Southern Living Decorating Living Room

Room, Interior design, Furniture, White, Home, Wall, Living room, Interior design, Floor, Picture frame,

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Thrifty Decor

A wall of thrift-store paintings of the same subject can have even more impact than a single, more expensive piece. Case in point: the floral-filled gallery wall in the living room of this Texas farmhouse.

Room, Interior design, Wood, Furniture, Living room, Home, Light fixture, Interior design, Wall, Couch,

Helen Norman

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Vintage Collections

This North Carolina farmhouse proves that you don't have to spend big to have a charming home. In this circa-1930 Raleigh home, a midcentury pair of salvaged sofas cost a mere $100 on Craigslist. An upholsterer replaced the dated floral pattern with a soft, affordable blue Oxford cloth. Nearby, a bookcase displays antique quilts, Indian clubs, books and candlesticks.

Wood, Room, Interior design, Floor, Furniture, Home, Bicycle wheel, Flooring, Interior design, Pillow,

Paul Costello

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Country Pieces

Country star Ronnie Dunn's first objective was in his living room was to highlight the surrounding natural beauty. Though barns are traditionally without windows, Ronnie's interpretation features large ones (some are 10 feet tall), which allow the sweeping views of the Tennessee landscape to be an integral part of the design. The towering white wingbacks and impressive antler chair demonstrate the home's cozy-and-inviting meets rough-and-tough aesthetic. The corner table (far right) was a wedding gift from June Carter and Johnny Cash.

Wood, Interior design, Room, Floor, Furniture, Home, Flooring, Living room, White, Table,

Max Kim-Bee

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Cottage Style

Think every living room needs draperies? Think again. Here, bare windows make for a refreshingly streamlined look that also takes advantage of this Sarasota, Florida house's beautiful light.

living room

Sarah Dorio

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Pattern Play

The all-white backdrop cleared the way for a crisp and cozy color scheme of grey, black, and green. Gingham curtains and plaid pillows play up the preppy country feel of this Georgia log cabin.

sitting room

Max Kim-Bee

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Flea Market Daybed

The owner of this Texas home fashioned the frame of the daybed using a $25 flea-market door and pallets. The pillowcases? Old grain sacks, natch.

living room

Alec Hemer

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Functional Style

The owners of this Tennessee home filled in the blanks with new upholstered furniture that wears relaxed, washable slipcovers. Although the family room's Persian rug might look fancy, it secured its prime spot based on practicality. "The pattern masks spills!" the owner explains.

romantic living room

Victoria Pearson

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Subdued Palette

In this Atlanta loft's living room, Aidan Gray wingback chairs, upholstered in cotton and burlap, complement a sofa the homeowner found at a Paris flea market. She fashioned the coffee table (painted in Gothic Arch by Benjamin Moore) by cutting a farm table down to size, then painting it warm gray. A wooden stool from a Toronto thrift shop elevates a shadow-boxed heron. The Mongolian-lambhair pillow is by West Elm, the tie-dyed cushions by Kevin O'Brien.

traditional living room

Quentin Bacon

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Cozy Seating

Appealingly asymmetrical built-ins—one with hidden storage, the other open—flank the great room's fieldstone fireplace in this Georgia lake house. French leather club chairs from Wyatt Childs, plus a pair of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofas, serve up plenty of seating.

gray country living room

Björn Wallander

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Elegant Accents

The owner of this Georgia home shopped Stanton Home Furnishings, his own home-goods store, for the living room's corduroy-upholstered wing chairs, fern-print pillows, and antique demijohns. The drum-shaped ottomans are by Lee Industries; the oil portrait dates to the 1860s. The wall is painted Burlap by Ralph Lauren.

Wood, Room, Brown, Interior design, Floor, Property, Wall, Home, Furniture, Ceiling,

Lincoln Barbour

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White Done Right

The secret to this inviting Tennessee living room? Top-to-bottom texture,  from the scuffed beams (salvaged from an  old warehouse) to the velvet armchairs to  the linen draperies flanking the dark gray doors (Gauntlet Gray by Sherwin-Williams).

Wood, Room, Interior design, Table, Living room, Floor, Furniture, Interior design, Home, Hearth,

Audrey Hall

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Cabin Fever

"Cabin" doesn't have to be synonymous with "masculine." The home-owner brought in soft touches such as the plush coffee table from Wisteria.

Room, Interior design, Living room, Home, Floor, Furniture, Table, Couch, Ceiling, Wall,

Max Kim-Bee

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Rustic and Repurposed

Drop cloth slipcovers (sold at home-improvement stores) makes for a durable, family- and pet-friendly furniture covering in this Tennessee living room. For the upholstery, the owner chose box pleats that leave the legs exposed, while a vintage Orley stove, found on Craigslist, adds old-fashioned charm and keeps the cabin toasty on blustery days.

Room, Interior design, Living room, Home, Furniture, Wall, Floor, Interior design, Ceiling, Couch,

Victoria Pearson

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Soothing Palette

To create symmetry in the living room, the owner of this Texas home hired a contractor to relocate the corner hearth with a new one, centered on the wall opposite the open kitchen. Built-in cabinetry on either side of the fireplace reinforces the sense of balance. The savvy shopper traded her single living-room settee for two generous Ikea sofas and a Ralph Lauren chair, all slipcovered for easy cleaning. The metal "C" came from a garden store in nearby Waxahachie, Texas.