While some people may have a separate formal living room for entertaining, many just have one space where they actually have to live their daily lives too. In either case, it can be challenging to find living room ideas for furniture arrangements and decor that fit your needs and still look stylish. Moreover, the living room has to be comfortable because that’s where you’ll be spending a lot of your downtime at home. When considering any new purchases — large or small — take some timne to think about the space, measure it and define your goal for the area.

Once you’ve assessed the room, you can start browsing living room furniture ideas to make the most of this important home space. Here are some different options for the living room to get your imagination started:

A Sectional With Special Features

If you have the room, sectional sofas are great even if you don’t have a huge family. They’re perfect for stretching out to watch television or read and are large enough to accommodate guests without having to always drag out extra chairs. That said, some sectionals like this one have special features. With one sofa-length section and a second lounge-style section, it has adjustable headrests at the back of the main sofa for extra comfort. You can also find sectionals that have motion features and hidden footrests that move at the touch of a button.

Modern Fireplace Options

Linear and modern, this fireplace unit doesn’t look like a run-of-the-mill version you see in most homes. While this one has wood for display, fireplace inserts that use new technologies, like water vapor and LED lighting, allow you to have the look and feel of a genuine fire without the flame and the heat. This means that you can design around your fireplace, totally surrounding it with shelving and not having to worry about a fire hazard.

Go for a Stone Coffee Table

Even if you like the look of a traditional rectangular coffee table, a great living room idea is to use one made from stone. This one has the pattern and shine that you might typically find on a kitchen countertop, but it adds a lot of dimension to this neutral living space. The best thing about stone is that it’s durable and easy to clean — no worries if you have family members who always forget to use a coaster!

Skip the Coffee Table Altogether

When it comes to living room decor ideas, one of the most versatile is the trend of not using a traditional coffee table. This option is also great if space is a consideration. Why not opt for an ottoman and a small side table? The ottoman can be used to put your feet up and with the addition of a tray, can also serve as a table. Both pieces are easily shifted around as needed and the ottoman can also provide an extra seat when entertaining.

Embolden Your Sofa

In a neutral space, a bold sofa provides loads of interest and really brightens things up. The color you choose does not have to be neon or outlandish. This velvet sofa is a very bold golden/mustardy yellow but is still a very refined living room decor idea. Paired with all neutral elements and tempered with some luxurious throw pillows, it is a real design winner. If a new sofa isn’t in the budget, it pays to explore reupholstery, especially for a piece that has solid internal construction.

Sub Lounge Chairs for a Sofa

Of course, a living room does not automatically need to have a sofa if you don’t want one. A great idea for living room decor is to use two lounge chairs instead. Here, a pair of luxe leather seats feature natural hair-on hide for the seating surface to add interest and pattern. Likewise, instead of a single coffee table, this arrangement is on-trend with two round tables of different heights and sizes. These are also easy to move around and position to be most convenient for each chair whenever that’s needed.

Try Extraordinary Shelving

Shelving doesn’t have to be angular or even symmetrical. New designs that are uniquely shaped and incorporate lighting features are a fresh and modern living room decor idea. This particular shelving has an unusual slope and angled shape that let you arrange it with the long surface facing up or down depending on the look you want.

Create Contemporary Traditional

This living room has all the traditional elements: a formal sofa, side tables with lamps and a rectangular coffee table. The overall look, however, is more contemporary than usual. Each of the pieces has a few minor tweaks making it less staid. The sofa features a modern, textured upholstery fabric and accent pillows that have a graphic. The coffee table and side tables are very angular, sleek and tall while the lamps also have a contemporary style base, echoed in the shape of the shade.

Add a Tall Floor Vase

Details make the difference and that is definitely the case with this floor vase. Positioned between the two armchairs and the small glass table, the flowering branches spray outward, adding a pop of color and a vibrant accent. The most common idea for adding a vase to this grouping would be a small one on the side table, but as you can see, thinking big makes a real design difference.

Contrast the Colors

Navy is the new neutral and this comfortable living room sofa shows how it blends nicely with wood tones too. While the usual choice for throw pillows might be neutral or blue printed fabrics, you can change the entire vibe of the room by choosing a completely contrasting color. Here, pillows in two different shades of an apple green stand out starkly on the sofa. The best thing about this living room decor idea is that changing out the colors seasonally is an affordable way to completely alter the mood in the room.

Add a Chandelier

Fortunately, chandeliers have moved out of the dining room and into just about every other space in the home. For a real design change, try hanging a chandelier or dramatic suspension light over the coffee table area in the living room. This draws the eye upward and creates spectacular space. This is one of those decor ideas that works no matter what the style is, from industrial or farmhouse to boho or glam.

Use Mirrors as Wall Art

Wall art doesn’t have to be huge or expensive. This small group of round mirrors does the job as wall decor and adds a reflective element that will change as the light shifts throughout the day. When planning to hang wall decor, don’t automatically go for a linear or symmetrical arrangement. Try out different configurations including some that are off-center. And, remember that odd numbers work best.

Create a Multipurpose Space

If your space is small, treating it as all one area can be a workable option. Instead of splitting this into two distinct areas — a living room and a dining room — the design makes it all one space that flows. The shelving unit includes the flat screen television and the dining table is the centerpiece of the room. If different seating is needed, a lounge chair can be added without crowding.

Embrace the Corner

An atypical sofa arrangement is a marvelous living room decor idea when the corner of the room figures prominently. Instead of pushing one of the sectional pieces into the corner, this design puts the ottoman in the corner instead, leaving two full sofas for seating. And, instead of a square coffee table, the corner arrangement is softened by the choice of a table with a geometric top.

Stick With Built-Ins

Built-ins can be a godsend in the living room, especially when they are floating cabinets and shelves. This style keeps the floor uncluttered and makes the room look more spacious while still providing plenty of storage and a workspace. This is a far more modern and fresher look than the usual built-in cabinetry.

Make a Brave Rug Choice

If the living room is largely neutral and you like it that way, it’s the perfect place to add a rug that has a bold graphic. Especially when rendered in black and white, a strong graphic print adds a dramatic element and draws the eye to the furniture sitting on it. This is a very easy living room decor idea that makes a huge impact in any space, large or small.

Choose Clean-Lined Designs

Choosing furnishings that have clean lines, gentle colors and thoughtful design creates a serene space. This room has a bit of an eastern influence, but the same concept holds true in any space. Focus on functional, comfortable and unfussy pieces if you’re looking for a space that is as mentally relaxing as it is physically comfortable.

Lower the Pendant

If you don’t want a chandelier, a single pendant over the coffee table is also an option, but hanging it super low is a new way to put the focus at the center of the room. Hang it not just a little lower than usual, but dramatically lower, as in almost on the table. This brings a light source into the lower portion of the space and puts that gorgeous fixture on display as if it were a tabletop accessory.

Double up the Coffee Tables

For a large living room, how about skipping the huge coffee table and opting for two smaller ones instead? Using an identical pair allows you to put them together to function as one, or split them apart and change the arrangement whenever you want. This is a far more versatile living room decor idea than using one enormous coffee table.

Splurge on Distinctive Armchairs

For a real luxe and distinctive look, choosing armchairs that have unique elements of some kind gives you versatility as well as the wow factor. These luxurious velvet and metal chairs not only have a different shape, but the side panels feature unexpected quilting that gives them added dimension. Chairs are also easy to rearrange and can be moved to other rooms if you redecorate.

Go Full-on Fancy

If formal and fancy is your thing, then commit and go all the way. This living room combines a formal fringed, tufted and embellished sofa with an elegant Persian rug and a large, very formal coffee table. The detailing on the coffee table edge and legs, along with the marble center, emphasizes the opulence of the room and create a very formal living space.

Use Multiple Tables

You already know that using multiple tables instead of a large coffee table is among the latest living room decor trends and this space shows one way to do it successfully. This group of tables is a set of nested round glass types paired with a round ottoman that can also do double duty as a side table if used with a tray. These kinds of tables are flexible for entertaining and a purchase you’ll never regret.

Add Standout Ceiling Lighting

Many living rooms rely on lamps and perhaps recessed lighting for illumination but you can dramatically change your look by adding a spectacular ceiling light. It doesn’t matter if your space is sleek and modern or some other style, this living room decor idea will immediately upgrade the atmosphere.

Coordinate, Don’t Match

This living room looks fresh and stylish in large part because the two sofas are not upholstered to match. The overall profile of the pieces is similar, but the fabric choices are coordinates. Doing this changes the vibe, makes it feel less stuffy and creates more texture and interest. Paired with modern tables and sleek shelving, it creates an enviable space.

Add a Curve

Instead of staying with the lines of the room by having the sofa follow the wall, try a model that features a bit of a curve. This is not a semicircle, but a gently curving sofa that gives the living room a softer feeling. The style of this sofa is also low slung and casual, with its slightly overstuffed cushions and leather upholstery.

Consider an All-in-One Option

This sectional sofa quite literally has it all because it incorporates a matching section with a stone top. This means there’s no need to break up a longer expanse of seating with separate side tables because you have a convenient surface included. This type of sectional also includes the option of moving the table section to the center of the room to use as a matching coffee table if desired.

Use a Floating Element

This living room grouping is already unique because it uses armchairs instead of a sofa, but it also has a floating shelf instead of a coffee table. With the side tables between the chairs, there’s no need for a coffee table to be within reach, so the floating shelf visually serves the same purpose, styled with accessories and a small lamp.

As you can see, the options for living room decor ideas vary widely and many of them break traditional rules. Of course, we like to say that rules were meant to be broken and that’s where the real creativity comes in when making a space your very own.