What Are The Different Living Room Styles? *Lookbook Included!*

Minimalist, contemporary, modern, vintage, eclectic, retro – there SO many styles that anyone thinking of decorating is naturally confused! Unless you’re an interior designer yourself, or atleast a design ...

Unless you’re an interior designer yourself, or atleast a design fanatic, you’ll be lost trying to find your way around the different living room styles. And vague explanations won’t do. So we picked the most popular styles out there today and tried to decode them for you – WITH pictures so you can LOOK and understand what they mean 🙂

Scroll down for a mini guide on different styles of living room designs:

1. Modern

• To achieve a modern living room, spaces and lines are to be kept in mind. A modern living room should utilise space to the maximum, giving every aspect of the room space to breathe, such as the furniture, contain, artwork, and so on.

• Go for a straight line design with more edges and fewer curves. Even while going for different shapes, maintain a balance, with more straight lines and fewer curves.

• The furniture should be clean and polished looking, think glass, glossy stone, finished wood and so on.

• Futuristic or abstract looking lamps, false or ceiling lights, everything well placed in an order, subdued hues, minimum patterns etc, are some features of a modern living room design.

2. Minimalistic

• The minimalistic style is a great choice for modern homes, requiring minimum maintenance and giving the house a clean and organized look.

• To achieve this style, keep everything to a minimum, from your furniture to artwork and other bits and bobs.

• Pick subdued hues for your upholstery, artwork, wall paint, ceiling and flooring.

• To add your personal touch, use hints of decor like a uniquely shaped chair/table, plants, plain glass objects etc.

3. Contemporary

• This style is great to bring in some variation and mixture of colours and patterns into the living room.

• The contemporary style includes elements of modern and trending designs in furniture, lamps, other decor items, upholstery and so on. For instance, coloured glass bottles, fairy lights, stripes etc have been recently trending in interior design.

• The idea is to incorporate artwork, patterns, textures and colours but still keeping it luxe, sophisticated and clutter free.

• Feel free to go for the colours of your choice, but do not overdo it. When using overpowering colours like red, blue, pink etc, use them as highlights or for one or two statement decor areas like just the curtains or an armchair etc, as the wrong use of colour can look daunting.

4. Eclectic

• An eclectic living room should give a free-spirited, bohemian, curated, and artistic vibes.

• The best thing about the eclectic style is that there are no rules.

• You can go for mix and match of curtains, sofa, wallpaper, furniture etc.

• Bring out your collectables, bits and bobs from your travels, unique art pieces etc and put them together to create a fun and interactive living room.

• When picking the wall colour, go bold with offbeat and whimsical colours such as electric blue, purple, wine red etc.

5. Traditional

• Think an Indian-art inspired ethnic looking living space.

• Look for inspiration in local textiles, prints, artwork, handicrafts, furniture and so on.

• Choose ornate lamps, carved wood furniture, rich carpets, rich colours for upholstery, think metallics, beadwork, mirror work and so on.

• While picking artwork go for art and images inspired by the Indian sub-continent, Indian bride and animals etc.

• Elephant shaped candles or boxes, Brass lamps or candle stands, bells and trinkets etc are some decor ideas for a traditional living room space.

6. Vintage

Vintage Living Room Design Beautiful Classic Sofas Luxury Chandelier

• Think the charming eras of 50s and 60s

• Find inspiration your local royal heritage or the rich European culture.

• Go for heavy drapes, fine fabrics like silk, satin or velvet, expensive looking decor like chandeliers, porcelain sculptures, tassels in your curtain, ruffles or lace in your upholstery, classical art on your walls etc.

• Colours like beige, soft brown, off-white, golden, silver etc are apt choices to create a vintage living room.

• Dig out passed down pieces of decor, family heritage goods, black and white images of your great forefathers to add to the vintage charm of the space.

7. Retro

• Think the rock and roll eras from the 60s-90s

• Bold colours, pop art, check print on the flooring, neon colours, shiny decor pieces, Movies’ inspired posters and art for this look or you can go the other extreme and pick an all black and white look.

• Wallpapers can go a long way in making this theme a success, think candy stripes, pastel florals, mint blue and green etc.

• Flower vases and coloured pots and lamps are also characteristic accessories for a retro living room design.

• Have fun by adding retro telephone, Marilyn Monroe or Madhubala posters, Ornate glass objects as a part of your decor.

8. Rustic

• Think all things close to nature, raw and organic looking.

• When picking colours, browns, greens, beige etc are your best bet.

• Wooden furniture is a no-brainer when it comes to picking furniture for a rustic style living room.

• Having a little fireplace is a great way to add a rustic touch to the living room. You can also go for brick or stone walls, linen or cotton upholstery, animal-inspired decor, animal or plant prints, rocks and big plants etc to create a rustic living room.