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Need design inspo? 9 modern living room ideas you’ll love

Oversized pieces, block colors, and more texture: Here are some design ideas to consider

Warm beige living room wall paint color
imaginima / Getty Images

If your modern living room is lacking or looks plain drab, you may be considering a redesign. While white walls and straight lines have dominated modern interiors for the past few years, home design is shifting to more quirky additions in our spaces.

So, if you’re looking for some design inspo for your home, we have some modern living room ideas you don’t want to miss.

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Opt for a black and white interior

modern black and white living room with large white fireplace
Westend61 / Getty Images

If you’re looking for a classic take on the modern living room, you can’t go wrong with a black and white interior. Black and white interiors are a timeless design choice that never goes out of style. They’re a sleek and sophisticated way to create definition and juxtaposition in your space. Additionally, beginners in interior design find black and white styled rooms are a great way to effectively design their homes since creating filled and negative spaces with black and white is more intuitive than with other colors.

Wood slat walls are back in style

Luxury beige wall living room, modern flat television on brown wood panel wall, gray leather sofa, mid century style shelf in sunlight from window white sheer curtain for interior design background 3D
Sue Tansirimas / Adobe Stock

Wood slat walls were popular in the 1970s, and with the retro revival well underway, they’re back in style in many modern home designs. Wood slat walls add an organic touch to the space. They’re a great solution for inviting more warm tones into your living room while also creating more texture and definition. This feature wall is best placed on the wall with the TV, where you can incorporate more shelving and storage units to make this three-dimensional design stand out and add more functionality.

Choose a single bold accent color

Modern farmhouse living room with a blue sofa
Katy Hill / Shutterstock

Modern living room designs often mean limiting your palette. If you want your space to appear sleek and modern, having a simple palette with plenty of neutrals is a good way to go. Though, you can’t go wrong with a single bold accent color. Many interiors today show off a single bold accent tone used in modern spaces. For example, a luxe green sofa in a mostly white palette makes a statement. A black accent wall is also popular, creating an impact within the design.

Natural elements are trendy

contemporary industrial living room with warm color palette
asbe / Getty Images

Biophilic design is trending this year as homeowners crave more natural elements. In modern designs like Japandi and Scandi styles, many people incorporate more natural and organic design elements. Think handmade pottery, craftsman wood tables, and handwoven wool blankets to bring into your space. Your living room is a wonderful place to invite more natural and organic elements through the furniture, rugs, and shelf decor.

Mix patterns for a fun look

Black and white carpet and beige sofa in multifunctional living room with cozy work area
Ground Picture / Shutterstock

With Gen Z home design defining the era of interior decor for the next generation, mixing patterns has become a fun and unique way of creating a modern look. Checkerboard floor patterns paired with asymmetrical vibrant artwork or wallpapered walls are a go-to. Gone are the days of matching fabrics and decorum. Today, designers suggest mixing patterns so that your curtains, blankets, and rugs don’t match. Matching sets can look tacky and outdated as modern design veers toward more quirky and unique looks.

Consider overlapping the artwork

Modern living room with large painting hanging behind the couch
Follow the flow / Shutterstock

If you’ve got a large blank wall in your living room and are in dire need of a facelift, one simple design solution is to overlap oversized artwork. Find two pieces of oversized artwork that suit your space. Instead of keeping things uniform and even, opt for overlapping the two pieces to create one grand visual installation. Just be sure that your two artworks don’t look too similar. You want the pieces to look good beside one another but be different enough that they stand out as two individual pieces of artwork.

Upholster the walls for a statement

Neutral living room with tall curtains
Vlajs / Getty Images

Texture is an essential aspect of interior design. However, many modern homes are placing more emphasis on texture than in previous years. One example is upholstering the walls. Velvet fabrics are the most popular, but many people are opting for all sorts of textures and tones. This works best in spaces with alcoves or indentations. However, if you want to spruce up a flat wall, upholstering a portion just behind the couch or TV console can be a great way to add more definition to the room.

Go retro with curves

Neutral minimalism and Scandinavian living room
vanitjan / Shutterstock

With retro styles in full swing, we’ve been seeing plenty of curved furniture enter this year’s interior design. From rounded sofas to circular coffee tables, curves are everywhere. For a modern touch, aim for simple and minimal pieces that are rounded in shape and pair them with other rounded pieces. Or, mix and match by using one curved statement piece, like a sofa paired with rectangular furniture, to create a statement.

Oversized pieces are having their moment

Contemporary industrial living room dining room
photosbysabkapl / Adobe Stock

If you’ve been perusing the latest in modern interiors, chances are you’ve come across oversized pieces. Oversized artwork, lamps, sofas, and coffee tables make a statement in a modern space. Generally, it’s advised to limit yourself to only one or two oversized features. For example, you might opt for an oversized coffee table while keeping everything else relatively normal. This plays with design proportions and turns your coffee table into a unique focal point.

Modern home design is all about using simplicity to create a statement. While mixing and matching sets, inviting in more patterns, and leaning heavily into texture is ultra trendy this year, you’ll want to do so intentionally. Focus on making feature walls and statement pieces with these design ideas as you work to spruce up your modern living room.

Amelia Wilson
Amelia Wilson (author pen name Amelia J. Wilson) is a content writer in Greenwood, IN. She often enjoys topics on…
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