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A kitchen with open shelving displaying various decorative objects

All rooms The 3-5-7 styling trick designers use to make their shelves and coffee tables look so good – it's a simple way to create balance and interest

A neutral-coloured small living room with a dado rail and a botanical gallery wall above the cream sofa

Living room How to make an uncomfortable sofa comfier – experts share their quick fixes to make your seating feel better without spending too much

The best chair bed Ideal Home has tested on a pink background

Sofas These are the best chair beds for hosting overnight guests if you have limited space

dark brown bedroom with a monstera plant

Open House Is colour drenching really a radical new way to decorate, or is it just lazy decorating?

A small pink-painted living room with an olive green velvet curved sofa and burgundy bookcases built into alcoves

Living room Small living room ideas – take inspiration from these 50 stylish yet compact lounges and turn your own into a standout space

A colour-drenched green living room with a floral-print sofa and chairs

Living room How to plan a small living room – 14 questions experts say you should consider to make the most of a tiny lounge

A blue-painted family living room with colourful wall art and tonal sideboard for toy storage

Living room 12 common family living room mistakes that experts warn against – this is what to do instead to create a cosy, stylish and practical family living space

A living room with a modern grey low sofa, a Berber-style rug and a retro coffee table

Living room I asked 8 interior designers what you shouldn’t put in a small living room – these 3 things kept coming up

A bright open-plan living room with a white sofa positioned away from walls

Sofas 'It makes the room feel more dynamic and considered’ – this sofa positioning tip always comes up when I speak to interior experts

Japandi living room with beige sofa, coffee table, wooden chair and floor lamp to the left, plant and picture on wall to the right, berber rug on floor

Living room A Japandi Living Room

A small living room painted in pink with wall panelling, a dark velvet chaise sofa and a mirror above the fireplace

Living room How to make a small living room look and feel bigger – 19 ways to expand your space with clever colour, curtain, sofa and mirror tricks

An off white-painted living room with a mustard yellow chaise sofa with the front legs on top of a graphic rug

Sofas 'It really does make sense' – the timeless interior rule experts always recommend for styling a rug and sofa in a living room

A living room with a green Habitat sofa and a Morris Co armchair

Living room ‘When your sofa and wall colours are in sync, the space feels intentional’ – experts reveal the 4 best paint and sofa colour combinations

A living room with a large window, a grey sofa with a wooden frame, a brown settee-style sofa and an ottoman coffee table

Living room ‘It makes your living room feel more connected and comfortable’ – the 4-inch seating rule is the trick interior designers have been using for years

A white living room with a white corner sofa and vintage nesting tables with a vase of flowers on top

Sofas Sofa colours to avoid – these are the 3 shades experts recommend to steer clear of, and the ones you should go for instead

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Living room

All the living room ideas you'll need from the expert ideal Home editorial team. Be inspired by styles, designs, trends and layout advice

By Rebecca Knight

last updated 29 March 2023

The best living room ideas are ones that help create a space to gather and connect with our family and friends. Living rooms are a space to relax and unwind, whether that is watching the latest Netflix series or gossiping over a cup of tea on the sofa.

Comfortable furniture is undeniably at the heart of the most successful living room ideas, but there are so many other factors to consider. Colour, layout, and even planning where the TV will all work together to create a sitting room you love to be in.

Whether you are restyling a front room or making over a tiny snug our experts at Ideal Home know exactly how to create a comfy space, that is brimming with style no matter your budget. We have pooled our knowledge into a range of living room features to help you navigate any decorating overwhelm and create the lounge of your dreams.

Explore Living room

Sofas

Living room

An off white-painted living room with a mustard yellow chaise sofa with the front legs on top of a graphic rug

'It really does make sense' – the timeless interior rule experts always recommend for styling a rug and sofa in a living room

This is how to position your sofa and rug to anchor your living room's seating area

I don’t get impressed by a sofa design easily – but this Next modular sofa with built-in storage has done it

This is the sofa I’d be tempted to buy if I didn’t already have one I love

By Sara Hesikova
These are the best chair beds for hosting overnight guests if you have limited space

8 best chair beds for sitting and sleeping – space-saving overnight hosting solutions tried and tested by the Ideal Home team

By Amy Lockwood
How to make an uncomfortable sofa comfier – experts share their quick fixes to make your seating feel better without spending too much

Quick fixes to transform a firm or lumpy sofa

By Sara Hesikova

'It makes the room feel more dynamic and considered’ – this sofa positioning tip always comes up when I speak to interior experts

And it works!

By Sara Hesikova
14 best sofas – I’ve tried over 200 sofas and these are the most comfortable and stylish ones I’ve sat on

From budget to luxury, corner to storage sofas, this guide to best sofas has the perfect one for everybody

By Sara Hesikova
I don't need *any* more furniture, but this super-pretty Morris & Co sofa bed just made me rethink my living room setup

I can't stop thinking about this Swyft x Morris & Co sofa bed

By Amy Lockwood

Is this the perfect sofa bed? IKEA's new £650 launch turns into a full-size bed for two *and* has hidden storage

I'm impressed

By Amy Lockwood
How to make a small living room look and feel bigger – 19 ways to expand your space with clever colour, curtain, sofa and mirror tricks

Want to visually stretch your tiny lounge? These are interior experts' top tricks to do so

By Sara Hesikova
Will Japandi rule your living room in 2026? Interior experts weigh in

This is how the trend and timeless design style is set to evolve

By Sara Hesikova

Japandi living room with beige sofa, coffee table, wooden chair and floor lamp to the left, plant and picture on wall to the right, berber rug on floor

A Japandi Living Room

Discover the key design ingredients for a living space that's the perfect blend of cosy and minimal

I’ve tried and tested the best of the best artificial Christmas trees out there – these are my top-rated picks from budget to luxury

From John Lewis to The White Company, these are the 12 best fake Christmas trees for every budget

By Sara Hesikova
This sofa bed is so comfy that I've been tempted to use it instead of my actual bed

Looks smart, unfolds to a full double, and is secretly the comfiest sleep spot in my home

By Thea Babington-Stitt
'I spent hours looking for a sofa bed that would get through the door of my flat' – this flatpack design is the solution

I recommend this flatpack sofa bed to anyone struggling with awkward access

By Amy Lockwood

I just discovered this stylish Next sofa bed *and* it's under £500 – no wonder savvy shoppers are snapping it up

The sofa bed that's proving a hit ahead of hosting season

By Amy Lockwood
'You'd never know it was a sofa bed' – Loaf's new solution for hosting overnight guests is brilliantly disguised

No one will ever guess these stylish sofas hide a pull-out mattress inside

By Amy Lockwood
Small living room ideas – take inspiration from these 50 stylish yet compact lounges and turn your own into a standout space

This is how to make the most of every inch of a small living room and make it look elevated at the same time

By Sara Hesikova

‘It has that chameleon-like ability’ – every expert I asked agrees this is one of the best rug colours for a living room

A beige rug might just be what your living room needs – experts reveal how to make it work in your lounge

By Sara Hesikova
How to plan a small living room – 14 questions experts say you should consider to make the most of a tiny lounge

A step-by-step guide to designing a small living room like a pro

By Sara Hesikova
John Lewis has launched what I think is the most stylish sofa bed on the market – *and* it promises to be comfortable

I think this trend-setting sofa bed is one of the most stylish you can buy

By Amy Lockwood

IKEA sofa bed

Are IKEA sofa beds worth it? I tested the entire range, and these are the 3 that convinced me they are

These are the IKEA sofa beds I would shop

‘I bought three’ – Dunelm is having a huge sale right now but the cult Beatrice chair bed is the only thing you need on your radar

Run, don't walk

By Kezia Reynolds
5 tricks that will keep a south-facing living room cool – even in a surprise heatwave

Keep your cool

By Kezia Reynolds
‘It will create a sense of balance and proportionality’ – if you’re buying a living room mirror, this is the sizing rule to follow

Experts swear by this living room mirror sizing rule to get the proportions just right

By Sara Hesikova

‘When your sofa and wall colours are in sync, the space feels intentional’ – experts reveal the 4 best paint and sofa colour combinations

These are the sofa and wall colour pairings that will effortlessly elevate your living space

By Sara Hesikova
This £12 Amazon buy made my sofa bed so much more comfortable for guests - I just wish I'd bought them sooner

This quick fix gives the illusion of a proper bed

By Rebecca Knight
IKEA's new sofa bed is what I'd buy for my own home as a sofa bed expert – it's the ideal choice for a small space

This budget-friendly sofa bed is my top pick if, like me, you're short on floor space

By Amy Lockwood

‘This is just the best’ – Richard E. Grant redecorated his snug with this statement shade and fans are obsessed

‘It’s a fearless choice that instantly makes the space feel cocooning and joyful’

By Sara Hesikova
'It’s an icon in the making!' – John Lewis' new showstopping sofa is one of the best designs from the brand to date

I fell in love with this new John Lewis sofa the minute I saw it

By Sara Hesikova
I asked 8 interior designers what you shouldn’t put in a small living room – these 3 things kept coming up

The pros reveal what to avoid and what to do instead

By Sara Hesikova

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