13 neutral living room ideas for your home

When looking for living room inspiration, neutral and white palettes will always come out top. In fact, white living rooms are one of the most pinned living room ideas of 2021.

If you’re looking to fit the trend, or simply feel that neutrals have a calming effect, this guide is for you.

A lot of people think that neutral living rooms are just stark white or cream. Which can often feel a little cold or impersonal. Luckily there are plenty of warm neutral living room ideas for your cosy retreat.

What you probably don’t realise is that neutral doesn’t just encapsulate creams, beige and white. The palette actually includes any colour that isn’t in a typical color wheel. And that means greys, browns and blacks are there for the taking.

So let’s take a look.

Warm neutral living room ideas

Soft furnishings

If there’s one thing that will definitely add cosiness to a neutral living room it’s soft furnishings. Cushions, throws, and rugs are perfect for creating a cosy space for you and the family.

Scatter cushions can be used in abundance in warm tones and linen hues. Choosing a combination of neutral colours - a few shades lighter or darker than one another - adds dimension to the room without ruining the whole minimalist style.

Start with one of our neutral sofas, or use our swatch box to help you pick a variety of pillows that match.

As for throws, these can be effortlessly draped over armchairs or the back of the sofa, so they’re always within reach when you want to feel cosy and snug. Alternatively, roll blankets up and store them into a basket for a sweet decor idea that’s also super functional.

Textures

Along with scatter cushions and throws, you should consider incorporating a variety of textures.

While the room may only use a select few colours or neutral shades, texture is where you can add character to the space.

Faux fur, voile, velvet, pom-poms and silks all have a light and airy feel but add heaps of personality into the room.

For a neutral space, natural light should be haloed. Voiles make the perfect window treatment choice for anyone looking to keep things light and airy.

Area Rugs

If you really want the room to be completely neutral, but already have wooden floors or darker carpets, neutral area rugs are the way forward. Place a big rug under the sofa to keep toes warm and toasty.

Add in an accent colour

Just because the room is neutral, doesn’t mean there can’t be a few other colours involved. We recommend sticking to a single accent colour, which can be used as much, or as little as you’d like.

Perhaps add a few light blue scatter cushions, a feature wall or even a single piece of furniture in a different colour. Read more here if you’re on the lookout for blue and neutral living room ideas.

Make architecture the focal point

For those lucky enough to have architectural features in their living room, make these a focal point. Fire places, beautiful sash windows or natural wood beams are all there to be shown to the world.

Use dark neutrals for a relaxed look

As previously mentioned, the neutral palette captures anything that isn’t on the colour wheel. Meaning greys and browns are up for grabs. 

To make a relaxed look in a neutral living room, use darker neutrals mixed in with the light. Brown furniture or cushions can add a warmer feel to a room that once felt so bare.

Go chic and luxe

Not every neutral living room idea needs to focus around cosiness. In fact, you could create a luxe look in the room instead. Traditional style furniture, white leathers and shimmering silver metalwork will offer a glamorous and elegant style.

Use woody undertones

Light woods are perfect for a neutral living room idea. Whether you make a feature on a single wall of natural wood cladding, or incorporate wicker baskets and light wood furniture into the room, this will help to keep the space feeling light and open.

Shades of grey

Once again, another neutral colour palette to use is grey. And there is a huge amount of inspiration online for grey living rooms. Using lighter greys with a single darker hue will create a sophisticated and sleek feel in the room.

Grey offers a more homely vibe than classic whites and creams, so if you’re looking for that cosy evening atmosphere, grey is a great choice.

Lift the room with gallery art

Even if the colour scheme is neutral, there’s still plenty of opportunity to don the walls with colour, character and art.

Creating a single gallery wall won’t ruin the neutral aesthetic, but it will create an eye-catching feature in the room.

If you really want to stick to the neutral palette, use old tea-stained maps or vintage prints to create a quirky gallery that’s filled with intrigue.

Keep things natural with linen and leather

Linens and leathers are perfect for a neutral living room idea. They add a natural feel to the space that’s perfect for a boho style.

Add black

Transform your neutral living room with a splash of black for a minimalist, monochrome maison.

Add black through a few statement decor items, or go all out with a black display unit. This striking feature will certainly catch the eye while also adding dimension into the room.

Or gold lighting

For those that don’t want to add such a bold contrast as black, gold can be a great accent. Shimmering gold metals, decor or even lighting can create an elegant style in the space.

With plenty of different styles to choose from, gold lighting fixtures can fit delicately into a classic or contemporary interior.

At Swyft, while we love adding a blast of colour into the home with our bold sofas, we also accommodate those that are looking for a cosy, muted or neutral space. You can shop our sofas here or order a swatch box to create your very own mood board with other textures and ideas you’ve got. Hopefully this post will have inspired you!