5 Living Room Features Pros Always Recommend

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5 Living Room Features Pros Always Recommend

We expect a lot from our living rooms. It’s where we watch movies, relax, read and entertain. But when it comes to designing the perfect living room, it can be hard to know where to begin. So we asked more than 50 home design and remodeling professionals on Houzz to share the living room features they always recommend to homeowners. And here are five features that came up again and again.

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Comments (69)
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Jeanne James

Can you tell me the source of the round brown coffee table in the photo for selecting furniture that is comfortable? It's fantastic!

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PRO
Nancy Mooney Buske - Interior Designer

Keeping it real! This is how we live in our homes, live on our furniture and worry less about our families and friends eating and enjoying themselves in our home. thank you!

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sallyjanep

I’m wondering if Sunbrella fabric and other “performance” fabrics contain PFAS chemicals?

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manaskaistamaja

Hello,
Read online that in 2019 sunbrella launched “sunbrella assure”.
A PFAS free technology.

The site
https://www.greenscreenchemicals.org/resources/entry/champions-designing-pfas-free-and-healthier-furniture-and-fabrics-with-greenscreen-certified:/

I wonder if there may be an extra cost for the PFAS free fabric?

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Madeleine Palladino

Can you tell me the source of the sectional?


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Ariel Rideout

Performance fabrics almost all contain pfas. Sunbrella's Assure fabric doesn't.

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PRO
Business_Name_Placeholder

This so beautiful and restful.Thanks for taking me though.

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Wendy Hasto

Love these ideas! I noticed that sometimes the ottomans are the same fabric as the sofas. I’m considering doing this - but unsure - sofa and loveseat with a larger ottoman by loveseat and two smaller by sofa. Wondering if this is a good design idea.

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c_brown

Which windows/ sliding wall system was installed?

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Renee Beck

Love the tips!

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Karen Schweighardt

Great tips. I have the 1st 4 taken care of, but I hesitate on the area rug. Would you put one in a small area? Also another layer to clean.


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Bee Bering

Agree on the cleaning! But if you do go ahead, recommend getting one larger than you think you need - if possible have sofa and chairs on top of it. A decorator had me do this with a cheap rug and it did make the room feel much larger than it did when I just had the 1/2 the sofa feet and chairs on it, i.e. the rug was under half the sofa and half the chairs; the new one had about 6" past the sofa and chairs.

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Gilbertho Mazile

Thank you very much! That was very informative and will definitely put ti use.

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Hala Mamish

I want to connect the outside to the inside but I’m afraid the bugs will move in. Trying to find a solution for some kind of screen that is not visually invasive is very hard.

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Teri

Phantom screen looks great. Can barely see it and works well on stacking sliding doors. Connects the outside and no bugs! I’m more worried about people not seeing the screen and trying to walk through it.

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Sharon Reich

I have phantom screens that were installed in 2000 just had the mesh redone love them

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oleary847

I had phantom-type screens but on a sliding door, and a front door. We loved them. However, we had guests attempt to walk through them on a number of occasions.

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Paula Buffa

There are small little buttons that you can attach at eye level or, if you have a pet, at their eye level, so people can see there is a screen there. We had ones that looked like small butterflies.

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Maya A

LOVE

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Nora Rimensnyder

I have a rather large family room we just ordered a new sectional, I agree with the area rug idea except my amity room is carpeted, would you remove carpet and go with manufactured flooring?

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Hanniya Sarwer

Very informative and helpful.

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Meghan Schmitt

There is a sectional in the video of the 5 things you need in a living room. What brand is it?

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Daisy Rojas

I need help with my living . Thank you for the great ideas ! I will be waiting for more ..

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Kathleen Mason

Can someone plese tell me where the sectional and ottoman is from that is white (light in color) with the wood accents over the ottoman and sectional arms. I love it!

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annahurley4

Pure salt - Newport Beach

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psychologynart

how to connect the inside and the outside in a colder area and then not end up with huge heating bills

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redkml

There's no way in the Southeastern US that we could leave a door open like that. We would be inundated with bugs. My hummingbirds would fly right in also. My large french doors are enough for us.


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Carrie Hubble

@Kathleen Mason I believe that wood accents on the sectional or added on. I've seen similar products for sale that are not on any furniture. They are marketed to replace side tables for small spaces, or to put your drink etc so you don't have to keep leaning forward to the coffee table and the like. I adore the idea and the looks of this.

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St.Raphael Landscape

Very great 👍👍 nice

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Lindiwe Simelane

Very beautiful, I love it

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theganafamily

Love this whole room space where can I get a wooden tray like that to cover my ottoman ?? It’s so practical!!

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Donna Wasylyszyn

So, original question about where to buy the sofa arm tray, can anyone answer that please? I’ve already checked Amazon and Etsy. Nothing close to as nice as these ones.

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S Anderson

I notice the absence of lamps on many pictures of late. Are people only using bright overhead lighting?

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vmcurry

Amazon has painting lights that are wire free stick ups. They seem to look like the real deal and I believe they will work with Alexa.

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Lori Mishkin

Looking for an ottoman that goes with the outdoor chair

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charlie2222

Love this look… can I see more pictures of the dining area with the banquette?

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Tau Smith

NICE

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Margie Edwards

Thanks so much great information!

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kgunther1

I too would absolutely love to know where to purchase the sofa arm tray. I love that sectional and round ottoman. Where are they from?

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CC M

The wooden couch tray is on ETSY. Search these terms: Item No: KNDC3040TB, Ottoman Tray, Sofa Arm Table, couch arm table, Sofa table wrap, armrest table.

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stagegal

Love the ottoman, where is it from? Please

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CC M

The ottoman with wood table on top is named “WATERFALL OTTOMAN OVERLAY” and is found on PURE SALT’s website under the Shoppe tab. Pure Salt is located in Newport Beach, CA.

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A Soudant

Wondering if this would be too much in a very bright and open 400 square-foot sunroom with skylights, trapezoids and regular windows. Love the color, but would it be too monochromatic?

   
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Renate DeBruyn

No. It’s lovely. Very calming and soothing effect. Personally I would choose different lamps. Perhaps something more dramatic.

   
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ניסים חיון

Trying to find a solution for some kind of screen that is not visually invasive is very hard.

where is it from? Please

   
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Irene Madrid

I started with a peacock blue velvet soft molded sofa and designed everything around that sofa...which by the way, is a great nap spot. I have a large family so I have mixed vintage chairs ( cosy ) with stools in a French cottage glam eclectic way with COLOR. I love pinks ( not corals) , blues and fresh whites and I have gotten rave reviews from friends and family. My family room is a different situation: leather sofas for durability with 9 grands and 3 dogs. Big fur pillows, lots of fur throws, a HUGE TV.....everyone is happy and my adult living room is perfect for reading, writing, napping.



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kotris

Very informative; thank you. The sectional sofa with the built in wooden tops is stunning and ideal. What is the brand and any advice as to where to purchase is much appreciated.

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Diane Lamb

Excellent wood piece around ottoman,outdoors in. Large area rug, comfy furniture w/ rounded ends, performance treated fabric...

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Kiemmy Roberts

I am not sure about the living room to the outdoor. I use to have 3 huge sliding glass door just like the one you show. Every time I opened the sliding door flies and mosquitos would come in. It looks nice for sure… but I would get these again. Thanks for the tips!

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BeatColor Virtual Staging Specialists

Oh nice. I really like this idea. It's just somehow the same as my style when I design for my virtual staging image. Thanks for share


   
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Khadiga Al-abdusalam

Living room

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m1gibson

I really like the art work in the middle of the video — the one with the leafs in gold and silver. Can you provide where you found it?

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Mary Hess

Can you please provide manufacturer of ottoman coffee table and the table over it?

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Suzanne Walker

Ditto. Great idea & beautiful.

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CC M

Check the prior comments for the manufacturer of the ottoman and table over it.

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0138

Great tips but rarely are they doable for smaller home footprints and townhouses. I’d also guess the majority of homes don’t have retractable walls to let nature in or really large windows in livingrooms. Would be nice to hear advice for the average dwelling that has none if these options and is on the smaller side.

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Jill Ryan

Where’s the couch from? Love it

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Lori Williams

I love the couch too

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Iman Nia

I love the sofa setup

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Tammy Higgins

What is the couch? Love it !

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Lisa Foster Wilson

This was very helpful, bring the outside in , love it

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trudy18

Love it, save for future!

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Jeanne Kramer

I own this only with white leather

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PRO
Newspace Hospitality

Nice

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Nancy Wozniak

Love the indoor/outdoor connection, especially with the expansive doors as it is so beautiful! …but remember, an errant bird may want to join the party -had that happen:-/

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Maria Zampella

Area rugs have to be vacuumed. No thank you! And under the dining room table w young children and/or dogs, again no thank you.

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Katherine Burns

What Color are the drapes? I have white walls, black ceiling and not sure what Color to use for drapes

   
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J

Light Grey drapes with a raised texture vertical or horizontal , maybe diagonal geometric pattern in median grey and a hint of black mixed in .

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Rick Lawson

I totally get the struggle of trying to figure out what the heck to do with your living room. It's like, where do you even start, right? But hey, these 5 features that the pros are all about could be a game-changer.

Like, if they're always recommending them, they must be onto something, you know? So, maybe we should pay attention and see if we can jazz up our own living spaces with some of their wisdom. Sounds like a plan to me!

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