Living Room Interior Design Trends for 2021

yellow sofa in family room

If 2020 taught us anything it was the importance of being comfortable, relaxed, and finding peace at home. It also showed us the need to maximize the functionality of our homes to fit all our needs. As this year comes to a close, we’re looking forward to starting a new year with new interior design trends that have adapted from what we’ve learned.

Exciting Interior Design Trends for 2021

Never before in recent memory has the population as a whole spent so much time at home. Since we have, however, we’ve become intimately aware of our surroundings and what we need from them! The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of self care, the desire for the freshness of nature, and shaped interior design ideas for creating living spaces that fit all our needs. Some exciting interior design trends for 2021 are:

  • Adding in pops of color with a vibrant furniture piece
  • Creating a zen space in the living room top continue self care
  • Having multipurpose furniture to maximize space and function
  • Bringing the outside in with plants in the living room
  • Maximizing natural light in the living room with new window treatments

Add a Pop of Color With Vibrant Color Furniture Fabric

What better way to kick off our list of interior design trends for 2021 than with upbeat pops of color? Adding a furniture piece in a vibrant color can elevate the mood of your living room bringing happiness and charm.

Choosing a couch in a bold color works as an anchor piece to the room. Pairing it with other furniture pieces like a leather zero gravity chair (or faux leather chair if you prefer!) in more neutral tones provides visual interest to your living room interior design style. So have no fear in 2021 and be bold!

Create a Zen Living Room Vibe

With the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was a very stressful year. Creating a zen space in your living room is definitely one of the interior design trends for 2021 we expect to see as a result. Having highlighted the importance of self care at home during quarantine, it’s vital to continue those routines into the new year and beyond.

Having a zen living room space can help manage stress levels, improve your mood, and deepen your relaxation while you’re at home. This can be achieved in a variety of ways. If you’re looking to add an audible element, having a small water feature on a side table is perfect! Studies have shown that listening to nature sounds such as running water increases your body’s parasympathetic response, which is what calms and relaxes you.

Having furniture pieces that facilitate calm and relaxation are key to creating a zen living space. While a comfortable couch or loveseat is always welcome, creating a zen spot with a zero gravity recliner in the living room brings added health benefits and fits every style. Some of the health benefits of zero gravity chairs include reducing blood pressure, alleviating back pain, and improving sleep quality. All of these work together to help your body find calm and deep relaxation, crucial elements of a zen living room!

Maximize Your Living Room Space With Multifunctional Furniture

The shift in seeking multifunctional furniture puts this next on our list of interior design trends for 2021. Everyone wants to maximize the space in their home whether it’s looking for big family room design ideas or furniture ideas for decorating small spaces. As people have spent more time at home in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for multifunctional spaces and furniture has been highlighted more than ever!

There are many ways to incorporate multifunctional furniture into your living room interior design. The most obvious is the need for storage! You can find endless varieties of ottomans that function as footrests, extra seating, and storage containers. This makes storing anything from extra blankets (if you’re hosting family for the holidays in future years) to small home gym equipment easy and organized.

If you’ve got the storage part down, tables with collapsable expansions are one of our favorite interior design trends for 2021. These furniture pieces work as clever ways to turn a decorative console table into a living room home office space or homeschool classroom desk during the day.

Tables and footrests aren’t the only versatile pieces for your multifunctional living room. Consider upgrading from a traditional recliner to a zero gravity chair to add comfortable seating and versatility to your living room design. They provide immense health benefits for people of all ages, comfortable seating, and mobility to shift your living room around as needed. You can also pair items for working from home with zero gravity chairs to create the ultimate living room workspace!

Put Plants in the Living Room to Bring the Outside Indoors

Let’s face it, everyone has felt some cabin fever during 2020. It’s also been the year where we’ve gotten back to basics. People are spending more time cooking, gardening, and other hobbies they may have not indulged in before. Spending more time at home has highlighted our need for some nature. This is why we’re expecting to see plants and greenery as part of the living room interior design trends for 2021.

You don’t have to get fancy when it comes to bringing plants into the home! Plants have been shown to provide freshness, will elevate your mood, and can improve your overall health naturally. If your green thumb isn’t as well-developed as you’d like (or you have a history of being able to kill plastic plants) then succulents are a prime choice. Succulents are very low maintenance plants that thrive with very minimal interaction. If you’re a bit more plant savvy, large leafy plants also bring a sense of calm and relaxation to living room spaces with whimsy!

Let Natural Light in the Living Room With Window Treatments

Last, but certainly not least on our list of living room interior design trends for 2021 is getting as much natural light into your space as possible! Though not the sole reason, we consider this growing trend to be another partial reaction to spending so much more time at home due to the pandemic. When you’re inside most days, it’s better for your mood (and overall health) to get some sunlight!

Instead of heavily-patterned curtains and drapes or years past, we’re looking forward to lighter options of natural fabrics like opaque linens. Not only does this bring more light into your living room, but it also helps make the space seem larger!

The interior design trends for 2021 have certainly been shaped by an interesting 2020. This year has given us a lot of time for self-reflection on our needs, our overall health, and how to maintain productivity in our surroundings. Whether it’s bringing in plants for freshness and positivity or choosing a zero gravity chair to maximize the versatility of your living room, now is the perfect time to truly personalize your home.

Having a hard time deciding on which furniture items to select? Check out our guide to inspirational furniture for different interior design styles to get the ideas flowing!

Looking for room by room inspiration? We’ve got your back with our guides for creating a relaxing bedroom makeover, nursery room ideas, building a home library, building a home theater, and making the home library of every reader’s dreams!