how to tastefully combine modernity and antiquity, the owners commissioned designer Daria Zharova to restore the historic decoration, while creating a modern atmosphere. The owners themselves travel between world capitals, so it is important for them to have a place where they can equally easily relax in silence and throw a noisy party. nine0003

Dining table and chairs, Christophe Delcourt. Kitchen, Molteni.

Photo
Nikolay Biryukov
Photo
Nikolay Biryukov

Functionality and rational use of space have become one of the priorities. The layout of the apartment was completely changed: the kitchen and living room were combined, which made it possible to make a second bedroom and a guest toilet.

Vase, The Conran shop. Pink onyx coffee table, Baxter. nine0003

Photo
Nikolai Biryukov

The designer opted for muted tones for the finishes, emphasizing layered textures and sumptuous materials, in keeping with the understated sophistication of West London. The parquet floors were replaced, the marble fireplace was recreated and the Regency-inspired ceiling moldings were elaborately designed. Far from classic, the Cloud chandelier from Apparatus Studio creates the necessary contrast with traditional details. The minimalistic kitchen hides its functional purpose behind laconic facades and does not distract attention from the modern living room furnishings. A comfortable sofa is complemented by playful stools and various tables. A mirror with a graphic effect above the fireplace is reminiscent of abstract painting. The dining table and chairs by Christophe Delcourt form a distinctive sculptural group. nine0003

Master bedroom. The bed is made to order. Armchair Pacha, Gubi. Coffee table Off the Moon 3, Maison Dada.

Photo
Nikolay Biryukov

Bedside table Amphora, B&B Italia. Chandelier and wall lights, Michael Anastassiades.

Photo
Nikolay Biryukov

Bathroom. Faucet, Gessi. Wall cabinet, Karol.

Photo
Nikolai Biryukov

The master bedroom is decorated with warmer shades that create a cozy enveloping atmosphere. This effect is enhanced by the soft texture and rounded lines of the Pacha chair by Gubi, located in the bay window. nine0003

Guest bedroom. The bed is made to order. Lamps Filo, Foscarini.

Photo
Nikolay Biryukov

Bathroom. Faucet, Gessi. Toilet, Cielo. Wall cabinet, Karol.

Photo
Nikolai Biryukov

Apartment in London.

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