A fireplace is a natural focal point to arrange a living room around. In fact, a fireplace is one of the 10 top design features pros always recommend for creating a stylish and functional living room. For inspiration, see how these four designers approached this classic living room layout.
1st Impressions Design, LLC
1. Palette Cleanser
Designer: Debra Garvin of 1st Impressions DesignLocation: Chanhassen, Minnesota
Size: 162½ square feet (15 square meters); 12½ by 13 feet
Homeowner’s request. “My client was a 30-year-old, first-time homebuyer who wanted a transitional style using neutrals with small pops of color,” says designer Debra Garvin, who used Houzz ideabooks with her client. “She wanted better visual flow between the rooms with serene colors and a cozy feel. There was also a limited budget, so we needed to keep the existing flooring and fireplace tile surround. I knew that painting the wood trim and walls would immediately transform the space, making it feel larger and updating its style. By starting with a new palette in black, white and pale gray, we could visually expand the room and make it feel current.”
Main feature. “There are actually two focal points in this small space — the wall with the fireplace on one end and the open staircase on the opposite wall — so that’s where we started,” Garvin says. “The wood trim and balusters were painted white, while the mantel and banister were painted black to create contrast and visual interest. We also hung light-colored drapes with charcoal edging to add softness and texture. Hanging them higher and wider than the window frame made the windows look larger and the ceiling appear higher. The black metal curtain rods repeated the black color on the fireplace, mantel and banister.”
Other special features. “We painted the shiny brass detail on the existing fireplace with high-heat spray paint from Rustoleum in a matte black finish for a contemporary look,” Garvin says. “Two small ottomans flank the media cabinet to provide additional seating and hidden storage. Multifunctional furniture is always important in small-space design. There was no overhead lighting in the room, so we added the homeowner’s existing black metal table lamps plus a slim-profile floor lamp.”
A large area rug pulls together the gray, white and black palette.
Designer tip. “When using predominantly neutral colors, spaces can sometimes end up looking plain and uninteresting,” Garvin says. “To avoid this, add light and dark elements for contrast and layer different textures for visual interest.”
Paint colors: Agreeable Gray (walls), Pure White (trim), Tricorn Black (mantel and banister), Sherwin-Williams
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2. Pop and Circ*mstance
Designer: Lexi Brandfon of
Location: Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Size: 250 square feet (23 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “They wanted a family-friendly, colorful and comfortable space that fit into the architectural style of the house,” designer Lexi Brandfon says. “The fireplace surround was old and outdated and we sought to make it a fresh focal point.”
Main feature. “This room faces the Hudson River and specifically has dramatic views of the Palisades,” Brandfon says. “It was important to also highlight the windows with custom drapery in a gorgeous Isobel fabric that was geometrical and feminine at the same time. The tone of these informed the wallpaper in the hallway and set the vibe for the accenting blues, greens and burnt sienna, which was already part of the floors in an adjoining room.”
Other special features. Patterned Fireclay tiles on the fireplace surround. Abstract art by Keren Toledano. Vintage side tables.
Designer tip. “Balance colors by using the same hues in different tones,” Brandfon says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The coffee table has a marble top and the clients have small children,” Brandfon says. “The top wasn’t firmly attached to the base and there was a fear the rambunctious kids would tip the marble over. Luckily when we had the custom mantel installed, they were also able to affix the top of the table to the base.”
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J Renee Designs
3. Midcentury Mood
Designer: Jessica Schuler of J Renee Designs
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Size: 247 square feet (23 square meters); 13 by 19 feet
Homeowners’ request. “This space is a living room located off the foyer in the front of the house, and my clients wanted to entertain guests here,” says designer Jessica Schuler, whose clients used Houzz ideabooks to help communicate their style preferences. “They wanted a more grown-up space that would reflect their personal style, rather than just a pass-through space that was never used. For style, they wanted a midcentury modern feel and as much seating as we could fit into the space without it feeling crowded, as this room was part of the main flow of the first floor.”
Main feature. “The jumping-off point was definitely the sofa,” Schuler says. “My client knew she wanted a leather midcentury-style sofa. This led to the warm-colored rug choice, as not all rugs work well with this style sofa. We wanted something with pattern but not something that would take over the room. Once we finalized these two selections, the rest of the room came together very easily.”
Other special features. “The finishes included leather, wool, marble and walnut mixed with some performance suede fabric for the chairs, all tried and true for the midcentury-style genre,” Schuler says. “The fireplace, which is original to the home, got a face-lift to the hearth in the form of a herringbone dark slate tile. The walls were painted Sherwin Williams Repose Gray. The original oak wood floors were replaced with French oak 6-inch-wide plank hardwood floors.”
Designer tip. “We used lots of greenery,” Schuler says. “This room had a dead corner up near the fireplace. We added in a large arched floor lamp and two large planters with large-scale live plants in them. These particular types of plants are super easy to care for and will thrive in most low-light environments. I try to get every client to add in some form of greenery.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The main dilemma in this room was they wanted to fit a sofa and two chairs in the room, but it was also the main connecting point to the dining room so you had to pass through this space to get there,” Schuler says. “I did a few floor plan drawings to give them layout options. We ultimately decided on two chairs that would sit across from the sofa for a conversational-style seating arrangement. I always do furniture space plans for every room. It is so crucial to know your walkways and flow so that you are not blindsided when the furniture arrives. We ensured the chairs we ordered were small enough to allow for a walkway behind them to the dining room.”
10 Living Room Features Pros Always Recommend
Colossus Mfg.
4. Global Glow-Up
Designers: Kele Dobrinski and Christina Valencia of Colossus Mfg.
Location: Sacramento, California
Size: 288 square feet (27 square meters); 16 by 18 feet
Homeowners’ request. The couple tasked designers Kele Dobrinski and Christina Valencia with balancing one homeowner’s love of color and eclectic collectibles with the other’s preference for a calm, restorative space with a nod toward modern Japanese design. “To create a room they’d both love, we used a range of raw wood tones, clean lines and a neutral palette as our baseline, then infused the room with warmer elements through a collection of textiles and a diverse gathering of furnishings,” Dobrinski says.
Main feature. “When we first saw their space, the living room was oriented towards the blank white wall rather than the fireplace,” Valencia says. “So as a starting place, we reoriented the room to make their fireplace the focal point. Then we gave the fireplace a face-lift by wrapping the weathered bookshelves in white oak veneer and painting the brick surround a calming khaki color. We also gave the interior of the fireplace a fresh start by painting it black. Finally, we balanced all of the neutral colors with colorful, globally inspired finds on the new white oak shelves.”
Other special features. “After revamping the fireplace, we loaded the room with Scandinavian furnishings, then layered everything in a whole lot of colorful funk and globally sourced goods like patterned armchairs, a gorgeous color-blocked tapestry from Oaxaca, Mexico, a rug from India and a vintage Japanese lantern light that we restored by simply adding new ginwashi paper,” Dobrinski says.
Designer tip. “We like to help your eye find a point of visual impact when you land in the room,” Valencia says. “Unless you are a maximalist, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by too many patterns and colors lumped together, rather than appreciate the beauty of each piece. For example, in this living room we paired the statement-worthy color-block tapestry with two sitting chairs that still had an interesting form but were a more muted color so as to not compete with the bold colors on the wall.”
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