100 best ideas for a living room in a modern style
The living room in a modern style is a comfortable, beautiful and incredibly functional room. The advantage of modern styling is that without strict canons and representing a mix of various stylistic concepts of interior design, it is able to satisfy the imagination and idea of the comfortable aesthetics of the owners with any wallet size and living room configuration. Each owner of an apartment or a private house can find his “golden mean” in the design of a living space. The main thing is to develop a detailed plan for creating the design of the room, and for this you need to clearly understand what kind of room for the whole family and receiving guests you want to get in the end.
Signs of modern style in the design of the living room
The modern style is multifaceted and plastic - there are no strict rules in the design of premises, there are only recommendations and useful tips on creating a harmonious and functional interior. Modern style has absorbed the motives of such areas as high-tech, avant-garde, minimalism, modern, loft and eclecticism. To one degree or another, the concepts of these interior design styles influence the formation of modern design.
How much your living room should be minimalist, eclectic or industrial is up to you, but there are several signs of a modern style in the design of living spaces:
- light and space are the main “actors” in the formation of modern design (large windows, wide doorways, the use of an open plan and minimal design of window openings with textiles - all for the unhindered distribution of natural light);
- all interior items are functional, easy to handle and care;
- furniture items are most often executed in a concise, convenient and even somewhat straightforward manner - simple and clear forms, strict lines;
- neutral colors and shades are most often chosen as color solutions, bright spots are used as accents;
- high-tech materials are used for decoration, minimizing the process of caring for them;
- the combination of finishing materials and methods of surface decoration leads to the creation of a unique design even with the most neutral color and texture solutions;
- modern technology is easily combined with traditional furniture solutions and organically fits into the overall picture of the room;
- the decor has a minimal role and yet modern style cannot be attributed to the supporter of pure minimalism - paintings and photos as wall decor, indoor plants, decorative pillows on upholstered furniture are used as a functional decor.
Color palette for a modern living room
Behind the seemingly simple and concise modern design hides painstaking work, a careful selection of each component. And the first point on drawing up a picture of the design of the living room is the choice of a color palette. The room where the whole family will gather for evening gatherings, guests will be hosted and parties arranged should be comfortable from the point of view of visual perception. An elaborate print, bright colors, a colorful ornament - not everyone will like such solutions for the design of a common room. But this does not mean that only pastel, neutral tones are suitable for the design of the living room design. Bright accents are necessary for any room, and interiors have been compiled on contrasting combinations for many decades.
The following factors will influence the choice of color palette for your living room:
- the location of the room in relation to the cardinal points (a room located on the north side of the building should be decorated in warm, beige colors, for emphasis use orange, terracotta, chocolate shades, for the southern room you can apply “cool” colors - gray, bluish shades);
- the size and shape of the room, as well as the number and scale of window openings - the more spacious and lighter the room, the more dark and bright colors can be used to design it;
- the presence of other functional segments in the room - often the living room shares the space with the kitchen and dining room, sometimes with an office or workshop.
Light shades are always relevant
White can rightfully be considered the “king” in the design of modern rooms and the living room was no exception. There are too many advantages of using white tones as the basis for finishing - a visual expansion of the space, an ideal background for any furniture and wall decor, ease of combination with other color schemes of the interior.
All shades of gray are relevant for the modern style of living room decoration. For modest premises, light gray and silver tones are most popular. They are perfectly combined with dark spots of technology, snow-white surfaces of the ceiling (and sometimes walls) and flooring “under the tree” of light rocks.
Contrast combinations to form a modern interior
The use of contrasting combinations to create a dynamic and original interior is as old as the world. Modern design easily takes over many years of traditions, based on which the most optimal combinatorics option is a combination of shades of white and black. Moreover, the intermediate, gray tone is incredibly popular in the design projects of our days.
No less effective can be achieved by combining the colors of a warm palette - dark chocolate shades with light beige. For rooms located on the north side of the building, such color schemes can be the best design option and create a warm, cozy atmosphere of the living room.
Add brightness to the modern living room
Not everyone likes bright rooms, the use of exclusively pastel shades to create decoration and choice of living room furniture. This is especially true for owners of apartments located in the industrial part of the city. The grayness of the surrounding landscape depresses, in my home I want to see bright, colorful decisions. But in this case, it is important not to overdo it, so as not to get the opposite effect - an overdose of variegated surfaces or too active use of color, which can disrupt the relaxing atmosphere of the room, its harmonious image.
A bright color spot in a modern living room, decorated in neutral colors, can be any piece of furniture. For example, the colorful upholstery of a sofa or a pair of armchairs will bring not only color diversity to the image of the room, but also create an accent so much necessary for our eyes around which you can build the rest of the interior.
A colorful accent in a bright living room can be textiles - as a drapery of windows (if any), covers of sofa cushions. No less effect can be achieved by using a carpet of bright shade. But against the background of light finishes and furniture, executed in neutral colors, not even the brightest shades look spectacular, contrasting.
Decorated in a contemporary style living room
Ceiling
Any of the traditional methods of decorating the ceiling is also suitable for modern styling. Perhaps, only gluing the ceiling surfaces with wallpaper gradually fades into the background.Painting a perfectly even plane in a snow-white tone will always be relevant, the use of suspended structures, including with built-in lamps (and sometimes a ventilation system), stretch ceilings and the use of ceiling tiles - all these finishing methods have a chance to be considered in a modern design. The choice of finishing material will largely depend on the state of the ceiling (is it necessary to level and bring the surface to a perfectly smooth state) and your financial capabilities.
Multilevel suspended structures with built-in lighting do not lose their popularity. Their design has become simpler, laconic, but the basic concept has not changed - the creation of not only practical, but also a beautiful ceiling with functional lighting is becoming a priority for the modern interior.
Not every room can afford ceiling decoration with wood panels. The room should be spacious enough, well-lit and, of course, have a sufficient ceiling height so that the created "wooden" finish does not visually press on those present in the room. For such a finish, you can hide not only uneven surfaces and level differences, but also the wires of the lighting system and, possibly, ventilation.
No less than the height of the ceiling is required to decorate its surface with wooden ceiling beams. Very often, such elements of the interior are the only part of the image of the living room, made not only of natural material, but even in some rustic style - the beams look as if they were practically not processed. The natural warmth of the wood elements of the ceiling decor adds variety to the interior, and the urban image of the room becomes a little closer to nature.
Walls
The walls in a modern living room are typically light, neutral surfaces. Textured materials can also be used, but only in spacious rooms. Printed wallpapers are practically not used, in rare cases as an accent wall finish. Most often, vertical surfaces are painted, finished with decorative plaster or liquid wallpaper. No less popular are wall panels that can simulate various types of materials. Textured or 3D panels are most often used dosed, as an accent surface finish, to highlight a particular functional segment within the living room.
Wall tiles imitating masonry or brickwork are often used in modern living room design projects to create not only a color, but also a textured accent. Against the background of light design of the remaining surfaces, this method of decoration looks spectacular, acts as a contrast even when using soft, neutral tones. A similar decoration material can be used to decorate the space around the fireplace.
Equally popular is wall panels made of wood or its spectacular imitation. The natural pattern of wood brings warmth and comfort to the atmosphere of the room. It is convenient to use such a finish for masking the built-in storage systems in the form of large monolithic cabinets located from floor to ceiling - only the owners know where the finish ends and the wardrobe begins.
Flooring
The best option for flooring in a modern living room is parquet board or materials that effectively look like natural materials. A simple and concise design in a modern style needs a touch of warmth in a natural wood pattern. And the easiest way is to ensure the color temperature of the space is heated using parquet or laminate (even to the detriment of the environmental friendliness of the material).
We choose practical and beautiful furniture for a modern living room
Upholstered furniture
The basic principle of selecting furniture for a modern living room is functionality.You will not find interior objects in actual design projects of common rooms that are in the room only to create a certain character of the interior. If there is a chair in the living room, then they will sit on it, if there is a large corner sofa, then it will be used not only as a seat for households, but also a bed for late guests.
You can safely use upholstered furniture from different collections in the living room, decorated in a modern style. For example, you can install two sofas parallel to each other, instead of a standard pair of chairs. At the same time, sofas can be upholstered in fabrics of different colors and even textures, but both should be executed concisely and even simply.
The advantage of modern style in the plasticity of design and the possibility of combining not only various forms, but also materials for the execution of interior items. For example, chairs with wicker backs, more like garden furniture, can harmoniously fit into an ensemble of upholstered furniture with linen or cotton upholstery.
Storage systems
The so-called "walls", bulky and monolithic, have long sunk into oblivion. They are replaced by light hanging cabinets and open shelves. The modularity of storage systems comes to the fore, coupled with practicality, convenience and ease of use.
Shelving with open shelves for books is a great opportunity to combine the living room space with the home library and create a certain color variety in the interior of the room. The bright roots of the books themselves are a decorative element in the design of the common room. Shelves are most often done in white to give a bulky structure (and shelves usually extend from floor to ceiling) ease of visual perception and not burden the entire image of the room.
Additional furniture
A rare living room can do without a coffee or coffee table, located in a recreation area with upholstered furniture. In some cases, the ottoman performs the function of the stand and, at the same time, the location for guests. A spacious padded pouf becomes a kind of multi-functional island in a modern living room.
The use of glass and mirror surfaces for the execution of coffee tables allows you to create pieces of furniture that not only regularly perform their basic functions, but also contribute to the visual expansion of the space and create a light, modern image of the room.
In addition to an invariable coffee table, the lounge hone can be supplemented with small stand tables located by a sofa or armchairs. As additional (and sometimes the only) storage systems, high chests of drawers pushed against loose walls can be used.
Decorating a living room decorated in a modern style
Despite the tendency of the modern style to simplicity and even some minimalism, it cannot be said that room decoration is not given attention. But most often, quite functional interior items are used as decorative elements - lighting devices, clocks, mirrors, sofa cushions, sometimes indoor plants. The only exception is wall decor - paintings, panels and photos within. But even these decoration items are most often presented in a minimal amount and simple color schemes.
The lighting system for a modern living room is not only a chandelier suspended in the center of the room. Zoning using lighting devices takes place not only in living rooms combined with the kitchen and dining room, where each functional segment is individually highlighted. In an ordinary living room, using a floor or table floor lamp, you can mark a reading corner, while the main space is illuminated by an integrated system of suspended ceiling lamps or chandeliers for any other surface finish.
For window decoration, light, translucent fabrics are most often used, practically not preventing the spread of sunlight. Often in modern living rooms you can find window openings without drapery at all - all to create maximum illumination of the room. But in the event that your room is located on the south side, it is necessary to provide the room with the ability to protect from sunlight. Most often, solid blackout curtains made of natural (or semi-natural) materials are used.
Whether to use carpet as a functional decor in a modern living room is a matter of personal preference. Unlike minimalism, the modern style easily accepts similar interior elements aimed at creating a comfortable and convenient environment for the owners of the premises. For Russian apartments, deprived of off-season heating options, long-pile carpeting can be an indispensable tool in creating a warm and cozy atmosphere of the living room. In rooms with an open layout with the help of a carpet, it is possible to zonate a living room segment from other functional zones of space.
The fireplace has long ceased to be an exclusively functional interior item (since the time when central heating appeared) and became its decoration. In most foreign design projects of modern living rooms, fireplaces are an integral part of the interior. Using the hearth as a way to increase the room temperature and decorate it has become popular in our country. The fireplace can be artificial, work from the mains or even represent a fake hearth, but at the same time exert an active influence on the formation of the image of the room for the whole family.
The space above the fireplace is ideal for placing a TV. Thus, both interior coordinating centers of attention will be located in one zone. It remains only to turn upholstered furniture to them - sofas and armchairs, to create a recreation area with a view of the fiery flame or the image of the TV.