Thanks to their comfort, the traditional living room style has stood the test of time. However, decorating a traditional style living room can sometimes be hard. There are so many rules and regulations that you have to follow.
Many people don’t know what they should do with the furniture or how to decorate living rooms to achieve the perfect look. We created this guide for those who want to create an elegant, traditional living room but don’t know where to start. Here are 10 elegant traditional living rooms you can copy.
Go Gray in a Traditional Living Room- The Lighter Shade, the Better
When you think about elegant traditional living room colors, dark shades like maroon should be the last thing on your mind. Keep in mind that a lighter color is a sign of sophistication and wealth, so try to paint your walls in a shade of gray or white. You can also opt for some light blue or beige tones.
These colors will create a sense of openness and airiness in your living room. Gray is one of the most popular colors in any living room, but it can blend well in traditional living rooms. Pick some lighter hue with some grays and charcoals in your cushions and rugs for the floor.
Choose the Best Paint for Your Traditional Living Room
To choose paint colors for your room, opt for darker but muted paint colors like Benjamin Moore’s HC-146 Coventry Gray or Sherwin Williams SW6103 Spanish Cloth for an elegant, traditional look. These colors will give your room a rich and classic feel. If you want to add a pop of color, try painting an accent wall in a bolder hue.
This can be a great way to show your personality in your traditional living space. A warm color scheme would also be perfect for your traditional living design, especially if you’re sticking religiously to the style.
So, opt for warm neutrals, purples, reds, and forest greens. In addition, bright white and cool gray tones can create a simple, clean backdrop for your more traditional furniture.
Breezy Plains and Prints, Lafayette Residence, San Francisco
This is one of the great examples of traditional living room ideas. The dark-walled living room is softened with large white windows, high ceilings, and a fireplace. The pairing solids in the comfortable sofas, armchairs, and rugs give the room a curated, comfortable feel.
Choose Striped Upholstery for Timeless Feel
Whether you choose chic, wide stripes, or rustic french ticking linens, striped fabrics are a brilliant choice when it comes to upholstery and window treatments in traditional rooms. They are inoffensive and easy to live with because they can stand the test of time and come in all manner of weaves, weights, and different colors to match your scheme.
Consider Contemporary Features
The key to a traditional living room that doesn’t feel stuffy is to add contemporary features. This could be a sleek fireplace, a minimalist coffee table, or even pops of color. The contemporary sofa and armchair contrast beautifully with the more traditional features like the rug and fireplace in this living room.
Contemporary interiors feature sleek furniture and smooth lines. With these contemporary interiors, you won’t see a lot of tufting, piping, and patterns with contemporary pieces. The favored shape is rounded. You’ll see lots of coffee tables, lamps, and end tables in contemporary spaces.
You can use accessories such as candle holders, figurines, and other tabletop accents to keep it at a minimum. Other than traditional interiors, you can bring in wall art to bring that traditional feel.
Blue and White Glamor in a Living Room
For a more traditional living room, you can use dark paint colors and add dark accents such as chandeliers and even rugs. Use lighter colors like whites, grays, and yellows for contemporary spaces. You can add lots of light fixtures, such as track lights, to give off that contemporary vibe.
You’ll also see hardwood floors in contemporary spaces, whereas traditional living rooms will have carpeting or rugs. Although you’ll see delicate armchairs in traditional living rooms, the emphasis when it comes to seating is on comfortable, sit-back, and relaxed pieces. Traditional roll arm or birch sofas are right at home more often when loaded with throw pillows to increase comfort.
High Ceiling Living Room
In traditional living rooms, you’ll often find more ornate details like crown molding and detailed woodworking. You’ll also see a lot of wallpaper, which can be used to create a luxurious or formal look. Rugs will usually be oriental or Persian, and flooring will be hardwood.
When it comes to furniture, a traditional living room will have a lot of dark wood pieces with upholstery in a neutral color. Traditional seating is made from leather, velvet, or tweed. There may be some tufting on the arms and back of sofas and chairs, as well as nailhead trim. Apart from tightly upholstered furniture, there will also be an iron lantern and architectural details to make the room look current.
Exposed Beams in a Living Room
Traditional living rooms will often have a large fireplace. You should avoid wallpaper with a busy pattern and choose something solid in color. If your furniture isn’t upholstered in a neutral color, you can add it yourself using slipcovers.
Lighting has to be traditional or even antique in these kinds of living rooms. Chandeliers and sconces are perfect, and you can also use floor lamps with shades that match the walls. Area rugs are a must in traditional living rooms, and you should choose something with a very traditional pattern like oriental or Persian. Leave the modern patterns for other parts of your home.
When it comes to accessories, keep them simple and elegant. Traditional living rooms don’t need a lot of clutter, so choose a few select pieces and display them carefully. Think vases, figurines, paintings, ornaments, and even plants. If you want to create a cottage-style charm in your living room, consider a botanical theme.
The rustic wooden beam and spare furnishings of the cottage work well with botanical prints and indoor flowering plants. You can also create a timeless vintage-inspired appeal by including shabby chic. Shabby chic takes the antique pieces from the traditional to vintage-inspired appeal.
Hang Curtains in Archive Fabric Prints
There are all sorts of window treatments to choose from but nothing says traditional style like classic floor to ceiling drapes. In that case, inject luxurious patterns and history into your living space using a rich archive of velvets, weaves, and embroideries. Traditional homes are often roomy with high ceilings and large windows, making it important to scale up.
Choose large-scale patterns to get the proportion right, and don’t be afraid to match the same pattern on the walls and the curtains. Make sure your decoration pays respect to the past and lives today to enable them to work well with both traditional and contemporary furniture.
Furnish with Antique Pieces
One of the easiest ways to add traditional elegance to your home is by including antique furniture in your design scheme. Not only will you have unique pieces that are sure to impress guests, but you’ll also get the benefit of their classic style and craftsmanship.
Fine crafted using traditional methods and boasting a quality of manufacture inimitable by many modern designs. Antique furniture makes a great choice for furnishing a traditional living room, whether you have a period property or looking to create a traditional look.
When choosing antique furniture, consider the era it comes from so that you don’t accidentally choose too mismatched pieces or from different periods. A dated color scheme may also complement the look you’re going for. For example, a rich gold finish with dark wood tones may work well with a traditional style, while a gilded mirror will shine against a neutral-colored wall in an entryway. Also, go for items that will sit on open shelves without taking much space.
Fit Floor to Ceiling Bookshelves
No traditional living room is complete without floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves. Not only do they provide functional storage for all of your books, but they also add architectural interest to the room.
Consider having your carpenter build a custom design that perfectly fits your space. Or go for a vintage look by choosing wooden shelves and painting them a dark, contrasting color.
Read more on Building Built in Bookshelves!
Decorate with Mirrors and Art
Mirrors and artwork make for great focal points in any room – but this is especially true in a traditional living room. Fill your walls with large-scale wall art either grouped or spread apart to create visual interest and conversation pieces. Plus, mirrors will bounce light around the room and make it feel larger.
Go All-Cream for a Luxurious Look
A traditional living space so sumptuous that it feels like a bedroom is not always a good idea, especially when you have kids and pets around. But if you want a living room with lots of luxury, then consider piling in the cream color. You can’t go wrong with the warmth that this color brings to a room. Plus, all cream-schemes will bring out all the different textures of your soft furnishings.
FAQS on Elegant, Traditional Living Room Ideas
What makes a room traditional?
Elegant shapes, refined textures are hallmarks of a traditional living room. Plus, a charmingly predictable sense of order makes traditional style one that’s always warm and charming. While decorating may change the trend, traditional living rooms will always be style.
What is the difference between a traditional and a classic living room?
The classic living room is more formal and elegant than the traditional style, meaning that modern pieces will elevate a space and give it a more formal, elegant vibe, while the traditional style will be a lot more relaxed and approachable.
Final Thought on Elegant, Traditional Living Rooms
As you can see, there’s no style that lends itself to elegance and sophistication better than the traditional style. In fact, traditional interior design has paved the way for several modern design styles you see today. If you want to give your home a classic and elegant look, traditional design is the way to go. You can even mix and match styles if you choose to.
