A living room represents an epicenter of your home. It is the place where the entire family meets and spends some of the most precious moments together. It is also where you host visitors and enjoy small-talking with the closest friends and relatives.
In such circumstances, it’s not surprising to see the living room furniture industry booming. There are so many different tricks and ideas on how to decorate the central point of your house or apartment, which is why the living room furniture market is expected to reach a staggering $513 billion by 2023.
Another report reveals that more than 40% of households opt for a modern-looking living room, while over 21% stick to traditional decoration techniques. It all depends on your personal preferences, but the truth is that there are many universal elements you could add to your place to make it more convenient and eye-pleasing.
In this post, we will show you 10 unexpected living room interior items. Let’s take a look!
1. Plants
The first item on our list is not so unusual, but it seems like it often gets neglected in the age of modern and futuristic living room designs. We recommend you to think about placing a beautiful green plant in your living room to make it more lively and colorful. Besides that, the plant will keep the air fresh in the daytime by turning carbo-dioxide into oxygen.
Which plant suits the living room?
The number of options is almost countless, but we can certainly recommend some of our favorites such as lavender, rubber plant, areca palm, English ivy, Chinese evergreen, and rosemary.
2. A large rug
Contemporary houses and flats tend to keep things to the bare minimum, so you can often notice a very small rug in the living room. While this is a highly practical solution for smaller places, we strongly encourage you to invest in a much larger rug in case you have a lot of living room space.
First of all, a well-chosen rug beautifully suits larger floors. Secondly, it makes the living room seem much warmer thanks to its soft touch and delicate texture.
3. Blankets and large pillows
If you are looking for a way to make your apartment more comfortable, then you should buy tons of blankets and large pillows. It’s a simple solution that helps every member of the family to relax and feel as cozy as it gets.
At the same time, large pillows and blankets can be very useful if you have a toddler wandering around because they make the whole scenery much safer. Another benefit is that you can select colorful items to cheer up the living room and maximize positive vibrations.
4. Lazy bag
This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one on our list. Namely, a nice lazy bag can replace a whole piece of furniture in case you don’t have enough room for an armchair. And don’t forget the benefits of using bean bags:
- It is an extremely comfortable item
- You can carry it around simply and effortlessly
- It is highly durable
- It doesn’t come with a hefty price tag
5. Unusual coffee table
Almost every living room we know has a coffee table because it’s such a practical interior element. However, we suggest considering alternative coffee table ideas to make the place look just a little bit different than all the other houses or apartments you know.
The good thing is that you can find a wide range of interesting and unusual coffee tables. A quick online check will show you hundreds of more or less exciting ideas, but we can point out the items such as the tree-based coffee table, the bench, the wooden table, the treasure chest, and so on.
6. Souvenirs
This living room decoration idea is perfect for passionate travelers who love to think back about their favorite journeys every now and then. After all, it’s a lovely way to store your traveling memorabilia and brag about visiting so many countries and meeting different cultures.
The thing we love about souvenirs is that they come in many shapes, forms, and dimensions. You can find it all while traveling – from simple fridge magnets and small artworks all the way to Venetian masks and manga portraits. Of course, you can opt for common items like postcards, statues, plates, shot glasses, windmills, snow globes, etc.
7. Lap table
Here’s a thing you won’t see in the living room too frequently, but we admit to being very excited about good old lap tables. A typical grownup spends too much time working on a laptop, so it’s always a good idea to buy a lap table and use it when you have to do something from the coziness of your couch.
Of course, you can also use it for studying, reading, enjoying a cup of coffee, and so many other activities. A lap table takes almost no space at all, so you can pack it easily and leave it where it cannot bother anyone.
8. Movable trolley
Now, item eight on our list will definitely come as a surprise to most readers, but we feel it deserves to be there nonetheless. A movable trolley is the best thing you can use if you need to transport lots of food and drinks from the kitchen to the living room.
If you have kids at home, you know how stressful this action may be. Therefore, you should get a movable trolley and make your everyday life much easier.
9. Night light
If you or your kids often wake up late and night and go to the kitchen for a cup of milk, you should consider finding a nice night light for your living room. It will serve as a lighthouse for night owls and help all of you to find a way through the apartment faster. Besides that, the item is great for kids who are afraid of the dark and don’t like walking through the dark house alone.
10. Wall storage boxes
The last item on our list comes in the form of wall storage boxes. Such items can play two distinct roles.
First of all, wall storage boxes allow you to make use of every square inch of the living room and maximize storage capacity. That way, you can finally find a place to store your favorite books or any other element.
Secondly, wall storage boxes make an aesthetic impact as well. If you find a suitable sample, feel free to put it up against the wall – it will make the entire living room prettier.
The Bottom Line
As a central point in your house or apartment, a living room deserves to be decorated with all due attention. In this post, we discussed some of the most interesting living room items and showed you the list of 10 elements you could consider adding to your place.
Which item did you like the most here? Do you have other interesting living room decoration ideas? Feel free to leave a comment – we would love to see how you feel about interior design!
AUTHOR BIO
Liam Catalan is an architect and one of the best interior design essay writers. Liam is a passionate explorer of new tools, furniture, gadgets, and items that can make a home more comfortable. He is the father of two kids and a dedicated yoga practitioner.