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Oct 19, 2024

85 Modern Living Room Design Ideas for the Ultimate Hangout Spot

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Living in the here and now is way more fun when your home looks like this.

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Living in the here and now is way more fun when your home looks like this.

Just like a flared pant leg, the open-plan living room has seen a resurgence this past decade. Gone is the era of self-defined rooms, meaning our awkward mother-in-law phone convos, fire alarm-sounding cooking mishaps, and 15-part series binge sessions all happen in one big room. Possibly at the same time. Inevitably, the modern living room design scheme has also evolved to meet the changing needs of its modern inhabitants.

What does that look like? It’s not what you think—entirely. As Cochineal Design principal and cofounder Sarah Sargeant points out, the term modern living room might conjure a look that’s “sterile, austere, and one-note.” But in reality, modern living rooms can deftly bridge the gap between the welcoming and well appointed. In fact, “modernity has a streamlined tone that balances historic forms with a fresh sensibility,” ELLE DECOR A-List designer Augusta Hoffman adds. This can mean incorporating anything from minimal to midcentury, natty to neutral, chrome to concrete.

But where to start when looking for your own version of modern? “The most successful modern spaces find beauty in practicality while using rich materials to soften the minimalism,” Hoffman explains. Sargeant agrees: “For us, modern means it achieves lifestyle needs while also being minimal leaning,” she tells us. “We believe that mixing time periods, tones, and textures can achieve a current look.”

To help, we’ve combed through our favorite living rooms from the ELLE DECOR archives to find the sleek spaces that push modernity into its furthest reaches. Think of the list below—with its can’t-miss light fixtures and clever layout ideas—as your 2024 design bucket list.

One of the best things about today’s living rooms is they don’t have to be too stuffy or precious. In fact, Augusta Hoffman specifically enlisted a pair of Blasco Clichy swivel chairs to up this Upper East Side apartment’s chill factor. “I love the chairs because they bring in an element of casualness that my client was looking for as a younger person who enjoys having people over to watch movies and hang out,” Hoffman says. “It doesn’t have to feel so sophisticated all the time.”

If you love her movies, you'll probably love her living room too. Designer Alexandra Hayden showcased Academy Award–winning actress Marisa Tomei's passion for beautiful objects throughout this New York City apartment—and her living room is its crown jewel. It features a maximalist sofa upholstered in a Kuba textile, an amorphic floor lamp, and floor cushions in a Dedar velvet. Take a seat? Why, don’t mind if we do.

Interior designer Nicole Hollis knows living rooms. In this minimal Indian Wells, California, desert retreat, a curved Vladimir Kagan sofa and puff lounge chairs make for a sophisticated living space. Whether you’re coming here for a much-needed meditation moment or throwing a raucous dinner party, there’s something for everyone.

What’s a person to do if their already-modern living room feels a smidge stony? Soften things up with a plush area rug. A wool and silk layer by Jan Kath lends a homey feel to the industrial-leaning living room from Raëd Abillama.

Anyone who has a more-is-more aesthetic will find a lot to love about this zesty prewar apartment in Chicago. Designer Summer Thornton doubled down on boldness with jewel-toned seating, a pair of pendants from Urban Electric Co., and a sweet wallcovering by de Gournay.

A clean and delicate room will always be a timeless aesthetic. For Andrea and John Stark’s Hamptons home, this Azura marble fireplace wall, flanked by a pair of facing sofas, sets the scene for fabulous face-to-face time with loved ones.

This late 1970s house in Venice, California, designed by Frank Gehry and redecorated by owner Florian Marquardt, features a living room with harmonious contrasts. With a vintage sofa by Mario Bellini beside a wonderfully blobby cocktail table by Mike Ruiz Serra, we’d wager even Gehry himself would feel right at home here.

Srila Chatterjee and Mahesh Mathai put their bold aesthetic on full display in their Mumbai living room. The vibrant purple walls are paired with flea-market finds, a tiger sculpture from Kerala, and a custom ottoman and chairs.

If you have a statement art piece in your collection, framing it in the living room is probably the best way to showcase it. Architect Lee Mindel took on the role of decorating Darren Starr’s New York City loft, and this spheric artwork by Jose Dávila makes the room stand out.

Mixing and matching is the style of this outré oasis in Yucca Valley, California. Crafted by Another Human’s Leah Ring, neutrals and simple patterns were thrown out the door, and color was the main character.

Interior designer Cliff Fong decorated this 1927 Mediterranean-style mansion in Los Angeles with a sartorial eye. For this modern living room, a loud and proud Stanley Whitney artwork became the starting point around which everything else fell into place.

If you’re asking Parisian-based interior design firm Uchronia, statement motifs, bright colors, patterns, and undulating lines are the bread and butter of a great room. In this Haussmannian apartment in the city’s eighth arrondissement, the goal was to create a space that looked like the inside of a jewel box, without any frills. Ombré walls were a great place to start.

Modern design needn’t be confined to right angles alone. In a sitting area of this California retreat, designed by Noz Nozawa, the asymmetry of the room is enhanced by a Casey McCafferty cocktail table that looks like it could come alive at any moment. The curvy rug underneath it by François Dumas further enlivens the room—both tonally and texturally—encouraging informal living that is as refined as it is comfortable.

In the modern home not every space has a single, distinct use. Sometimes one must choose between a dining area over a living room—or vice versa. When space is limited, make miniature modern living rooms out of unused corners, like Augusta Hoffman did here in her elegant New York City apartment.

In the same way that a gray scale can evoke the silent films of the past, so can bold colors and graphic prints root you in the present moment. In the living room of a Manhattan townhouse, designer Danielle Colding brought in a royal blue biomorphic sofa and graphic upholstered armchairs that banish any thoughts of the old and fuddy-duddy.

Modernity lives in any time period. What is central to the concept is invention. In this Connecticut beach house, Amanda Jesse and Whitney Parris-Lamb looked to the industrial revolution to pinpoint their definition of modern. The presence of metal and concrete, plus the brightness of the space, allows for earthy, muted tones to take precedence in the furnishings. It’s a perfect opportunity to work with a carpenter like Jacob May (who designed the dining table to the left) or Palo Samko (who made the dining chairs).

One colossal statement to modernity can steer a room down a forward moving path. In the living room of a West Hollywood pied-à-terre, Andre Herrero of Charlap Hyman & Herrero constructed a steel double-height fireplace with a hidden compartment for the client’s TV. The material evokes spaceships and factories—symbols of the modern day. Contemporary art, like the eyeball-shaped sculpture by Olivia Erlanger, hanging across from the fireplace, does its part to keep things fresh too. In this environment, choice antiques can make sense as well, when balanced by contemporary elements.

Anyone can make a sleek living room appear warm and welcoming—all it takes are some thoughtful accessories. In this Brooklyn townhouse, Ishka Designs packed on the charm with intriguing ceramics and eye-catching artwork. The result? A living room that hits that sweet spot between luxe and lived-in.

Move over, boxy armchairs and rectangular sofas: Furniture with an atypical silhouette is a surefire way to give those living room essentials some visual intrigue. The design duo at Ashe Leandro spruced up a Park Avenue pad with a curvy lounge chair from Move Mountains as well as a bulbous custom sofa that’s upholstered in Rose Uniacke wool.

If James Williams and Jonno Burden’s living room is any indication, the only way to go really is up. The duo accented their 30-foot-tall ceiling with two clusters of custom light pendants, drawing the eye upward and creating a light, airy space in the process.

Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture. She has previously written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Citywire.

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