Open the Space
An elevated living room is an intentional one. Consider how your living room can convey openness to all those who enter it. Is it cluttered, or simplified? Streamline by prioritizing only the furniture and belongings that say, “Welcome.”
One homeowner recently redoing their living room had to disguise their work area; they bought a desk that flips up to look like a cabinet. Another traded three area rugs that visually broke up the space for a single grand custom carpet that unified and updated the room.
With the new penchant for lower sofas and sectionals comes the need to lift the eye, so that not everything puddles on the floor. Window treatments with extra interest at the top are useful for this purpose. Mix in some klismos-style chairs or leggy tables that open the view of the room. Floor lamps naturally contribute to this goal, and pendant lighting can inhabit the intermediate level between ceiling and floor as well.
Add an Accent Piece
To elevate your living room, do the unexpected. Instead of more seating in an unused corner, one couple placed a baby grand piano from a vintage shop, and an antique tuba in another part of the room. Think big when you think of your showstopper item, or multiply them and line up several for greater impact.
Balance a midcentury modern room with a vintage piece or bring a tufted chenille counterpoint into a room with lacquered surfaces.
Update the Colors
Warm neutrals are having a moment. They play nicely with bold colors and black, and surprisingly well with metallics. Another elevated palette is pond colors, which combine a range of greens, browns, and blues, often merging on a given surface.
Go for the drama of bold color on just one wall—perhaps something much darker than you would dare for the whole room. Deep mocha and shocking blue are appearing in elevated living rooms these days.
Lighting Matters
Is it time to replace windows? The cost may be worth it if you achieve more openness, such as with fewer panes or cleaner lines.
Your indoor lighting can be elevated by a new take such as recessed lights, or a chandelier that dazzles with Murano glass or Swarovski crystals. Accent lamps express your individuality and can make a timely statement.
Textures and Textiles
Environmentally-friendly performance fabrics are nice, and some avoid leather for conscience reasons; other homes still demand a fine Bordoni leather or a sofa sourced from goatskin in the Midwest. Either way, there’s never been a wider selection of fabrics and surfaces.
If you’re all about recycling, there are numerous textiles like Abacus, Climatex, and Mod Green Pod that you’ll feel good about. Great Plains wools and organic cottons and bamboos abound as people seek less processing in what they use in their households.