Isn’t it time we all said goodbye to the all-white look? It’s blinding, sterile, boring and a pain to keep clean. Bring a breath of fresh air into your living room design with these brown living room ideas. A brown color palette can give your living room a warm and cozy atmosphere.
However, you don’t want to paint all the walls dark brown. This will make your living room very dark and close the room. Instead, you can paint one wall dark and leave the other light. Or you may be looking for ways to add brown to the room through furniture or decor. These brown living room ideas will help you add beautiful brown tones to your living room.
1. Create a striking eye-catcher
A brown wall is perfect for adding an accent. It adds warmth to the room and makes it feel cozier. Choose a color that matches the rest of the decor. Some shades have a slightly reddish hue that complements wood with red tones.
A rich chocolate brown goes wonderfully with dark wood, light gray or light cream. You can also choose a lighter shade of brown, which will help your living room look light and bright.
2. Boho style inspirations
Create a bohemian vibe in your living room by opting for an earth-tone color scheme. You could have a dark brown sofa, textured fabric in brown tones and a patterned rug.
If you choose a brown leather sofa, use fabric accent pillows to add pops of color. An alternative is to have a fabric sofa on which you place leather cushions.
Leather is a perfect way to add brown tones to your living room while creating a boho feel. Look for one-of-a-kind or handmade pieces. This will give your living room an artisanal or worldly feel.
3. Sleek and timeless
When creating a modern look in your living room, stick to a lighter shade of brown. Shades that work well with this modern setting include colors such as light beach light, teak, pine, birch, spruce, light elm, light walnut or rustic oak. As you can see, many brown paint colors have names reminiscent of the wood they resemble.
Other popular living room ideas complement brown with natural materials. For a natural look, you can attach faux stone panels to a wall. Choose wooden furniture for the shelves, built-in furniture or the entertainment center. You can also choose natural brown living room decor as well as wood, leather, or metal accent pieces.
4. Intimate and dramatic
Using a dark brown tone on your walls, such as chocolate brown, can add a classy and elegant feel to your living room. However, you need to decorate the room carefully so that your living room doesn’t look like a dark brown hole.
Emphasize this darker color with lighter pieces. Brass and gold metal accents can enhance the atmosphere of the room and help improve the feel of the space. These warmer metals can help make the room feel inviting.
5. Improve decor elegance
You can add more brown living room decor than just accent pillows. Hang wooden shelves on the walls or place wooden sculptures on floating shelves.
Look for other decor pieces that are made from natural materials. You can find pieces made from grasses, wicker, or rattan. These provide natural brown tones while adding texture.
You can also add more subtle accents, for example with wooden picture frames. Or add accent beams to your ceiling. Or choose lights with wooden or brown metal accents.
6. Stylish comfort
Dark brown furniture is perfect for homes with pets or children. The darker color of a brown sofa hides stains and spills, so you don’t have to worry about the little ones drinking or eating while sitting on your brown furniture.
Everyone immediately thinks of a leather sofa when you tell them to buy a brown sofa. However, this is not your only option. A suede or microfiber sofa provides a soft and cozy feel and gives your living room a warmer atmosphere. Throw on some woven wool or fur pillows and you’ve got the perfect place to curl up and watch a movie.
7. Industrial accents
Brown is the perfect color for your color scheme when giving your living room an industrial look. You should focus on using wrought iron, distressed wood, and aged leather.
A brown vintage leather sofa, accent chair or love seat will add an authentic feel to your living room. Look for a Chesterfield design that’s instantly recognizable for its rolled armrests, padded backrest and plush seats.
Combine this with a coffee table that consists of a metal frame with a wooden top. Then instead of a carpet, spread cowhides on the floor. This will give your living room a masculine vibe while honoring industrial elements.
8. Opulence and sophistication
Upgrade the look of your living room by using expensive materials. Choose leather furniture made from high-quality leather. It could have gold metal frames. Then pair it with a marble-topped coffee table.
Tie the entire room together with a large area rug. Hand-woven silk oriental rugs are the most expensive rugs you can buy. However, for longer durability, you can also choose a woven wool carpet.
Another easy way to give your living room a luxurious feel is with light fixtures. Hang a chandelier in the center of your living room to create a focal point and statement piece.
9. A refreshing shot
Combine your brown tones with other colors to give your living room a modern flair. Teal is used in many modern decorating ideas. The light blue-green balances out the neutral brown tones. It looks beautiful with lighter sandy tones and darker browns.
For a modern atmosphere, keep the walls a lighter color and choose dark brown furniture. Then use teal and turquoise as accent colors. You will find glass elements in shades of green that are perfect for accentuating your living room and giving it a modern flair.
10. Versatility of neutral tones
Not all brown living rooms have to be chocolate brown. Choose lighter, neutral colors like beige. Then you can use a darker brown as an accent color. Choose the right lighter browns and tans and combine them with grays for a sleek, modern look.
By using different neutrals you can add depth and dimension to your neutral space. This will prevent it from becoming flat and looking dull or boring.
You should also look for ways to add texture. This creates visual interest and breaks up the room so everything doesn’t blend together.
11. The warmth of nature
Rustic living rooms include natural wood, leather, and soft accents. The difference is that the pieces you choose should have a worn or vintage look. Rustic pieces have rough edges or are worn. They could look handmade and unique.
Look for ways to incorporate farmhouse style into your living room. You could create an accent wall out of reclaimed wood planks. Or add decorative wooden beams to your ceiling. Hang a vintage chandelier made from a wagon wheel with lanterns or antlers hanging from it.
12. Set the tone
When choosing wall paint for a small living room, you want to choose a shade that complements the look of your room. This means considering the size of the room and the amount of light it has.
Smaller and naturally darker living rooms should have lighter walls. While a larger living room or a living room with lots of natural light can support a darker color.
If you like a darker color but it doesn’t work on its own, try a lighter color. Paint the bottom half of your walls a dark color and the top half a lighter color.
This keeps the weight of the dark color at the bottom of the room, while the lighter color at the top makes the room feel open.
13. Revealing texture and pattern
Look for brown wallpaper with a pattern or texture. This adds depth and dimension to the room. This also makes it more visually interesting than just plain brown, which you can achieve by simply painting the wall brown.
For a traditional look, try a repeating pattern or damask. A modern wallpaper will have a mural or large format design. You can also add visual accents by choosing wallpaper with textured or metal accents.
Modern wallpaper is easy to apply and can be done as a weekend project. Some are temporary and have an adhesive on the back so you can easily remove them when you’re ready for a change.
14. Embrace natural beauty
By using wood you can add natural brown tones to your living room. You can forego the dull brown paint, which often lacks dimension, and instead opt for a piece of wood in bold tones.
Light and dark tones are filtered together to create depth and shine. Wood also has a natural texture that is perfect for structuring a neutral living room.
For lighter shades of brown, stick to light woods like basswood, pine, sycamore, maple, cedar, and poplar. Medium brown shades are achieved with walnut, teak or cypress. Dark brown tones can be complemented with woods such as stained walnut or mahogany.