If the phrase &ldquo;personal style&rdquo; can teach us anything, it&rsquo;s that style is &mdash; well &mdash; personal. So decorating a living room in your personal style should be as simple as picking out things you love and putting them together. And yet somehow, it isn&rsquo;t.
That&rsquo;s why so many of us have had this experience: You go to the store. You find a piece of home decor you love. You buy it. You bring it home. You hate it. It looked amazing in the store, but somehow it clashes with everything you own.
If this has happened to you, you can learn how to decorate a living room with a few simple interior design tips. These principles will help you create a cohesive living room decor style from your personal style.
<h2 dir="ltr">How to decorate a living room</h2>
These living room decorating ideas go beyond which sofa you should buy to help you understand how to decorate a living room that&rsquo;s functional and inviting.
<h3 dir="ltr">1. Consider what you&rsquo;ll use it for</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Living-Room-Sets/Glenn-Sofa-Set/511091-S3"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfmWXd7Q7THiYm_w-IZXBSjtwCMhC9WdC05_XPruCbLdlmucHhOM6bHl4aUQiJUNUwalliTLm5N3V7Y07zUyypeMWh7T8-yqOHf3scxZRUwyKiNEQtoM3bkXfubEc7qa5lhOUji?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="499"></a>
Creating a beautiful living room isn&rsquo;t like creating a beautiful piece of art. Art only has to do one thing: Look beautiful. Your living room has to do so much more. It has to be comfortable, personal, inviting, and most of all, functional.
Functional design is the best design. So before you commit to a decorating idea, think about how you&rsquo;ll use your living space. Then brainstorm must-haves that will make the space function better for that purpose.
Here are examples of design choices that can make the living room more functional for different purposes:
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Hosting and conversation: Add plenty of seating by combining a <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Sofas?PId=MTE%3D&amp;CId=MTAyMQ%3D%3D">sofa</a> or <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Sectionals?PId=MTE%3D&amp;CId=MzMw">sectional</a> with <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Chairs-%26-Seating?PId=MTE%3D&amp;CId=MTI2Nw%3D%3D">accent chairs</a>. Then ensure your seats aren&rsquo;t too far apart to hear each other comfortably.
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Watching TV: Arrange your seating area so the TV is a focal point and is visible from all or most spots. Choose a low <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/TV-Stands-%26-Media-Storage?PId=MTE%3D&amp;CId=MTMxMQ%3D%3D">TV stand</a> or hang your TV so that the upper third of the screen is at eye level when you&rsquo;re sitting to make it more ergonomic.
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Drinking and snacking: Place a table within reach of all or most seats so everyone can enjoy a beverage and snacks while they use the living room. Add <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Coffee-Tables-%26-End-Tables?PId=MTE%3D&amp;CId=MTI3Nw%3D%3D">side tables</a> next to seats that are further from the coffee table.
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Reading and other hobbies: Use <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/storage-furniture">storage furniture</a>, like a <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Bookcases?PId=MTI%3D&amp;CId=Mzc0">bookcase</a> or <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Cabinets-%26-Consoles?PId=MTE%3D&amp;CId=MTM4Mg%3D%3D">cabinet</a>, to organize supplies for hobbies you plan to do in the living room. Incorporate a variety of lighting, like table lamps and floor lamps, so you can comfortably read and do other tasks.
</li>
</ul>
In a smaller home, the living area may need to serve more purposes than in homes with a separate den, basement, or bonus room. So if your living room will also be your playroom, yoga room, and craft room, think about how you can fit the supplies for all these activities without the space becoming cluttered.
In a small living room, you may need to prioritize additional storage furniture, like bookshelves, hutches, and storage ottomans. In a larger space, you could section off separate areas of the room for separate purposes.
<h3 dir="ltr">2. Block off the space</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Living-Room-Sets/Apperson-Sofa-Set/508681-S3"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcQfBz8INtPBYc0KY17yB2_q3CMPjPmPz1RB4VvHJx_5yaouxfTZaGinpN2UPcdbItfDFjaJ6sUEWSMtbXEenqmYTCZfoqOBk_feI2kRnhXUoq0gf0J_GLWVYQ6laAsCH6MSxwhJg?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="499"></a>
Now that you&rsquo;ve considered how you&rsquo;ll use the space and which pieces of furniture you need, you can start planning your layout. Our favorite way to do this is to use painter&rsquo;s tape to block off the place where you want to put each furniture piece.
This technique allows you to experiment with different layouts, picture different-sized pieces in the room, figure out where your passageways will be, and practice walking around your would-be furniture.
If the possibilities feel endless, use these tips to pick the best layout for your space:
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Take the furniture off the walls: Not every piece of furniture needs to be pushed up against a wall. If you have a small space, keeping your furniture against the walls may be the best layout. But in larger rooms, leaving space between the sofa and walls can make your living room feel more open and bring the seating closer together for easier conversation.
</li>
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Don&rsquo;t block the windows: Natural light makes spaces beautiful, so you want to let in as much as possible. Don&rsquo;t place furniture up against a window if it&rsquo;s going to block part of it. Instead, choose low furniture or leave some open space between the window and the piece. Also, choose draperies or window treatments that block as little of the window as possible when opened.
</li>
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Keep passageways wide: You don&rsquo;t want to feel like you have to squeeze between two pieces of furniture to get around. Ideally, passageways to move through the room and around furniture should be at least two and a half feet wide. If you have the space for three-foot passageways, that&rsquo;s even better.
</li>
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Section off larger spaces: If you have an <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/open-concept-living-room">open-concept living room</a> or a <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/long-living-room-ideas">long living room</a>, you can mentally divide the space into two or three sections. For example, you might have a living area, dining room, and reading nook in one space. You can use area rugs or furniture to visually divide the space.
</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">3. Measure everything</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Sectionals/Emberson-Modular-Sectional-Sofa/508851-SET"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdtgyhgOdBsXIuWjPN_-IsMBX4MFk-9JtdxYB20D-pyNs_WxkdT8AYMf16autkAdxDD4K4Fd3IVSG_zhivZ8Gb7BnwLTa70UKQCk1gwcBN22nlyiVz__pjV4qDg0s6sI0Nir7M4Nw?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="391"></a>
If you buy furniture that&rsquo;s too big for your space, it will make your living room look cramped. But if you buy furniture that&rsquo;s too small, your living room will look empty.
Finding the right size furniture pieces is key to creating an aesthetically pleasing living room design. So once you&rsquo;ve blocked off where you want your furniture to go, measure that space. Then measure again.
To make shopping easier, come up with a maximum size and a minimum size that a piece can be to fit in the space. These numbers will likely be within a few inches of each other, but even a few inches&rsquo; range can make it easier to find a piece that works.
For example, you might determine that you need a sofa between 90 and 105 inches. This range will give you access to a variety of longer sofas and smaller sectionals.
When you&rsquo;re buying furniture that you&rsquo;re going to style in relation to another piece of furniture &mdash; for example, a TV and TV stand or a sofa and coffee table &mdash; use <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.homesandgardens.com/advice/the-golden-ratio">the golden ratio</a>. This interior design principle says that items look proportional when the smaller one is roughly two-thirds the size of the bigger one.
So your TV should be two-thirds the size of your TV stand. Your coffee table should be two-thirds the size of your sofa or sectional, and your wall decor &mdash; whether it&rsquo;s a gallery wall or a single piece of art &mdash; should cover two-thirds the wall space of whichever piece of furniture it hangs above.
<h3 dir="ltr">4. Choose a color scheme</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Living-Room-Sets/Jade-Sofa-Set/509131-S2"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcvJ0aY02NRULTcElO6_lephIOqK_8EqQEurnusU69glDBqFpjTcz3i8F9iET4lsGi5fGyq6M8-KnzMrMTUk49mbr59wsL1ThTlZhzxUJx8YuhJk6oL4cv5r03qNzP1vL_apYAQ?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="391"></a>
A consistent color palette that repeats throughout the room will make your space feel cohesive. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if you want minimalist white walls and earth tones, a single paint color to <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/color-drenching-101">color-drench</a> the room, or an eye-catching multi-tonal design, as long as you have a plan before you start your living room makeover.
If you&rsquo;re not sure which colors you want to use, try one of our favorite techniques for picking a color palette:
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Check your wardrobe: The colors you like to wear are also good colors to use in your home decor. You&rsquo;ll be seen standing next to your living room wall or sitting on your sofa regularly. Choosing colors that look good on you will make you feel your best in your home.
</li>
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Start with a statement piece: Choose a single piece of living room decor that you love &mdash; like a piece of wall art, an area rug, or a throw pillow with a beautiful print. Then use the colors in that piece as your color palette. Look for other decorative items and furniture pieces that match at least one of the colors in that print.
</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">5. Choose a design style</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Sectionals/Toscano-Sectional-Sofa/504075"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXe8FksZDeeCECIZ9kI0IdtokItmSAjGGzhAG64eOM9C6bMKgMgL-EYB0hrkgJ6l7pZ9OW7ihG5tjG7JE8QdwIX-_RhdOfugJkz66O4vL4GxBxyoRXRW9jx2ownU_EA00qucBGVQFQ?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="391"></a>
There are hundreds of interior design styles, with more being invented every day. (<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/dark-academia-design-trend">Dark academia</a>,<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.bhg.com/decorating/lessons/expert-advice/grandmillennial-style/"> grandmillenial</a>, and<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/a63250266/dopamine-decor-trend/"> dopamine home design</a> are just a few of the new styles popularized on social media.) And since we&rsquo;re all multi-faceted human beings, there&rsquo;s bound to be more than one interior design style that appeals to each of us.
But choosing one style will make your space more cohesive. After all, even <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/eclectic-interior-design">eclectic interior design</a> has rules. It will also streamline your shopping experience because you&rsquo;ll be able to quickly rule out pieces that don&rsquo;t match the rest of the room.
So take some time to explore the principles of a few of our favorite home design styles, and decide which one resonates with you, such as:
<ul>
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<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/transitional-decor">Transitional</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/glam-living-room-ideas">Glamorous</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/hollywood-regency">Hollywood Regency</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/french-country-style">French country</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/mid-century-modern-living-room-decor-on-a-budget">Mid-century modern</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr">6. Create a lighting layout</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Sectionals/Atlantic-Modular-Sectional-Sofa/551821-SET"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfyNnzBftfBgMOAeIvoJahyojAnBELKzEYpBYyYP6Yr37TSwxwfvOM17_pMCd2oznacV_bKR7NMc2EKeOPe0qdp9aOyatcjdEUzXpMPMQQVm_4C91b_jv2L4HQxm-BR8kEODfOwpA?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="441"></a>
Your lighting sets the tone for your living room design.<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.lumens.com/the-edit/the-guides/the-fundamentals-of-light-layering/"> Layering your lighting</a> will add depth to your design and make your space feel warm, cozy, and inviting.
To do it, place lights at different heights around your room. For example, you might have built-in recessed lighting. To that, you can add a chandelier or another overhead light fixture. You can pair that with wall sconces or <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Lamps?PId=MTE5OQ%3D%3D&amp;CId=MTM5MQ%3D%3D">table lamps and floor lamps</a>. This gives you a combination of task lights that you can use to read or work and ambient lights that make the space feel warm and glowy.
Aim to make all of your lights the same color temperature by buying all warm-white or all soft-white bulbs, for example. But make them different intensities with some 40-watt equivalent bulbs and some 60-watt equivalent bulbs. This will give you the most control over your lighting, allowing you to turn different light fixtures on and off to change the mood of the room.
<h3 dir="ltr">7. Add something for all the senses</h3>
<a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://coasterfurniture.com/furniture/category/Sofas/Winchester-Extra-Long-Sofa/503997"><img alt="How to decorate a living room from start to finish" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdUnTdETDJ-Mwgz1S5e9Qs_wp8tHJTXbv4xJCCMgqHF6E6DRAkXnqorWndN4LJgpFl8l1emJRo44k6D1FdqQREIjfN1C1LdLFg5QIJJPrkYtfcfjZ9zIxMvt9TgQVg5HySXuZhkzA?key=x226lf5c0pd97UNE0JlOM8lp" width="624" height="771"></a>
Most people think of decorating a living room as a visual art form &mdash; you&rsquo;re making the room look nice. But the best design incorporates elements that appeal to all of the senses. This makes you want to immerse yourself in the room.
There is plenty of opportunity to appeal to touch in your living room design. Incorporate a variety of textiles, soft upholstery, and plush throw pillows to make the space more interesting and inviting.
Appeal to your sense of smell with a scented candle, diffuser, or room spray. And if you&rsquo;re in a townhouse or condo where you share a wall with the homeowners next door (or maybe your living room shares a wall with your family room or playroom), you can add acoustic wall paneling to absorb unwanted sound and improve your TV&rsquo;s sound quality.
<h2 dir="ltr">Add life to your living room</h2>
Good living room design ideas make your space more functional, comfortable, and inviting. But they should also make your space feel like you.
So put your personality into your home design by making room for your hobbies, incorporating your favorite colors, choosing a design style you love, and adding your own finishing touches.
Now that you understand how to decorate a living room using time-honored interior design principles, you can create a cohesive look from the things you love.
After you&rsquo;ve measured your room, <a alt="Go to How to decorate a living room from start to finish" href="https://www.coasterfurniture.com/DealerLocator/DealerLocation">head to your local Coaster Furniture retailer</a> to find pieces that are the perfect fit.

How to decorate a living room from start to finish

March 19, 2025

Discover how to decorate a living room. Follow seven essential steps to create a stylish and functional layout that has a cohesive look.

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7 luxury master bathroom ideas to create a spa experience at home

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7 luxury master bathroom ideas to create a spa experience at home

7 minimalist bedroom ideas for a calm, clutter-free space

How to decorate a living room from start to finish

March 19, 2025