Five Living Room Decorating Trends to Rule 2017

There were so many hot trends in 2016 for living room design that it was almost hard to keep up. One of the most prominent was the almost-all-white color palette that was pasted all over top home decor blogs and Pinterest. Farmhouse style living rooms were also in, as were those that featured period antiques. And who could forget how common Scandinavian inspired interiors were this year?

If your living room features any of the above named elements, you’ll be glad to know that they’re not “out” just yet. However, 2017 will push more boundaries and bring a new crop of living room decorating trends to the forefront. Here are five of the biggest living room decorating trends to look for next year.

1. Cerused wood furniture

Tables and entertainment centers made of cerused wood will be seen much more often, which is a change from the smoother materials that were used not too long ago. Cerused wood has been treated to emphasize its unique grain, which will be in line with the 2017 decorating trend of getting back to nature when it comes to home decor.

This trend will be seen on accent and feature walls, as well as in living room furniture pieces. A great example of cerused wood is this side table. Its grain is highlighted, and the finish gives the piece a more distinctive appearance. Cerused wood pieces are great for adding textural interest, warmth, or a rustic edge to living rooms.

2. Beautiful jewel tones and earthy pastels

If you’re sick of all of the neutrals and whites that dominated in 2016, 2017 will be your year because color is coming back in. Jewel tones and earthy pastels such as lavender, sage, emerald, and sapphire, will be spotted in living rooms in large and small doses. If you’re a fan of Pantone’s new Color of the Year, Greenery, you’ll be especially pleased to know that it pairs beautifully with a number of jewel tones.

Use just a bit of your favorite gem shades for a stylish touch or use it in abundance for a look that’s bold, dramatic, and fashion forward. This living room strikes a balance between the two and has just enough jewel toned accents to complement the neutral gray, white, and black featured in the space. The area rug, cozy throws, and vibrant accent pillows brighten up the room and give it tons of visual interest. Pairing gold with the jewel tones looks great and works well as each complements the other. Bronze, copper, and silver also look good next to gem shades.

3. Nailhead furniture

It’s not just ottomans and couches that will be sporting nailhead designs, but storage units, light fixtures, and more. The more distinctive and unique the design, the better. If you don’t want to get a new big ticket furniture item, go with a piece that’s smaller like a side table. There’s even decorative throw pillows available with nailhead motifs that you can use as an alternative to spending a lot of money to incorporate this trend.

Those who want to splurge on nailhead furniture have a huge variety of options. A couch such as this one not only looks gorgeous, but is right on trend. The white contrasts well with the oiled bronze accents and feet, making it look even more stylish. With a few patterned accent pillows and a graphic print rug, this living room is a perfect example of what to expect of 2017’s living room decorating trends.

4. A bit of cork and terra cotta

Unglazed terra cotta and cork in all shapes and sizes are part of the 2017 home design trend towards using more natural items when designing spaces. Both of these natural materials are going to make a huge splash, but you don’t have to use a lot of it to make your living room trendy. A small terra cotta vase, terra cotta planter with a succulent, or a coffee table with cork inlaid on the top will have plenty of impact.

This living room contains a feature wall that’s covered in cork panels, and you can achieve the same look inexpensively with materials from your local home improvement store. You don’t have to cover all four walls of your living room with cork panels, and it’s best not to go that route to keep the material from becoming overwhelming. A small accent wall will do, and it will go a long way towards adding more warmth to your living area.

5. Marble wallpaper and accents

Marble is coming back in style, and in the living room it will largely be seen as marble textured wallpaper and marble vases and decorative accents. It would cost tons of money to actually put a marble wall or tile into your living room, but buying quality wallpaper will provide the same style impact at a small fraction of the price. In this living room marble wallpaper helps elevate the space and gives it a more refined, upscale look.

The studio apartment has a monochrome color palette comprised of white, grays, and black, and a single wall that separates the living room from the sleeping area is covered in wallpaper with the look of stunning marble. You could hardly tell it’s not the real thing, and it looks fabulous. The wallpaper has a pronounced effect in this room, but it’s made more subtle by the the rest of the home’s colors. In a living room with a more vibrant or bold color palette marble wallpaper would stand out even more and have a dramatic effect.

Instead of trying to cover all of the walls in your living room with this trend, go with a feature wall or the area near your entryway. If you don’t want to opt for a marble wallpaper covered feature or accent wall, try a distinctive marble paperweight, small figurine, or marble coasters. The latter would be particularly impressive to house guests and really amp up the sophistication of your living area.