Neutral living room ideas – 13 versatile and timeless designs

Using a dark neutral palette base is a clever way to create a modern look to a room, while still retaining traditional and classical elements. The trick is to turn up the texture volumes in a room where the colors have been stripped back – it will help add atmosphere and character, and stops the space from feeling too flat and one dimensional. 

Start with a calico or natural linen wallpaper. Depending on the hue, it will automatically give the room a softer more inviting feeling. Continue the dark living room idea at the windows by hanging a set of weighty linen curtains in a plain neutral – here a dark gray/green has been used – and hang them generously so that they pool on the floor to give a more relaxed, pared-back look. 

Then let the artwork and decorative pieces do most of the talking, with the accent of a ticking stripe on the cushions and floor just to soften the scheme.

Neutral living rooms are so much more successful when texture is emphasized, as here in the tonal mix of blues with the warm whites and additional wood accents.

The fresh modern rustic scheme has been brought to life with the introduction of gentle watery blue hues. The smooth finish of the painted wall boards and crisp sofa upholstery offer a neutral backdrop for the addition of the tonal mix of slubby blues, from the aqua linen sofa loose cover from Threads at GP&J Baker and soft teal linen sheer curtain to the tapestry-style cushion and aged rug.

If you're toying with the idea of white living rooms, you will want to introduce warmth. Crisp neutral living room walls are given an instant lift when you introduce natural timber pieces. A beautifully reeded front gives this buffet a modern elegance. The warm wood tones are echoed in the panels of the deep window frame. A pared- back selection of monochrome artwork, sculpture and white plaster lamp adds a contemporary freshness. Additional texture can be found in the linen curtain and flatweave rug.

There is a movement towards 'new neutrals', with warmer pinks and spice shades being included by many interior designers as neutral backdrops in their schemes. 

Charu Gandhi, interior designer and founder of Elicyon, who designed the room above, explains: 'The new neutrals are warm by nature. An underlay of yellow pigmentation throughout creates a cozy cocooning aesthetic, regardless of scale.'

Gray living rooms are undeniably popular. This cool color adds a sophisticated edge, elegance and a refinement to a room, and is a go-to for anyone who wants an easy-to-live with tone that will go with almost any other color. 

‘Grays are a decorating staple – and can be combined in both classical and contemporary decoration with ease and elegance,' says Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene. 

Due to its versatility, most colors go with gray – it is a neutral after all, which means gray will act like a blank canvas on which you can put your mark.

If you are a keen collector or art connoisseur, then neutral living rooms provide the perfect backdrop for a prestigious gallery wall or collection. 

'Knowing what overall ambiance you are aiming to achieve in your home helps when creating a bespoke selection, and the relationship between the artwork and its surroundings plays a central role when designing the desired atmosphere,' advises Federica Barretta, director of Opera Gallery London

Here, the addition of rough and coarser textures like reclaimed wood, velvet and terracotta have 'visual weight' and create a cozy, rustic aesthetic in this otherwise predominantly pale neutral living room.

This versatile neutral is one of the most popular shades for interiors, offering a blank canvas that illuminates dark spaces and make even the smallest rooms feel spacious, light and bright. 

Texture in interior design is imperative if you want to create a cozy living room. Quite simply, without texture, a white living room space will fall flat. It's crucial to look at the room as a whole and bring an area together with mixed materials for vibrancy and warmth.

'Textures help to keep a space from feeling flat or one dimensional,' says Tiffany Leigh, of Tiffany Leigh Design. 'Texture in interior design is all about creating tactile moments that invite touch.'

Neutral walls are the perfect canvas for a variety of bright, bold colors. Gray works perfectly with brown living rooms, black and wood – really, all natural tones.

When neutrals such as gray, white, beige and taupe are married with green or blue living rooms accents, like in the scheme above, it works as an indulgent and glamorous color choice. 

One important aspect to consider when decorating with neutrals is bringing in as much texture as possible, as it creates interest and layers – important factors when strong colors are out of the picture. Consider natural wood elements and warm metallics like brass and bronze alongside velvets, linens, leather and chunky knits. 

When it comes to wood, Barak Alberro, architect and head of design at Banda Design Studio, advises: 'Gray is a versatile color which pairs well with natural wood furniture. It works particularly successfully in large spaces where a bolder color would be too much.'

Many rooms are suited to the neutral look, but as they are so relaxing, monochromatically neutral designs are especially perfect for a main living room. It will feel very fresh, clean and balanced. 

A straight 50:50 split between white and black living room colors could make the space feel rather cold. Instead, pair monochromatic neutral living room ideas with wood and leather, and add another vital ingredient, texture.

While monochrome decorating can be tricky to get right, a considered approach will be rewarded by a simple but impactful scheme. Monochrome interiors can work especially well in period homes, where the striking color contrast can highlight and complement original features. 

A peaceful blend of neutrals is a classic approach to creating a beautiful scheme with a sense of calm. The trick is to incorporate subtle pattern into neutral living room ideas to achieve depth and interest. 

In this scheme, pattern and texture reign supreme, all in a muted tonal palette. While large-scale prints can feel overwhelming, a variety of small-scale patterns on repeat add a decorative appeal without dominating a room.

Light is really important when choosing neutrals. If a space gets a lot of natural light, we tend to go with lighter tones and enjoy the beautiful shadowing that will come in throughout the day, creating another layer of texture. In rooms with limited light, it’s naturally more moody, so darker neutrals can be very effective. 

Plus, it is vital to invest in good artificial lighting. The right living room lighting can highlight architectural features, provide dramatic decorative effects, create illusions of space and define zones in open plan areas. 

Metallics, and in particular gold, are an age-old way to communicate opulence in an interior. Used sparingly as thread in tapestry and embroidery in the Medieval period, through to opulent Art Deco interiors and, later, the 1980s prevalence for shiny brassware, using precious metals in a room has long been a way to communicate a sense of importance (or depending on your point of view, brashness) in a home. 

But it needn’t be a controversial color choice. When employed judiciously and sparingly, glimmers of metallics, be they on fabrics and upholstery on the walls or on details such as cushions and rugs, introduce a flattering luminosity to the space. 

Employed here in a very modern context, the metallic scheme serves to outline and show off the dramatic artwork, interesting lighting and stylish curves of the furniture.