Artwork
One of the best ways to transform a space is to add artwork. Hanging art on your living room walls will add beauty, color, character, and can help showcase individuality. Not all people are big on artwork for the home, but this is a really great option, especially if you have high ceilings or a long stretch of wall. In the picture below, you can see a painting hung on an exposed brick wall in a SoHo Loft.
Modern Art Painting on Living Room brick wall of SoHo Loft in NYC
Large Sectional Sofa
In general, it is better to have fewer large pieces of furniture than many small ones. You do not want a space to feel cluttered or thrown together. The sofa should be proportional to the living room, thus the larger the living room, the larger the sofa. This large sectional sofa is in a SoHo Loft, where the sofa is clearly in proportion to the space. Not too big, not too small. That is how furniture should be laid out especially for Loft Design. You need to work according to the space that you have.
Large Sectional Couch in SoHo Loft, NYC. Edra “On the Rocks”
Add A Throw
One very simple touch that elevates a sofa is a simple throw. You can have a blanket draped over the sofa and it will immediately add a touch of elegance and design to the overall living room décor. In this loft there is a black throw blanket and two pillows to add a subtle touch to the sofa. It is minimal and simple, which helps with the scale of the room and adds a bit of warmth.
Living Room Sofa with a throw
Pillows
Pillows can be a great way to add a little extra design to a living room. You can have them matching the furniture or contrasting, but the overall design has to work well together. This Tribeca loft has many pillows of different colors, making them really stand out as a decorating statement.
NYC Living Room Interior Decor
Grand Piano
A Grand Piano is a really elegant piece to add into a living room. It is beautiful and has a sense of class, but of course someone has to play it. Even if it is not used often, a piano can elevate any living room if you have the space. The piano pictured below has plenty of room and feels like it belongs in this loft.
Living Room With Grand Piano
Home Entertainment Center
A home entertainment center is great, but do not over-do it. Make it tasteful and blend it in with the rest of the living room design. The TV should be proportional to the room and to the distance from the couch. This is a darker moody apartment in the NYC Financial District and the entertainment center matches the overall design all the way down to the blue accent lights.
Modern Home Entertainment Center in FiDi apartment
Modern Wall-Mounted Credenza
A credenza serves many purposes, such as providing storage and giving you a surface to display items. However, it also works to bring the living room together and can provide a feeling of completeness. This is a very modern and industrial Concrete Apartment in FiDi so it needed the right accessories like this simple wall mounted wood credenza.
Modern Wall Mounted Credenza Living Room Decor
Modern Coffee Table
The coffee table should always work with the rest of the design and should not be left bare. Don’t be afraid to keep it simple on this one, but it is also okay to go all out. This is a very simple and modern coffee table in a SoHo loft.
Coffee Table for Living Room Decorating
Keep It Simple
I think the biggest problem I see in interior design is when people try too hard and end up going overboard with their design. Keep it simple! It is way better to do a little less than too much. This is a simple yet functional living room design for a SoHo Maisonette loft.
Simple NYC Living Room Decor
Logical Furniture Layouts
The furniture layout is really important to a space and will affect every aspect of the aesthetics and functionality. We have to take many factors into consideration when determining a furniture layout. We have to think about things like scale, views, sunlight, flow, and use, among others. This Brooklyn apartment’s living room is designed to have an access of flow for people to move freely. It creates zones of use between the open kitchen, dining room and living room.
Brooklyn Apartment Living Room
Consistency
Everyone has different taste and will look at their living room design from different perspectives. However, there should always be one overriding theme to all decorating schemes: Consistency. The space and all its design decisions should work together cohesively. Be consistent in the decision making process. This is an all white luxury Tribeca loft where the furniture and accessories are different colors but have a similar feel, making the space work cohesively.
NYC Living Room Tribeca Loft
Decorating NYC Apartments
The most important thing about decorating a New York apartment is making the décor work with the architecture and overall interior design. The entire apartment has to be consistent and thought out.
NYC Living Room Décor
Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on Living Room Decorating Ideas for NYC Apartments
I hope this was helpful. If you would like to speak with an architect about a potential project you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.
Contact Fontan Architecture
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
