Fresh Living Rooms Decorating Ideas 2011 for Summer

Whether your living room is the setting for party time, family time, or both, it deserves to be a showstopping space you love to be in.

Neutral Territory

A room outfitted in neutral gets a splash of spring hues. The small doses are just enough to liven up the space. Hanging the sheer curtains above the window, closer to the ceiling emphasizes the height of the room.

Color Punch

For an intimate gathering space, corral your furniture together away from the walls. Seating arranged in a circle creates a conversation area. The space here is made more inviting with the use of bright yellow and tangerine. Neutral accessories and walls with rich details, like the mantel and chandelier, add a hint of formality .

Seating a La Carte

If your space is too small for a couch, opt for several overstuffed chairs instead. The smaller pieces add comfy seating and take up less space. The chairs form a cozy conversation circle. This room is tied together with a bright shade of tangerine. The walls, pillows, and accessories on the shelves all boast the bright tropical color.

Constantly Changing

If you frequently like to refresh your decor, stick with neutral furniture and basics, like flooring and walls. The steadfast pieces make redecorating a snap and it's easy on the budget. In this living room, red is the color of the moment. Later, these accents can be switched out for another color and a whole new look.

Garden Cottage

Timeworn elements add instant character and charm to a space. An antique trunk serves both as a focal point and a functional piece. The trunk is storage disguised as a coffee table. In smaller rooms, make your furniture work by pulling double duty to conserve space.

Drawn In

To make a spacious room more intimate, arrange your chairs and sofas away from the wall. Include plenty of room for traffic flow in your plan. A central piece, like a coffee table and area rug, will help define the area, eliminating "floating" furniture .

Budget Trompe L'Oeil

Trompe l'oeil, an art term for "trick the eye," certainly applies to this space. The room has a high-end look, but was achieved on a budget. The trick behind the chic look? Furniture was purchase at a discount from warehouse stores and model home sales. Thrift store chairs got a new look with fresh upholstery .

White Out

All-white rooms need a dose of personality. Throw pillows bring in a pop of green, blue, and pink in cottage-inspired patterns. But the addition is small enough as not to disturb the ambience of the crisp, white room. Different textures, like the bowl of shells, starfish, and a sisal rug, add depth to the room .

Earn Your Stripes

Use striped fabrics as DIY inspiration. The stripe motif from the pillows is carried onto the floating shelves above the mantel, the bolster pillow, and other accessories. And the best part? They are projects you can make yourself. Watch our video to learn how to easily apply stripes to your accessories.

Sophisticated Princess

Bring pink out of the nursery and into the living room. Pink, usually thought of as pastel, takes a sophisticated turn in this space. A soft shade of pink coats the walls and strong chocolate brown accents add an edge. Furniture with modern, clean lines also maintains the sophistication. Accessories, like the tiered lamp and oversize wall art, add the final bold touch.

Dramatic Pastels

A palette of pastel hues paints this cozy sitting room. Mint green, sky blue, and lemon yellow are the main colors. Pops of bright orange and cotton candy pink accent the room. In a room with so many colors, introducing white, like on the furniture and French door, adds a visual break.

Go for the Gold

Used selectively, metallics add luxury and glamour to a space, but too much metal can overshadow the rest of the room. Add hints of glitz with metallic-sheen pillows and drapes, or metallic- rimmed accessories and coffee tables. Or keep a majority of the sparkle in one place, like on the gold scrollwork-inspired screen behind the couch .

Arranging Know-How

An oddball room shape can make furniture arranging a challenge. For a narrow space, try placing a sofa against a wall. Flank the left and right sides of the couch with chairs and a love seat. In this cozy space, accessories are kept sleek. Symmetrically placed floor lamps and a glass-top coffee table maintain a clean look.

Pocket-Size Space

Don't overlook the small spaces in your home. Lemon walls and raspberry furniture are vivid touches with a big impact. Neutral colors, antique accents, and crown molding add a posh feel. Combining bold features with more sedate elements can make the most of pint-size spaces.

Easy Formula

When starting to decorate, begin with the basics of comfy seating and tables. If your decor is undecided, keep your basics neutral in color and style. Then, be on the hunt for accessories that reflect you. In this space, red end tables, green throw pillows, and bouquets of flowers start to build a casual garden theme.

Paint the Town Green

Use your favorite color in different shades for a room that screams you. Shades of green color this living room. A muted green on the walls sets a backdrop for a celadon chair and pillows, a sage ottoman, and shamrock vases. Browns and pinks accent the space and rich fabrics, like velvet, add texture and depth.

Urban Comfort

In a city loft, architectural elements usually do the talking. But in this posh loft, the decor is in stride with the pillars and exposed duct work. Bright white furniture shines against charcoal gray walls. The long line of orange artwork emphasizes the length of the room. Pillows and a throw continue the orange theme for a consistent look.

Field of Violets

Violet -- a blend of purple and blue -- in several hues flows throughout this living room. Darker shades, like the piping on the sofa and chair cushions, ground the lighter colors. Touches of white add interest to a monochromatic color scheme.

The It Factor

An ordinary living room is brought to life with a strong color palette and new furniture arrangement. Kelly green and aqua accents give this space a wow-factor. Pair bright colors with strong neutrals for a balance look. An espresso brown sofa, white built-ins and trim, and steel gray accents do the trick. If your living room is spacious, arrange furniture diagonally for a new look.

Let In Some Light

The furniture in this living room is arranged to take full advantage of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Light floods the room, eliminating the need for lamps. Heavy drapes can be drawn to dim the room and recessed lights create mood lighting

Tweaking the Trend

The duo of blue and brown maintains a popular presence in decorating. To suit your taste, find shades of blue and brown that fit your style. If you prefer muted colors, try a creamy cappuccino brown and a dusty French blue. Opt for traditional furniture and introduce accents like pillows and wall art. These less expensive pieces can easily change with decorating trends.

Modern Cottage
Hardwood floors, a cozy fireplace, and a green-and-white color scheme are standard cottage decor features. Shake up the standard by adding your own modern touch. Here, a modern personality is added with the clean, crisp lines of the fireplace, chair, and coffee table. Keep your modern accents within a similar style for a unified look