Room Design
Living Rooms
By
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.
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Updated on 01/03/23
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Cozy isn't a style but a feeling, the homey ambiance of a room that makes us want to curl up, relax and cocoon ourselves from the world. A living room might feel cozy because of its architecture and proportions, like a snug Victorian sitting room or cottage interior. Or it might feel cozy because it's furnished with plenty of comfy seating options for friends and family; decorated with warm colors; layered with sensual textures like fluffy pillows and soft throws; crammed with books and personal objects; warmly lit or possessed of a real or faux fireplace. There is no single recipe for what makes a space feel cozy—that depends on individual tastes and sensibilities. Just remember that it doesn't take a big budget to create a cozy living room, just a little bit of heart.
Here are some examples of various ways to create a cozy living room no matter your budget or style.
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Cabin Chic
This charming 1920s hunting cabin in the canyons of Los Angeles renovated by Leanne Ford Interiors has a lived in feel layered with soft textures, cozy furniture, a jumble of objects, and plenty of curves from the tables to the lighting that create an effortlessly chic and cozy oasis with a timeless feel.
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Spanish Colonial
This Spanish colonial living room in Portland, ME from interior designer Tyler Karu uses a mix of light and dark tones with warm, earthy touches like the tile surround fireplace, vintage trunk coffee table, and a simple wood rocking chair that make it feel as cozy and inviting as it is stylish.
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London Style
This London flat living room from Jersey Ice Cream Co. has a period fireplace, textured walls covered with nonchalantly pinned up photos, a classic French mirror over the fireplace, and a cozy seating arrangement made up of mismatched furnishings that creates a warm and inviting vibe with a sense of history.
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Layered
This Los Angeles living room from Stefani Stein has rustic ceiling beams, comfortable furniture, a mix of neutrals and pastel accents, and layered textiles that create a cozy and relaxing gathering space.
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Vintage Charm
This small Swedish living room from Fantastic Frank has soft white walls, vintage furniture upholstered in modern neutral fabrics, vintage-style lighting, and a perfect sense of proportion that creates a cozy sitting area between two doors.
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Bachelor Pad
This bachelor pad living room from Will Brown Interiors has a classic Eames recliner softened with a faux fur throw, warm gray walls, a midcentury credenza, layered rugs, and some plants and flowers to add coziness.
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Treehouse
Large wraparound windows give this living room from Laura Brophy Interiors a treehouse feel and a wide open view. But the taupe walls, mix of natural wood and textiles, minimalist fireplace, and intimate seating arrangement of overstuffed armchairs around a central table add a grounding and cozy feel that can sometimes be lost in a room with an expansive view to the outdoors.
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Dark and Warm
Dark teal walls, a comfy cognac leather couch, vintage accents, a wall of books, and a candle sconce make this low lit living room designed by Ryann Miller for Emily Henderson Design a cozy and inviting place to hang out.
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NYC
Interior designer Travis London of Studio London Co. turned a cookie cutter NYC apartment living room into a cozy, vibrant oasis with graphic wallpaper, a modern pendant light fixture, a pair of tall bookshelves and matching armchairs, and a patterned rug and colorful piece of wall art with a heart-warming message. To maintain flow the designer opted to skip adding a coffee table, adding side tables on either end of the long green velvet sofa instead.
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Echo Park Cabin
This rustic 1906 guest house cabin in Echo Park, CA from Leanne Ford Interiors was being sold as a tear down, but the designer decided to give it some love instead, renovating it before decorating it with a mix of vintage and modern furnishings and textiles like a Moroccan rug and armchair layered with texture to make it cozy.
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Yellow Velvet
This cozy English living room from House Nine has built-in bookshelves, pale hardwood floors, simple furnishings, and a gallery wall above the luminous mustard velvet sofa.
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Antique Touches
This living room from Groton Builders has a screen porch feel with wraparound windows, a vintage-style wood-burning stove, painted white shiplap walls, and antique furnishings and decor in modern neutral tones.
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Boho Style
This compact London living room from Emilie Fournet Interiors has a period fireplace, boho style furnishings, and an abundance of plants that create a homey, warm, cozy, and effortless feel.
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Elegant Farmhouse
This light-flooded, white-walled living room Leanne Ford Interiors has an elegant farmhouse feel thanks to shelves of collected objects, a cozy overstuffed sofa, and an antique crystal chandelier that hangs proudly in the center of the room.
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Greens and Blues
This living room Design by Bees Knees Interior Design Studio is both formal and cozy, with jewel toned walls and accessories in shades of green, blue, and white, and a piece of farmhouse themed art over the sofa layered with plush textiles.
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Black and White
This living room from interior designer Kara Mann has a cozy modern feel with its shiplap walls and ceilings, large black sectional, and black-and-white striped area rug.
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Organic
This living room from Becca Interiors has warm tones of beige, natural woven elements, overstuffed upholstery, vintage art, and touches of leather and wood that lend it a cozy, organic feel.
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Gray London
This cozy Victorian house living room in London from Emilie Fournet Interiors has classic bay windows and period fireplace, but it's decorated with midcentury modern furniture and decor, eclectic art, and green and orange accessories that play well against the warm gray walls.
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Natural
Soft textures, layered textiles, natural elements, sculptural lighting, and a neutral palette make this living room from Leanne Ford Interiors feel cozy and relaxing, while a black pane bay window adds a graphic touch.
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Moody
This sophisticated living room from Tribe Design Group has a matte black fireplace, deep upholstered armchairs, and fur-covered ottomans that give it a cozy and relaxing feel.
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Minimalist
This airy and uncluttered living room from Fantastic Frank somehow manages to feel cozy at the same time, thanks to homey touches like the Danish modern rocking chair and delicate antique chandelier, a large colorful patterned rug, potted plants in every window, flowy curtains, and an inviting gray freeform slipcover on the sofa.
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Traditional
Traditional style prioritizes comfort and familiarity, like this living room from Bees Knees Interior Design Studio with its floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases around the fireplace, pair of matching armchairs, and red and white accents.
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Saturated
Painting both the walls and the ceiling in a deep saturated blue makes this living room designed by Tina Ramchandani feel grounded and cozy.
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Modern
This living room seating area from Seattle-basedOreStudiosis modern, warm, natural, and cozy thanks to a graphic boxy floor-to-ceiling bookshelf anchored by a simple black fireplace; natural materials like wood paneled ceilings and hardwood floors; a jute rug and comfortable upholstered seating. Color accents from the books and on a blue upholstered armchair and assortment of throw pillows enliven the neutral palette.
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Sepia Tones
To warm up a cookie cutter space, just add an overstuffed sofa layered with throws and pillows in warm sepia tones, like this simply cozy living room designed by Ajai Guyot for Emily Henderson Design.
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Farmhouse
This Connecticut farmhouse living room from interior designer Kara Mann is just the right dose of cozy and chic, with built-in shelving styled with books on the bottom four shelves to add coziness, and neutral toned objects on the top shelves to keep it light. A deep blue velvet couch, a pair of matching armchairs, a vintage trunk coffee table, and layered rugs create a sitting area made for long evenings and lazy afternoons.
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Eclectic
This eclectic English living room from Lobster and Swan has an effortlessly cozy and inviting feel, with its mix of textiles, gauzy curtains, natural and wood elements, and warm, earthy color palette.
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Vintage Armchairs
In this London house living room from Emilie Fournet Interiors, a pair of mismatched vintage armchairs, shades of classic green paint, a smattering of books and objects, and red patterned textile accents create an unpretentiously cozy spot for nights in that will never go out of style.
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Close Quarters
This small living room from Jenn Pablo Studio is packed with comfy seating that encourage everyone to cuddle up, and decorated with neutral tones and bold accents like an organic wood coffee table and a patterned tile fireplace that distracts the eye from the giant TV over the mantel.
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Tiny House
Owner Sandra Foster designed the undeniably cozy living room in her 125-square-foot Victorian cottage tiny house in the Catskills of New York with romantic shabby chic vibes.
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Tudor
This cozy 1920s Tudor living room from Brexton Cole Interiors has a neutral palette of black and white, with touches of mustard yellow and gold to keep it from looking too traditional, and kitschy decorative accessories that give it a bit of modern sass.
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Spacious and Light
This spacious living room from Desiree Burns Interiors has a light and airy feel with wraparound windows and a light neutral color palette, but touches of wood, a large sectional layered with plenty of extra throw pillows, and a pair of armchairs lined up adjacent to the fireplace keep it feeling cozy.
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Mashup
A mashup of midcentury modern furniture and Caribbean colors that honor her clients' taste and backgrounds makes this living room from Cathie Hong Interiors feel light and cozy all at once.
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Dark Wood
A dramatic wall of rich warm wood stained paneling around the fireplace, a pair of oversized matching sofas in a soothing dark gray, and a soft rug make this living room from interior designer Kara Mann feel warm and cozy.
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Sheer Comfort
This living room from Alvin Wayne has a neutral palette of white, black, and wood tones, with a central seating area floated in the middle of the room that creates a comfortable and intimate gathering space built for conversation and conviviality, or epic reading sessions and weekend naps.
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Color Infusion
How do you make a stark white room a little cozier? One simple strategy is to add in a few choice accessories in bold colors that will steal the spotlight and warm up the atmosphere, like this room from Marian Louise Designs.
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Textural
This light and airy Palm Springs living room from Jenn Pablo Studio is made cozy with a large plump sectional sofa covered with textural Moroccan pillows, and a coffee table layered with books and flowers.
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Historic
This historic row house living room from Brexton Cole Interiors has cozy bones with its bay windows and original moldings, plus a cozy mix of vintage and antique furnishings and a velvet couch.
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Plush
This Australian living room from Liberty Interiors has soft gray walls, dark gray carpet, and touches of color in a mix of pastels and bolder shades that add a plush, sweet, and cozy feel.
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Poufs Galore
Lots of plump pillows on the couch and upholstered poufs with soft edges on the floor make this English living room from House Nine feel cozy, while the neutral palette keeps the room feeling light and airy.
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Warm Accents
This living room from A Beautiful Mess has a comfy corner sectional, a pink shag rug, a live edge coffee table, and an amber glass vase that creates a warm and cozy feel with a minimum of elements.
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Mix and Match
This double living room from Studio Peake has a hodgepodge of patterns and colors and a mix of vintage and traditional furniture that makes it feel cozy, eccentric, and inviting.
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Symmetry
This living room from Chatfield Design has a central fireplace and pitched ceiling that set the stage, and the symmetry of matching sofas and table lamps positioned opposite one another creates a cozy seating area around the fire.
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Window Seat
This cozy British living room from London-based interior design firm House Nine has a fireplace, built-in bookshelves, a comfy couch, and a street-facing window seat with a half shutter that filters light and provides privacy.