53 Minimalist Living Room Ideas [Pictures & Tips]

When it comes to minimalism in design, the phrase "less is more" can be the foundation you decorate your room on. Minimalism isn't simply a lack of decor and there's more to minimalist interior decor than just white walls.

A more accurate descriptor would be intentional decorating. Minimalism in design focuses on simplicity, a smooth flow around the room, and the space between objects, as opposed to the objects themselves.

1. Contrast

This design exemplifies simplicity in the number of colors it uses, and the small number of styles of decor it utilizes.  Just two central colors, and two main decor styles.

2. Grey Lines

This room is another example that utilizes just two main color schemes, grey and brown. This room, however, splits up the colors between the different sets of furniture. The color grey is split between the couch, carpet, and TV stand, while the brown has been claimed by the tables and chairs.

3.  Variation in Tone

This room embraces the idea of minimalism that most people think of when they hear it. You can tell that even though there aren't very many different objects in the room, they are all very intentionally chosen, which is the important part.

4. Coordination

A good trick to make it appear as though your room is less crowded than it really is? Use the same colors when dealing with different surfaces. For example, the couch, chair, and walls are all the same color, providing a cohesive, blended look that makes things warm and friendly.

5. Muted Colors

Bright colors will draw attention to specific parts of the room, which isn't always a bad thing. But when it's happening too much, you draw attention away from the empty space, which is a focal point of minimalism.

6. Subtle Change

Details are very important. When you consider "less is more", that may suggest a step away from detail, when it reality it's an encouragement to focus on the importance of the things you have, instead of the desire to fill space with unimportant things.

7. Clear Focus

One of the many perks of minimalism is the ease with which you can create a focus in your home. With minimalism generally comes a lack of anything over the top, ostentatious, or super attention-grabbing. That being said, if you do include something that attracts a little more attention, it's going to be the clear focus of the room.

8. Circles and Squares

While this room is fairly monochromatic, it gets shaken up by the mixture of straight, hard lines, and softer, curved ones. From the furniture to the walls, the variety comes from the shapes, rather than the colors.

9. Similarity

Many people become introduced to the idea of minimalism through necessity, needing more space and becoming attracted to the idea of living with less. Regardless of the reason, there are a few tricks you can use to make your rooms feel bigger. Get furniture that matches your walls! Initially, that might not sound like an appealing option, but as you can see above, it works if you do it right!

10. Cohesion

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself when it comes to minimalist design isn't what you put in your house, it's why you choose to include that item. Minimalism has an intention and thought behind everything that is included in your design

11. Walls and Floors

Remember, you don't have to fill space with things to make it personal. The flooring you choose, whether it's carpet or wood paneling, or the walls, with artwork or wallpaper and paint, all these things are great ways to personalize space without taking up more space. Living room furniture should be a good fit for your needs too.

12. Storage Space

Having your storage mounted on the wall will help you save up your floor space, either for other things or for intentionally empty space. Take advantage of your walls!

13. Symmetry

You know that you have a space that needs to be filled, but you're just not sure with what. You can never go wrong with symmetry! Especially if you have a big space, symmetry is a great way to fill space while not worrying so much about aesthetic.

14. Focal Point

This room's design establishes a clear center point by using a square, sturdy coffee table that is a different, darker color than the rest of the room. The coffee table firmly grounds the rest of the room, leaving you clear to use lighter, more airy decor everywhere else.

15. Modern Minimalist Living

This room has actually been put together quite cleverly. Can you see what brings it together? It's the pillows and the pictures. They're all comprised of the same color palette, which transfers over to the chairs and the rug. Clever!

16. Peaceful White Living Room

Carefully breaking up a normally seamless room is a great way to decorate if you're running into mental barriers. This nearly monochrome room is neatly broken into different sections by the inclusion of natural wood and dark pillows. The minimalist decor is kept tight and secure, with two white sofas and one large white ottoman. It's effective, and gives a very clean look!

17. Warmth

If you're unsure what kind of colors, furniture type, or design to go with when picking out decor for your room, pick a feeling, or an idea that you want people to catch onto when they first enter the room. This room, with softer, neutral colors given a little heat by a few different shades of dark reds combines with an excess of natural light to create an unmistakably warm feeling that will have your guests feeling right at home.

18. Almost Sterile Minimalist Living Room

If you're going for an intentionally empty kind of minimalist look, you can't go wrong with lots of white, and nothing on your walls. But if that's not your cup of tea, you can absolutely add personal touch and color in your decor!

19. The Great Outdoors

If you don't want to include any specific decor in your home, you can go for a more open design that brings the outdoors inside. For example, this home seems to have only included some plants in the corner when it comes to decorations, but because of the matching plant just outside, your attention is taken outside, instead of being left to wander around the living room.

20. Tropical Paradise

This room is incredibly simple, containing only chairs, a glass table, a lamp, and two houseplants. But the houseplants add so much to the room, connecting the living room to the area outside. This not only effectively adds a sense of decor to your room, but extends your feeling of the available space to the area outside, making the room seem bigger. Stylish minimalist living is all about that too.

21. Go With the Flow

Minimalism doesn't mean that you have to give up specific things that you like, such as a unique wall, specific decorations, or color of the couch. Minimalism is actually all about embracing the things you love and giving up the things that you're just "ok" with. Figure out what you love, and focus on it! And check out that minimalist living room wallpaper - what a gorgeous modern geometric design!

22. Coverup

Are you interested in minimalism because you're wanting a more seamless look that's typically associated with a lack of possessions, but having a hard time actually getting rid of things? Try a more seamless storage approach! And we cannot avoid mentioning the beautiful marble coffee table there too!

23. Minimal Elegance

Minimalism doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on having a room with classy, elegant appeal. The right coffee table, a painting on the wall, and a rug to bring it all together can sometimes be all it takes to give you the perfect ambiance in your minimalist style home.

24. Rustic

A classy mixture of stone and wood furniture with pillows to match the coffee table, completed by neutral whites and a carpet that matches the couch ledges, this room could almost be outside.

25. Desert Vibes

Adding a couple of plants that you love is a great way to personalize and add a touch of comfort to your space. This light wood and sandy colored room, completed by the addition of a few houseplants, is comfortable, classy, and welcoming.

26. Options

If you're wanting to redo a room, but can't afford to buy new furniture, try furniture covers! They're an easy way to change the look of a chair or couch, and an effective way to try out a new color without actually buying the furniture first.

27. Pop of Color

Having a hard time really making a space yours? Add something special, or unique that is unmistakably you! For example, this design incorporates an orange tree in the corner. It's not the center of the room, but it certainly draws enough attention to garner appreciation.

28. Make a Difference

When it comes to minimalism, there are so many "right" ways to do it. For example, you don't need to add something big and showy to your room to make it yours. You can just add something different, like the pillow in the center of this couch.

29. Personality

Minimalism is very, very personalizable. It's about taking a few things you love and building around them. Whether it's fancy, modern industrialized furniture, or a set of floor cushions and beanbags, you can make it work.

30. Outside In

If you're wanting to be extra careful with how you incorporate things into your room, don't forget that you have the outside as well. For example, the plants on this deck may not be inside the room, but they're most certainly part of the decor of the home.

31. Wasting Space

If you've decided to go the minimalist route, don't think you have to leave all your existing space empty. For example, if you have shelves that you want to keep, it will be much better to have something there, than to simply have empty shelves. Empty space is good, but wasting space is not.

32. Intentional Space

If you have one large room, furniture can be used to section off different parts of it for different purposes. There is a lot of empty space in this room, and that's ok. Minimalism is all about intentional, empty space, and what that space does for you.

33. Connection

Remember that not everything needs to match. Many items in this room have natural wood in common, and that's enough. Each item has something that links it to everything else in the room, and a connection is important when it comes to minimalism.

34. Condense

When you take your shelf space and mount it on the wall above existing furniture, you free up floor space, space that can now stay empty. Remember, just because you have empty space doesn't mean it needs to be filled!

35. Do Without

Be intentional about what you include, and try to only include the things you need or things that have great personal value to you. A couch, a chair, a table or two. and a few decorations that mean something to you are really all you need!

36. Accessories

One of the hardest parts about minimalist living is finding a way to store or keep the things you love without inconvenience or taking up unnecessary space, and blankets are the biggest culprit. Blanket ladders are a great solution!

37. Black and White

This room cleverly uses opposite colors to create depth. Adding a plant for a pop of color, it really goes to show that you really don't need more than the minimum for an attractive livingroom.

38. Open Air

Featuring a very open design with tall walls and a high ceiling, this room doesn't require much decoration. With the outdoors to look at instead of paintings, you end up with a nice, airy feeling.

39. Something Special

When it comes to minimalism, it's all about making a space yours and completing it in a way that you love. Nothing is off the table! It can be as fancy, or as rustic as you like.

40. Open Floor Plan

This spacious room with large windows lets in lots of light, making it perfect for the many houseplants they've incorporated. With a fairly monochrome color scheme, the room seems larger than it really is.

41. Bare Minimum

Intentionally empty space is one of the keystones of minimalism, focusing more on the joy that the included items bring you. As exemplified in this living room, that doesn't take much for some people. The key to minimalism is finding your balance.

42. Closed Space

Many minimalist floor plans include lots of open space and big windows, but that doesn't mean they have to. Minimalism is about finding peace in your home, and that means something different for everyone.

43. Soft Textures

This person clearly finds comfort in soft textures and neutral colors, as shown by the many blankets, pillows, and soft cushions in gentle colors. They've found the minimalist balance that works for them!

44. Bright Spot

These dark couches surrounding a light wood table create a beautiful focus for the room. Brought together by paintings containing darker colors similar to the couch, and framed in wood the color of the table, this simple design becomes quite elegant.

45. Open Air

Featuring a very open design with tall walls and a high ceiling, this room doesn't require much decoration. With the outdoors to look at instead of paintings, you end up with a nice, airy feeling.

46. Use of Space

In the picture of this room, you can see three of the walls, making it fairly small. But it doesn't look crowded! Using light colors that blend with the wall makes it seem like the furniture isn't taking up as much space, and floating shelves give storage space without taking up floor space.

47. Light

Put a mirror on the wall opposite the window. It adds a bright space and helps reflect natural light around the room, removing the need to add more "things" to brighten it up.

48. Statements

Minimalism is supposed to be one of the most low-stress decorating schemes and lifestyles that there is. It's not about making a statement, it's about being comfortable in your home.

49. Less or More?

Some may find that the mantra "less is more" helps them narrow down the things they like to the things they love, which is part of the purpose of minimalism. Others may find more benefit in the phrase "do more with less", another proverb associated with minimalism.

50. Inner Peace

One of the purposes behind minimalism is to remove distractions from your home. The world outside the home is busy and distracting, so focus on colors and shapes that bring you peace, and build your room around it.

51. Texture

You may already know which items you want to include as part of your design, but things may just feel like they're falling flat. If that's the case, add some different textures! Curtains, rugs, and pillows are all prime options for changing things up and adding dimensions to a room.

52. Personalize

A lot can be said with just a few things! The print of a rug, photographs of places and people you love, a family heirloom. All these things are simple, but say a lot about you and the things you love.

53. Details

Use patterns, and decor items that use more than one of those colors at a time. You get your color scheme, and you can still have your minimalist living room!