In this article, we explore 15 urban living room decorating ideas. ‘Urban’ is vague enough of a term to support unique definitions from one person to the next. Some might equate it with the digital era, full of tech and gadgets, and an active lifestyle. Others might think of it in terms of space: big city life often has to fit within small, pricey apartments. Last, but certainly not least, some equate the urban and the contemporary, minimalistic, sleek, and sophisticated. In a certain sense, all of these definitions are true, which is why this article tries to illustrate a bit of each style with these 15 urban living room decorating ideas.
15 Urban Living Room Decorating Ideas to Keep in Mind
1. Form and Function
Asian design details are the darlings of urban living room decorating ideas, and the picture above only goes to show how functional they can be. Designed by Kimball Starr, the room features custom-made shoji screen doors, which are both elegant, as well as ingeniously employed. Behind them lies the media center, as well as the work desk. This means they remain accessible and comfortable, without being exposed in plain sight all day long.
2. Wood Varieties and Textures
This living room makes extensive use of various types of wood, as well as numerous textures. It maintains its stylistic coherence, however, through the purely Asian influences: the plants, the color palettes, and the light hue of the floor tiling. We’re especially charmed by the way in which various fabrics and patterns are employed throughout the room. The low coffee table in the center of this urban living room is characteristically Oriental. At the same time, the textured chairs look as if they’ve been cut out from a fairytale.
3. Minimalistic…With a Twist
Here’s an interesting take on urban minimalism from Italian furniture design company Tumidei. The use of a neutral color palette (browns, beiges, and whites, in this case) is resolutely contemporary and minimalistic. In the same way, the design lines are clean enough to qualify. However, there’s also a touch of personal style in this urban living room. You can see how the lines of the storage console are slanted, and the leather cozies are placed directly on the floor.
4. Rustic & Sleek
How’s this for living room decorating ideas? Rustic, urban, and minimalistic, all at the same time? Impossible! It may seem so, but it certainly is feasible. Just ask the design wizards at Musterring. Take the example pictured above if you want to see for yourself. The use of honey woods, an earthy color palette, and the traditional décor elements bring a rustic charm. At the opposite end of the style spectrum, most items are compact, designed with simple, clean lines, and take up as little space as possible. No wonder Musterring are particularly known for their high-tech, incredibly functional designs.
5. Mood Lighting & Chairs
Presotto Italia is one of the best-known luxury furniture designers in the world, especially popular for their sleek chair designs. Therefore, if you’re looking for some living room decorating ideas, these guys might be the ones to go to. As you can easily notice from the picture above, they manage both a classic and a modern look at the same time. This living room is lush and warm, and also benefits from a special brand of luxury: eco-luxury. The company only produces furniture made from sustainable materials, and they create modular designs that can be customized to any space.
6. Designer Chandelier & Opulence
It’s hard to imagine a living room more creative and luxurious than this one from Visuals. Its larger-than-life vibe was inspired by the decadent opulence of the 1980s. The ample room, provided by the home’s floor plan, is taken up by incredibly creative pieces. The sofas and armchair are purposely over-sized, and all elements are highlighted through the use of innovative lighting. Two decorative elements, the chandelier and the geometric sculpture, are the focal points of the room. They add an organic touch to an otherwise sleek and urban design.
7. Contemporary Music Inspiration
It’s all about bringing the room to life with the sounds of music. It’s the case of this elegant living room, decked out in shades of metallic gray. It was designed by Addison Bruley from Long Beach, California, and has the grand concerto piano at its core. However, it also manages to showcase contemporary wall art, too. The two elements don’t compete for the visitors’ attention, since the rest of the room is classic and elegantly understated. The shag rug adds a touch of warmth to an otherwise sleekly designed room.
8. Open Floor Plan & Unending Light
This living room design, conceived by Susan Manrao from Los Angeles, California, is all about openness. First, there’s the amazing wall of floor-to-ceiling veneered doors, which provides the inhabitants with an open view of the great outdoors. Then, there’s the floor plan, which is also open. It makes for easy living and easy entertainment in this bright and airy room. In terms of furnishings and décor, eclecticism is clearly the mot du jour. First off, the main color palette is all about neutral beiges and rich, warm mahogany. However, the pop of bright orange adds a layer of dynamism to the setting.
9. Creative Shelving
Obviously, the focal point of this high-tech room is the sleek, minimalistic bookshelf by Italian company Rimadesio. As far as urban living room decorating ideas go, if your lifestyle can be defined as high-tech, then you’re definitely going to want to check out the very simple color scheme of this room. Also, note how the designers make use of the available storage space. There’s plenty of room for an extensive collection of books and optical media, as well as for the homeowners’ devices and gadgets. However, purely decorative elements also fit in, thereby lending the room character and flair.
10. Geeky Paradise
The living room decorating ideas above are actually part of an ampler design, meant to showcase the fully automated, high-tech home of the future. Frank VaFaee is the architect of this home, which is entirely eco-friendly, as well as easy to maintain and upgrade. The concept, known under the name of Protohomes, features fully remote-controlled functions. You can basically ‘tell’ the house to do anything, via your iPhone or iPad. Not only is the room packed with technology, but the double-height walls are ideal for watching movies in high-definition, off a video projector. How’s that for modern living room ideas?
11. Bold in Orange
The room itself may be small, but there’s a lot to take in and like about it. First off, the veneered doors open up into the balcony. They lend it an air of vintage elegance, and let the sun’s light shine in. Then, the recessed wall features a bold choice of color. The bright and vibrant orange keeps things interesting, in a living room where neutral beiges, grays, and browns dominate everything. Last, but certainly not least, there’s a wide array of geometric shapes that diversify the way the room looks. The designer of this living room is Calvin Watt, of Atlanta, Georgia.
12. Cozy Simplicity
Rachel James from Vienna, Virginia, has put together a cozy, intimate urban living room design that’s impressive for its clean simplicity. The room looks casual and contemporary. The dominant color palette is black-and-white, played off by the warm natural hue of the wooden flooring. Black and white melt into each other in the ombre motif of the rug. The artwork and throw pillows on the couch add that much-needed dash of personality and youthfulness any contemporary living room décor requires.
13. Colorful Minimalism
The main object that screams urbanism in this minimalist living room is the rug, which looks like a pixelated computer screen. Hopefully, we want to keep the pixels away from our actual computer, and just settle for their presence on the rug. The rug is the most colorful piece of the room as well, with the rest of the furniture in neutral tones, which enhances the modern and urban feel of this spacious living room. You can find the design on architect Arthur Hermenegildo‘s page.
14. Spacious Simplicity
This living room, visualized by Thomas Peltzer, is one of the best examples of urban living room decorating ideas that impress through their simplicity. The room is free of clutter, which is another aspect that people look for in an urban home. While the room contains just essentials, it also manages to be visually pleasing, with small touches of color and decorative objects. Another thing we particularly enjoy about it is the fact that it opens into a large balcony that is also minimally decorated, but striking.
15. Intimate Comfort
Finally, the last of the living room decorating ideas we want to show you is one seen on MQA Design’s Flickr page, which is a statement of what modern technology and futuristic-looking furniture can do to space. A few of the statement objects in this room are the large red chair, the sleek TV, and the coffee table that looks like a log. Top that all off with minimalistic furniture and muted colors, as well as drapes that conceal the light when you need them too, and you’ve got yourself an eye-catching living room.
Final Thoughts
Since ‘urban’ means something different for everybody, it’s hard to pin down how a true urban living room would look like. As you could see above, we included elements like minimalism, the use of technology, spacious designs, and luxurious furniture. How do you like our selection of urban living room decorating ideas? Got any other design ideas you want to share? Feel free to do so – our comments section is looking forward to hearing from you!
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