Traditional Living Rooms

Earth-toned valances help the room seem less tall and create a cohesive Georgian feel anchored by the wooden writer’s desk and adjacent chairs.

Mix up vintage and new pieces in your living room, like this glamorous white sofa juxtaposed with reupholstered vintage French chairs.

Products Shown:

Tetrix Apartment Sofa, Carter Furniture

Throw pillows, Perch

White Truffault Lamp, Kenneth Wingard

Cowhide Rug, Jayson Home & Garden

Drapes, Fabric by Windsor Smith for Kravet Design, Pelagos.3 pattern in lime

Instead of choosing matchy-matchy pieces, mingle different furniture styles—new with old, modern with tradition, flea-market with high end—to add texture and interest. This living room pairs a club chair with modern seating and vintage Bertoia children's chairs from eBay.

White keeps an open floor plan feeling fresh and spacious so that the walls of books can reign as the topic of conversation.

Rather than limiting yourself to one design style, combine favorite elements to achieve an eclectic mix bound by a common color scheme. In this living room, Moroccan style mingles with French and cottage styles, floral fabrics play with geometric ones, old furnishings pair with new, and artwork runs the gamut. The result is cool, collected, personal style.

Scatter personal possessions and unique objects to give your living room a relaxed, lived-in look. Take note of how casually propped artwork disguises the dark firebox and how stacked books become risers to accentuate accessories. A playful throw rug is layered atop the sisal&madsh;an unexpected surprise.

In this sun-drenched California bungalow, the living room boasts creamy walls and Asian elements: a vintage bamboo chair, a faux bamboo light fixture and nesting tables with bamboo-inspired metal framing.

Designer Amie Corley (with her son Henry) has a recipe for patterns: Think in threes. She starts with a large pattern that's big and bold, like a floral. Then, she picks a smaller pattern like a tight zigzag and finishes with something more messy like an ikat or animal print.

Products Shown:

Tetrix Apartment Sofa, Carter Furniture

Throw pillows, Perch

Drapes, Fabric by Windsor Smith for Kravet Design, Pelagos.3 pattern in lime

Artwork, Sarah Ashley Longshore

Somehow a fringe underskirt on a couch with armrests would look outdated, but remove the arms and voila, a perfectly contemporary couch with a twist.

A carved mantle brings a classic touch to a rustic brick fireplace.

The combination of purple and yellow with gold undertones is about as regal as it gets; keep it royal chic by adding modern pillows and retain some drama with floor-to-ceiling drapes.