The living room is the heart of the home for many families, and keeping the design color scheme neutral is a great way to promote a calm and restful environment for everyone. Using a neutral color palette in your living room will bring out all the textures and accents you've decorated with. Layering warm colors and comfortable materials in this space creates a welcoming area for everyone to come together.
Some common colors to keep on hand for a neutral look are beiges, browns, light pinks, and pastel forms of other colors. When you provide a natural backdrop your more prominent and expressive design elements are allowed to shine. Neutral colors also naturally make a room appear larger and more spacious which is something that almost everyone wants for their living room.
It's important to remember that neutral arrangements are not meant to be boring. It's essential to balance the muted palette with accent pieces, bits of color, and different kinds of textures. You want your living room to feel open, elegant and inviting.
We've put together 64 inspiring design ideas to help you turn your living room into the beautiful space you want it to be.
Combining Comfortable Textures
This living room is ripe with different kinds of visual and tactile textures. The combination of the velvety couch, thick plush carpet, and corduroy striped coffee table make this room look irresistibly comfortable.
Metal Finishes
The metallic finishes on the accent tables help make the room look larger and add visual contrast.
Black Accents
The black accents in this room found in the center of the coffee table and dresser and lamps against the wall immediately draw attention to themselves and their sleek design because of the color contrast.
Flooding with Lights
Adding a lot of light helps this room feel even more open and brings out the textures and tones of neutral pieces.
Green Complements
This room uses a light green accent color to amazing effect. The theme is carried out everywhere from the sofa and plants to the curtains and framed artwork.
Neutral Walls
Many designers use neutral walls as a canvas from which they build up rooms. When you have high ceilings the effect is even more powerful.
Blue Pastels
Pastel forms of more commonly used colors can seamlessly fit in with neutral design elements. This wallpaper blends perfectly with the beige sofa, especially with the help of decorative pillows with the same pattern.
Natural Light Filters
When you have curtains in basic muted tones, the light that filters through and fills the room is warm and calming.
Brassy Tones
Metals pair particularly well with neutral colors. They provide a glimmery contrast. The lamp and pillow here are especially eye-catching because of the surroundings.
Incorporate Stone Elements
The stone wall in this room helps bring a sense of earthiness to the fireplace mantle. The room feels natural and robust as a result.
Smooth Wallpaper
This neutral wallpaper has a brushed appearance in the strokes of gray and brown. This works well with the natural dark wood colors of the floor.
Utilize Gray Hues
This modern and minimal living room remains inviting because of its use of soft heathered gray tones and soft textures. The earthy wooden table and countertops also help ground the space and contrast against the light wooden floor.
Beautiful Brown Curtains
These tall brown curtains frame the window beautifully by contrasting the bright light from outside.
Crisp and Clean Whites
This room above uses grays that are closer to white. The effect is that the room seems spare, and very organized and clean. Brighter whites can help create the appearance of order and cleanliness.
Add Color with Art
The beautifully framed art piece here adds a burst bright yellows into this otherwise monotone room.
Thematic Decorations
The old-style wooden chest being used as an end table in this room ties together the other natural elements. The stonework fireplace installation and big outdoor viewing window complement it.
Deep Purples
These deep purple tones found in the sofas and window treatments blend with dark brown tones and create pleasing arrangements.
Light Wood Flooring
Light-colored neutral flooring appears cleaner and reflects light beautifully.
Nature Scenes
If you have large windows with natural views, it might be good to put aside your window treatments. Scenic views combine with neutral tones to make the atmosphere more serene.
Wooden Accent Furniture
Like the high-back chair in this living room, you can select furniture with dark wooden accents to bring out their interesting shapes.
Add Greenery
The bright and lively greens of natural decorations such as plants burst out from the more muted backdrops. Adding flowers or vines give character to a room.
Natural Wood
This room uses raw-looking natural wood to great effect. The thick arching ceiling beams and fireplace mantle lend to the overall aesthetic of nature.
Unique Structural Pieces
The unique wooden archway that leads into the living room here matches the equally eccentric wood panel flooring. It's almost as if all of the raw wooden elements come from the same source.
Use Leather
Leather upholstery and accessories come in a variety of natural colors and textures. This dark almost red-tinted set of leather sofas makes the whole living room look comfortable.
Unique Stone
The stone tile paneling of the fireplace is very unique. The addition of some light blue to the overall green theme of the room is welcome and pleasing.
Glass Furniture
Glass is a great addition to a neutral living room as it continues the theme of light and spaciousness. Glass coffee or end tables and even a glass work desk make the walkable space seem larger.
All White
The minimal look of all-white furniture in a living room is modern and eclectic. It allows the natural geometry of the furniture to be showcased. The tiny dark accents found in the throw pillow add contrast.
Use Mirrors
The round gold-framed mirror on the wall of this living room almost looks like it extends the line of windows. Mirrors always make a room look larger.
Vintage Character
Vintage pieces work well with neutral colors. In this room, we see the use of these oversized window sills as dark wood libraries. There is also an ornate gold frame on the wall. They both mix well with neutral furniture and wall color.
Wall Textures
Good neutral colored living rooms are made up of many coordinated textures; The walls of these rooms are no different. The white ship-lap style walls add visual and tactile character to the room.
Open Space
A minimal and muted palette often presents the aura of luxury. You can capitalize on this by creating more open floor plans and spaces like the room here.
Large Area Rugs
Large bright area rugs like this one act as a low centerpiece for the living room. It designates the middle where everyone is to sit around together.
Minimal Art
Instead of using art pieces to add splashes of color, you can also use them to make the pastel and neutral palette even more prominent. They can blend into the rest of the design elements.
Playing with Contrast
This room is another good example of creating a contrast between the light and dark elements of a room. The black accents, fireplace, and piano are the first thing a guest would see.
Concrete
Using a neutral set of colors can also lend itself to more industrial looks. This room uses large concrete square slabs to great effect paired with the wooden paneling.
Mix and Match Shades
This room features two different shades of brown. Instead of clashing they work well together. This effect was helped by using pillows with the same motif for both pieces.
Black Leather
These black leather sofas look very comfortable. They contrast with the lighter colored floor, and the plaid pillows make them appear warmer.
Metallic Light Fixtures
The bronze-colored light fixture above the dining table in this room matches the chair legs and adds visual interest to the room. It appears to be modeled after an acorn and fits the natural theme.
Interesting Decorations
The most instantly appealing decoration in this room is the spiral wooden piece above the fireplace. It's in a central location and centers the room.
Unexpected Switches
This room has stonework walls and a solid white fireplace. This is the opposite of what you would expect and it's appealing.
Leather Ottoman
Instead of a coffee table, you can try something different like this leather ottoman.
Contrast Wall
This room uses a split color scheme. One side of the room is brown, and the other beige. They combine together in the mixed shag rug.
Lime Green Highlights
This room is very selective with its additions of color. They use small bursts of lively lime green.
Hint of Checkers
The small hints of checker patterns found on the upholstery in this room are fun and playful.
Ornate Chandeliers
Chandeliers, especially those made from metallic or glimmering materials, work well with a neutral-colored room.
Plush Carpeting
This room uses plush carpeting throughout the entire floor and creates a sense of a very comfortable family room.
Geometric Wallpaper
The diamond-patterned black and white wallpaper provide a lot of visual interest In this room.
Fireplace to Gather at
This room is given a warm glow by the fireplace. It naturally attracts the family together to this living room.
Industrial Goes Neutral
This is a neutral twist on classically red exposed brick. Painting it into an off-white makes it feel more modern.
Navy and Beige
This room employs a stark combination of light beige tones with navy arrangements and an accent wall.
Neutral Breeze
We’ve seen many examples of a neutral palette being used for more traditional designs, but it also complements more carefree and open design plans.
Use Open Space
This room makes good use of extra space. Instead of spreading out the furniture further, they left an open space on the left. This can be used for family activities.
Mind Your Directions
This room capitalizes on the available natural light and scenery. Almost all the seats face the large glass patio doors.
Entertainment Display
The focal point of this family room is obviously the entertainment center. Make your living room design reflect how your family uses it most.
Play with Yellows
Yellow and gray can be a good complementary color scheme over a neutral backdrop.
Large Blankets
Large soft blankets like this one can add a lot of texture to the look of a room and make it very comfortable.
Varied Walls
The use of multiple wall paints in this one scene help differentiate the spaces of the home.
Statement Sofa
A large bold sofa like this one can serve as a centerpiece to your room.
Mix Leathers and Cloth
This room mixes the textures of the leather bench soda and larger fabric one.
Faint Blues
A faint pastel blue like this is a way to add color while still looking very clean and elegant.
Soft Light
There are many small lights in the ceiling of this room as opposed to a large single light source. This produces an even glow.
Novel Light Sources
The individual parts of this modern hanging lamp are shaped like flashlights.
Divide Space with Colors
While this living room shares an open plan with the dining room, the use of purple that isn’t found elsewhere designates this as a separate space.
Ample Seating
Having plenty of inviting seating in a living room is another great way to encourage gathering.
Bring this inspiration into your own home!
We’ve looked at over 60 inspiring design pictures of living rooms that use neutral colors and textures to create inviting spaces. Take some of the things you’ve seen today and turn your own family room into the place you’ve always wanted it to be!
Still haven't decided what design you're going to apply in your Living Room? This post may interest you, check out 123 Teal Living Room Ideas.
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