8 Tips in Decorating a Modern Living Room

Apart from entertainment, the living room is a place where the household spends the most time lounging and talking. It is the frontline of the house defining the character of the people living in it drawing attention to detail. One of the common design themes of the 20th century is modern architecture. It dwells mostly on simple color and design that compels the people to lounge and feel comfortable. Working with modern living room design may seem stressful but the high stakes of modernity in houses can easily be identified. 

Decorating a modern living room is not just about keeping the space light and airy. Modern is not equal to minimalist design. There are different types of modern design that you can work with. It is all about having a modern design that taps both functionality and aesthetics above other factors. The big question here is, what makes a living room become modern? To give you a sense of enlightenment, here are 8 tips that can help you in decorating a modern living room.

1. Plan the Design of the Living Room 

Planning the entire design for the living room provides a sense of direction of where to start. From the color, textiles, materials, lighting, and upholstery, everything needs to be planned accordingly. Work on the vertical and horizontal space to identify what are the heights and sizes of the furniture to be placed. Get the dimensions and the area of the living room to prevent choosing the wrong types of furniture. It can be a hard time to choose the right ones but it will be more convenient to draft the ideal sizes. 

Grab a pen and paper and sketch your ideal floor plan with the positioning of the furniture. This way you can gauge the space the furniture and other accessories will eat up. It saves both the time and the money of buying the wrong things of the wrong size. You can also use different planning and design applications that can also aid you in your DIY design. Before anything else, ensure that everything is planned out accordingly prior to choosing color, textiles, and materials.

2. Punctuate with a Simple Lighting Fixture

Apart from setting focus on natural lighting, another factor that builds the ambiance of a modern living room is lighting. It can be a challenge to choose the right fixture but modern and sophisticated lighting pieces establish the floor-to-ceiling height of the living area. High ceilings in a living room suggest pendant lighting as the main artificial lighting source. Low ceilings in a living room work with floor and recessed lighting. 

Once you have established the lighting fixture that the living area requires, that’s when you look for the one with the perfect design. Plan the layout of the furniture and identify the window treatments. This depends on the amount of natural lighting you want the living room to acquire natural lighting. Besides, modern living room designs are often characterized by the outdoor vibe within the interior of the house. Simple lighting fixtures will build a better overall aesthetic. 

3. Work with Different Interior Design Themes

Modern design is not just one subject. It is a comprehensive classification of architecture that is often characterized by clean and minimal design, asymmetrical aesthetics, and an outdoor-oriented theme. Whether it be minimalist or maximalist decor, modern design can be achieved by incorporating subtle but impactful ideas. It is a design that is edgy yet sophisticated put up in the simplest way possible. With all the colors and textures put together, identify the elements that will work and wouldn’t in your living room. 

The image above is the best example of a rustic modern living room design. It is not your ordinary perspective when the term modern design is coined. Look at how the leather upholstered sitting furniture defines comfort, but, at the same time, taps visual aesthetics. It worked well with a mix and match of different materials such as slate stone flooring, stucco-finished walls, and even polished wood paneling. 

4. Minimum vs. Maximum Decor 

The good thing about modern design is that it works for both minimalist or grand designs. It proves how effective the edgy design is impactful when it is incorporated with curves. Working on designs is all about taking risks and that is how modernity works. Modern interior designs often establish minimalist designs lacking grandeur. The objective is to create an attractive vignette that delivers a less-is-more kind of aesthetic. On the other hand, maximum decor for modern design is overdoing the entire living area without compromising the visual impact. 

The image above is a combination of edgy and curve elements. The light-colored walls may seem to overlay with the iconic couch. But, thanks to the velvet texture of the couch, it stood out on its own. The botanical pieces, on the other hand, add color and a sense of style. The tones of greens, greys, and nudes, complement one another with the sleek types of materials used. The designer combined matte textures with shiny ones creating an even design that is in the midst of minimum and maximum decor. 

5. Select a Focal Point in the Space

In every space within the home, it is required to designate a focal point, an area within the room that deserves a second or a third glance. It may be an accent wall, a hung gallery, or even as simple as a fireplace. Allow the eyes of the viewer to wander and identify that uniformity is not welcome in the living area. It is perfect to dwell on the idea of asymmetry. 

For example, the image above is a modern Mediterranean interior design. It can easily be identified by the textiles, arrangement, and color but what gave it away is the accent wall in the Machuca tile design. The walls will be too simple and boring without it. The good thing about it is that the design did not fill the entire wall. It just filled up more than half of the entire wall. Even though patterns were incorporated, the Machuca design still managed to create a clean and captivating design. 

6. Define Identity 

In the modern interior, the first thing to ask yourself is what do you want to achieve in your ideal design. What is your inspiration? Since the modern interior is comprehensive, apart from planning, working on the identity you want to come up with is the second most important. The modern theme is not as simple as it sounds. It is all about establishing class and grandeur without compromising the color, material, and texture. 

The image above from CB2 is a combination of modern and contemporary living room design. At first glance, it may seem to be a little rustic when it is not. The velvet and leather upholstered couches define a social status for the upper class. It may not seem to be your ordinary cozy living room but it is a space where you would want to entertain your guests. What makes it contemporary is the Victorian wood carvings on the walls that just bring out a vintage look. 

7. Pick a Strong Color Palette 

Not everyone is a fan of dull and bland colors. Good thing that in modern interior design, you have the freedom to choose the color palette of your own preference. It is okay if you want to stick to the usual monochromatic vibe, but where’s the fun in that? Nothing beats the aesthetic features of bright and contrasting colors. Choose a color palette that you think will suit your interior design. Strong colors build a more personal identity to the look. Moreover, it strengthens the modern vibe of the space without settling for hues of grey, brown, white, and black. 

Go beyond your comfort zone and work on the colors that you think will bring the space to life. The image above from Modsy Blog exhibits the perfect example of a modern interior design for a living room with strong and contrasting colors. It has a spike of different colors that build the fun character of the living room. In addition, the designer also utilized different textile types for the upholstery, pillows, and carpet. 

8. Choose Textiles That will Work 

The key to how to nail a modern interior design for a living room is to choose textiles that are both cozy and elegant. Common in modern themes is velvet, leather, and ribbed cotton for the sleek upholstery finish. At a glance, you can already see the texture of the couch or the armchair. In addition to the pieces of furniture, invest in carpets to enclose the foot space for stretching. 

The image above from iStock is an example of a modern industrial interior design. The semi-glossy blue-grey paint finish is overlaid by the cerulean velvet-upholstered island couch. As it is the first thing that catches your eye, it will make the entire living area look simple yet sophisticated because of the modern minimalist design. Always find a piece of furniture that will catch the eye of the guests and even the household.