85 Modern Living Room Design Ideas for the Ultimate Hangout Spot

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.

hugo toro paris apartment modern living roompinterest
Stephan Julliard
1

Laid-Back

house tour augusta hoffman
Tim Lenz

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.”

2

Patterned Living Room

marisa tomei house tour
Douglas Friedman

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.

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3

Desert Retreat

nicole hollis modern living room
Douglas Friedman

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.

4

Hard-Meets-Soft Living Room

open living area with doors to the mediterranean and black accent furniture and rock shaped tables on a moire blue area rug and a tall monolithic fireplace at center a
Stephan Julliard

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.

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5

Maximalist Chicago Living Room

summer thornton  elle decor
Thomas Loof

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.

6

Marble Living Room

hamptons home modern living room
Douglas Friedman

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.

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7

Eclectic Flair

florian marquardt modern living room frank gehry architecture
Sam Frost

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.

8

Bold & Bright

mumbai apartment
Fabien Charuau

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.

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9

Statement Piece

modern living room
Richard Powers

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.

10

Candy Living Room

leah ring living room
Laure Joliet

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.

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11

Retro Living Room

a living room with a couch and a coffee table
William Abranowicz

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.

12

Rainbow-Toned Living Room

a living room with a fireplace
Félix Dol Maillot

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.

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13

Bold Silhouettes

modern living rooms
Christopher Stark

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.

14

Midcentury Modern Romance

in the corner of the bedroom are two chairs with three seat cushions each, a small round marble topped pedestal table, a floor lamp with a globe shade, built in book shelves, and a black marble fireplace
Tim Lenz

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.

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15

Bold Tones and Graphic Prints

a living room has black walls with white ornate ceiling molding, a chandelier made of crystal teardrops, a cobalt blue sofa, a white artwork on the wall, a curved edge cocktail table, two patterned armchairs
Kelly Marshall

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.

16

Industrial Interest Living Room

jesse parrislamb industrial house
Nicole Franzen

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).

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17

The Old Meets the New

living room with high ceilings and a long sofa covered in a plant green velvet against the left wall and several small tripod tables scattered at center and opposite the sofa is a built in fireplace clad in metal and windows on the back wall with bamboo shades rolled up and a tall plant or tree peeking out from the corner of the room
Chris Mottalini

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.

18

Treasure-Filled

ishka design
Frank Frances Studio

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.

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19

Shape-Shifting

a living room has three windows, white walls, a fireplace with carved mantel and large mirror above, two armchairs, a lounge chair, two cocktail tables, a long green curved sofa, wall sconces, and artworks
Stephen Kent Johnson

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.

20

Height-Defiant Living Room

atraform studios beachwood canyon house
Yoshihiro Makino

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.

Headshot of Rachel Silva

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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