Green living room ideas – these 14 living spaces have nailed the popular, timeless colour scheme
Green is a timeless, soothing and stylish living room colour choice – so it’s no surprise it’s so popular
If you’re looking for a very timeless colour to paint your living room that’s not white, off-white or a similar light neutral shade, you can’t go wrong with green. Green living room ideas will never go out of style. And at this point, it’s practically considered a neutral.
This living room colour scheme is not only timeless and stylish, it’s also known to be soothing and calming given that green is the colour of nature. And given this reference, painting your lounge walls green - or injecting the colour in an alternative way - is the perfect way to bring the outside in.
‘Green is a hugely versatile colour, whether you want to use it as an accent or let it take centre stage, there is a shade for everyone,’ says Helen Shaw, international director of marketing at Benjamin Moore.
Ideal Home gets access to some of the most stylish homes in the country and many of them happen to feature green living rooms given the popularity of the colour. These are some of our favourite ones and the lessons you can learn from them – and then apply the learnings to your own living space.
1. Pair dark green walls with light flooring
While lighter shades of green have been favoured in previous years, these days, you don't have to avoid a dark green hue. It creates drama and it's a great cosy living room idea.
Natalie Benes opted for Little Greene's Livid shade in her snug but in order to balance out the darkness she painted the floorboards of her Hertfordshire home white.
'Painting the original floorboards white creates a bold contrast with the darker walls, while the deep tones and cosy textures make the space perfect for snuggling up with a good movie,' Natalie says.
2. Paint panelled walls green
You don't have to choose between your living room wall panelling ideas and painting the walls a bold colour – you can do both as Lettie and Stephen's open-plan living room in their Isle of Mull cottage shows.
The traditional-style panelling looks perfectly at home in this seaside cottage and the chosen rich yet traditional green shade called Calke Green by Farrow & Ball beautifully highlights it.
Named after the colour of the Breakfast Room at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, it's a traditional shade of green that can be described as a dark sage.
3. Tie in wall colour with art and upholstery
One of the easiest ways to make sure that everything in your living room goes together and creates a harmonious space for you to relax in is by sticking to a very cohesive colour palette. And that's exactly what the owner of this Victorian family home has done, particularly in her snug.
Painted in Farrow & Ball's most popular green shade, Green Smoke, the space references the chosen wall colour in everything from the upholstery to the artworks on the walls. 'It looks beautiful on cosy winter evenings with candles and light from the wall lamps. Art really adds character and makes your home unique to you,' the owner says.
Described as 'smoky green blue' by the brand, Farrow & Ball's Green Smoke has both a moody and a vintage quality to it.
4. Go for a classic sage
Sage is a popular choice both for kitchen and green bedroom ideas. But this light, timeless shade also works in living rooms – especially if you want to create an airy feel.
‘Lighter greens such as sage reflect more light so work to create an airy, open feel – making a living room appear larger,’ says Sara D’Souza, content strategist and creator at Frenchic Paint.
5. Create drama with dark green
If you want to add some drama and grandeur to your living room and make it feel like a cosy but exclusive members club, then a dark green shade on the walls will do just that. The owner of this Victorian family home with a green colour palette can attest to that.
'We wanted it to be our escape – a grown-up space where we could unwind with a glass of wine after a busy day. It was not a room to hold back on and we went to town adding in period features and sumptuous textiles, patterns and colours that now make it feel like a cosy members club,’ the owner explains.
6. Use a block of green for zoning
While living room feature wall ideas can feel a little outdated, using paint to zone certain areas of your living room - and home in general - is not only popular and stylish, it's also clever.
That's the approach Orima Kamalu took when renovating her Bristol family home, painting the nook arround her sofa a dark green shade and leaving the rest of the walls white.
7. Paint the picture rail in a lighter shade
You don't have to limit yourself to only one wall colour. There are many fun living room paint ideas that you can experiment with, whether that's painting half of your walls in one shade and the other half in another or painting the picture rail and above in a lighter shade than the rest of your green walls to create a cosy feel in the room. Jenny and Sam, owners of a 1930s semi-detached house, opted for the latter.
'I have three style rules that I’ve used throughout the house; I start with a neutral base, sit that with darker tones and then add wooden accessories to inject depth and warmth,' Jenny says.
8. Colour drench with green
Colour drenching is one of the biggest home decor trends that’s come out from the last couple of years in interiors. And while you can colour drench with pretty much any colour you like, a living room drenched in green looks especially stylish as you can see in this Edwardian semi-detached house, pictured above.
‘Colour drenching a living room in a deep green shade will bring the outside inside, linking the room to the natural world,' says Bailey Oates, colour expert at Earthborn. 'Dark tones will create a cosy, cocooning effect, ideal for a relaxing living room. Pair with wooden furniture, décor in earthy tones and fresh blooms for a truly nature-inspired design scheme.'
9. Create an earthy colour palette
As already discussed, green is the colour of nature which is largely why it's so loved by so many. So why not embrace the natural inspiration by pairing green with other earthy shades in your living room? That's exactly what the homeowner of this Essex two-bedroom terrace house has done, even though she was going more for a 1960s/70s theme.
‘I love the 1960s and 70s look, so I wanted to find a way to incorporate some elements of this design through the colour palette. Overall, I think I've achieved a modern-take on early 70s style with a nod to the era without it being too obvious,’ the owner says.
10. Create a luxurious feel with jewel shades
Deep, rich jewel tones are loved for their sense of grandeur and luxury which includes everything from sapphire blue to amethyst purple. But also deep, rich greens like emerald are very popular.
‘Deep emeralds or jewel-toned greens are more of a bold, accent or statement colour which need a different approach within a living room,' says Lucy Mather, interiors expert at Arighi Bianchi. 'These colours work well for fans of the maximalism trend, and an accent colour, but not the more popular aesthetic approaches of wellbeing and colour drenching.'
11. Unify furniture and walls in the same shade
Paint fitted furniture the same shade of green as the walls to create a continuation of space. Rather than highlight the frame of bench seating, this room has cleverly integrated it into the wall so it feels seamless and less imposing. The pretty pink cushions then become the hero of this welcoming seating area.
12. Start with a statement green sofa
Light neutrals may go with anything and blush pink may be pretty. But if you're looking for a siren of a sofa that begs you to sit in it, then opt for deep green. This dark hue will draw you in and encourage you to sit and relax – no excuses!
For a snug setting, go equally dark on the walls – either with a matching green or an equally dark inky blue. Metallic accents bring flashes of brightness so the look is never gloomy.
John Lewis' Border sofa is one of the best modular sofas on the market in our opinion. And it can be yours in just seven days if you opt for this chic green linen upholstery.
13. Layer green on green
Shades of green work beautifully together, so don't be afraid to mix light and dark, and both blue- and yellow-based palettes. Here, a sofa in green upholstery has been set against walls painted in a slightly different shade of green. But they work perfectly together.
14. Let blue and green be seen
'Blue and green should never be seen' the old adage goes, but I (and many experts and homeowners) disagree! Mix just about any blues with any green (plus their sophisticated love child, teal) and you've got yourself an effortlessly harmonious blend for a characterful colour scheme.
In this living room, a blue armchair with tapered legs has been set in a nook painted in a dark green shade – and they work perfectly together.
FAQs
Is green a good colour for a living room?
In short, yes, green is an excellent colour choice for any kind of living room. But Sara D’Souza at Frenchic Paint further elaborates.
‘Associated with nature, green is the perfect colour for a living room, as it gives the feel of bringing the outdoors in and taps into the ongoing trend for biophilia. Dependent on what kind of atmosphere you want to create, green can bring a sense of calm, an inviting cosiness, vibrancy, or an elegant feel if you go for a darker hue,’ she explains.
What colour skirting boards go with green walls in a living room?
We’ve already mentioned that colour drenching your living room in green looks especially chic and elegant, which of course includes the skirting boards. So instead of going for the traditional white glossy skirting boards, we’d recommend painting them the same colour as your walls.
‘I think painting skirting in the same colour as the walls is the best look around the home per se – rather than the typical white gloss,’ says Lucy Mather at Arighi Bianchi. ‘So I would colour match the walls and skirts.’
No one can argue that green makes for the perfect living room colour choice. But which one is your favourite?
