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The living room is arguably the heart of the home and the place where we spend most of our time socialising and relaxing. Therefore, it’s important that the decor and interiors are just right to make sure that it is an inviting and comfortable space. Colours, textures and soft furnishings are all equally important and with the constant evolvement of interior design trends, there’s a vast source of inspiration out there to help you decide on how to design the right living room for you.

In this article, discover some of the top living room design trends that are currently making waves to give you ideas and inspiration for decorating your home. You can get more inspiration online at Rentola United Kingdom, which reflects living room ideas from rentals throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. See what’s currently trending in Dundee rentals and get ideas from London living rooms that you can incorporate into your own space. 

Understated luxury

For contemporary living rooms, it’s all about figuring out how you want to spend your downtime and designing a living room that allows you to do just that in the most stylish way. Living rooms need a lot of layering to stop them from feeling bare and uninviting, so consider the textiles that you put into the room. Velvet curtains or an upholstered footstool offer the opportunity to layer up fabrics which creates visual interest. Make sure that you also add cushions in a variety of different shapes and sizes, as this will produce the feeling of luxury (even if they are not overly expensive). If you think of the relaxing seating areas in high-end hotels, they all have multiple textiles running through the design, so be brave when mixing up your fabrics and patterns to recreate the same look.

A curated space

The living room is the ideal place to display keepsakes and collectables as they add a whole load of personality to a room and show off your unique interior style. However, there’s a fine line between a curated collection and a sense of overwhelming clutter, so it’s important to be selective. When deciding which objects to showcase (and which to keep tidied away), favour decorative items that evoke memories and joy that complement each other. Consider if the colours clash and the size of each item as ideally, items should be displayed in your home in groups of three, so pick out what decorative items work well with one another in terms of height and scale.

Take inspiration from the natural world

If you find decorating your home hard work and you don’t find interior design easy, take inspiration from nature and you will rarely go wrong. As a starting point, look for colours that pair well together in the natural world (flowers are great for this). Paint colours in muted, earthy tones such as rusty reds and sage greens are really on-trend right now, while wallpapers with a nature-based theme can feel soft and inviting.

Multi-functional reigns supreme

With space at a premium for many of us, our living rooms often double up as workspaces, homework rooms, playrooms - even gyms. If you work from home, rather than basic shelving, install a multi-functional system where a pocket desk area can be created or removed when not in use. Slimline ladder shelving with a thin integrated workspace built-in can be moved easily and works well to keep the living room a relaxing area without a bulky, large desk. Alternatively, the Shelving system from Swedish brand String Furniture is modular, allowing you to include or remove a tabletop for working on.

For living rooms that double up as play spaces, make sure that there is enough clever storage in the room to deposit toys at the end of the day. Footstools and ottomans with secret storage lids as the seat are great options, while large wicker baskets look appealing and add a natural texture - all while storing a large array of items.

Bring joy through colour

While minimalism with its neutral tones has its place, so do brighter colours that are bursting with personality. Rather than sticking with soft pastels and muted tones, consider painting your walls in bold and bright colours or opt for a colourful, focal-point rug.

Colour is known to be emotive, with different tones evoking different feelings. This can be highly subjective; one person can be invigorated by an on-trend yellow, while another finds deep blues calming and restorative. Take some time to figure out what brings you a hit of dopamine and use it to freshen up your living room.

Sustainability through reuse

While sustainability within interiors could be considered a ‘trend’, it’s actually an essential requirement to reduce the impact ‘fast furniture’ is having on our planet. Rather than going with the simple option of bringing in the new, look at what you already have to work with. It might be a case of giving a sideboard a new lick of paint or hacking a piece of furniture that you are bored with. If you do need to bring in a new TV cabinet or bookshelf, consider browsing antique or thrift shops, or look online for preloved vintage sellers for beautiful pieces that will stand the test of time.