Aesthetic Living Room Ideas for Stylish Decorating

Turn your keeping room into a usable modern design with these aesthetic living room ideas.

Aesthetics are an important part of making your living room feel like a home. After all, it’s a room that you use every day and see often, so why not make it beautiful? With so many creative ideas on the market, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve compiled the ultimate guide to giving your living room the perfect aesthetic.

In this article, you’ll learn practical, modern, and budget-friendly ways to turn any living room into a tastefully-decorated, inviting living space. From minimalist designs to statement pieces, we’ll break down the latest trends in aesthetic living room designs that you can use to turn your house into a creative and stylish home.

Why Have a Living Room or Keeping Room?

A living room and a keeping room are essentially the same thing in today's standards. Whatever term you decide to use, they are some of the most important rooms in the house!

Keeping rooms can be tracked back to 18th-century Colonial America, when most cooking was done around a home's only fireplace. Since this was the warmest part of the house, family members were drawn to the kitchen. But to avoid getting in the way and annoying the chef, family gathered in the next closest area: the keeping room. It was typically furnished with a couch for lounging or sewing or writing letters.

Today's keeping room or modern living room, is used as an area where family and friends can relax and keep the cook company - if it is by the kitchen. This is the most utilized room in our home. We do homework, scripture study and gather often in this room.

Aesthetic Living Room Ideas

A modern living area like this one is perfect for establishing as an elegant space apart from the ongoing activity in the family room. But how do you differentiate your busy family room from a modern aesthetic living room? These aesthetic ideas can help to provide pleasing artistic elements to achieving a modern living room design you will love.

Color Palette

First up, choosing a neutral color palette. Earthy tones will always create a soft and inviting atmosphere that is aesthetically pleasing to the natural eye. So whatever color scheme you pick, make sure to include some neutral hues in brown, taupe, gray, white or cream.

I opted for white walls as our base wall paint (see how to find the perfect shade of off-white paint here) that would brighten the space as well as be a compliment to whatever accent colors we used. Light colors are a great neutral ground in contemporary design because anything can be paired with them. If your room is lacking in windows, a light color will also make the space feel bigger.

Focal Point

To achieve an attractive living room, have some type of focal point to act as a visual interest in your design style. An easy way to do this is by creating an accent wall that is set apart from the rest of the room. Our fireplace wall does just that in this small space.

After building the mantel and tiling the surrounding space, I framed out the entire wall space from floor to ceiling. When you have really high ceilings, this is a great architectural element to highlight. The molding helps to emphasize that space and showcase the clean lines. Then I added a fresh coat of paint in a dark charcoal that makes this fireplace feature pop against the white wall.

For a more modern look, I highly suggest updating or adding a feature focus wall like this one. See how we added a cozy faux fireplace in our remodeled farmhouse to acquire a similar look.

Natural Architecture

As mentioned previously, it's important to draw attention to the natural architecture of your home to create a beautiful aesthetic appeal. Highlighting tall ceilings is a fun way to accentuate this design element. I used paint to highlight our ceiling, but you can also opt for wood accents or lighting to draw focus on your unique architecture.

The same goal applies for any unique features such as built-ins, beams, or even floor-to-ceiling windows. And what about featuring stonework or natural materials? Highlighting these designs is a great way to incorporate a modern touch to your home.

Lighting

Don't underestimate the power of lighting to change the aesthetic appeal of a room! Take advantage of the natural light because it is the best tool you have. Natural light can bring a soft warmth to your space, which makes it more inviting. We have two big sets of windows in this living space and I love how it brightens up the whole room and continues to light up the kitchen as well.

See how I added an additional decorative element to highlight these windows by using curtains with warm tones.

Lighting is also key to emphasizing certain focal points in your living room. We also installed a beautiful farmhouse chandelier for one of our light fixtures. It is stunning and pairs well with the neutral gray tones of the space. This chandelier also does a beautiful job of drawing attention to the fireplace and tall ceiling height.

Furniture Placement and Style

The style of furniture as well as placement, matters when it comes to creating a space that is conducive to conversations and comfort. You don't want to have two chairs in a space that is meant for holding a family, and vice versa.

I like to rearrange. I have changed the furniture several times in this room. First, we had our HomeReserve couch in here. See how we built it here! I turned it into a lounging couch of sorts. But then we decided to move the lounging couch in front of the TV and add a few more seating options in the keeping room, as we spend a lot of time in this intimate area.

I swapped out the gray and added some light colored furniture with wood accents to warm the space up. Furniture pieces can be a great tool to softening the desired atmosphere when you accent with neutrals. I also love that the wood furniture goes so well with picking out the soft tones in our wooden floors.

Also consider a coffee table, side tables or an ottoman as additional furniture accent, and not only your seating options. A high quality coffee table can provide a place for decoration or table lamps. It can even be the statement piece that pulls your room style all together. See here for a fun fluted coffee table DIY or check out some of my favorite ones below.

But if a fabric ottoman is more of your style, then take a look at some of the cutest ones here too.

Home Decor Accents

And last, but not least, choose home decor accents that will beautify your space. Your decorative items are icing on the cake and can make or break the design style of a room. Consider a minimalistic approach when adding decor and choose statement pieces that you love, instead of filling the room with clutter. This can include, but is not limited to:

• Wall art or a gallery wall
• Area rug - see this guide to help find the right size for your space!
• Vases or baskets
• Throws
• Toss pillows
• Lanterns
• Flowers or seasonal stems
• Mirrors
• Garland
• Candles

If you have an open space on your wall, incorporate some artwork or a gallery wall for added color or visual interest. I love this abstract wall art, but you can also opt for something a little more picturesque.

I love to accent my coffee tables with some type of floral arrangement or seasonal stems. This can either add a pop of color or embrace a neutral elegance for the room.

And don't forget about a living room rug! What you put on your floor can make all the difference in a stylish design. I love to use a neutral rug and then accent with color in my decor.

With a bit of creativity and flair, you can transform your living room into a stylish and inviting space. From feature walls to statement pieces, try incorporating these aesthetic living room ideas to give your living room a contemporary feel. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to decorating – take risks and have fun! Most importantly, let your personality shine through in every design decision you make. So go ahead, be bold and make your living room an oasis of comfort and style.

Happy Decorating!

Brooke