Neutral Living Room Ideas
A neutral living room looks considered rather than plain when you layer three or four neutrals of different depths and add texture and one quiet accent. Think oatmeal walls, a cream sofa, taupe or stone in the rug and a little charcoal or rust in the art.
Below: building a neutral palette, beige, cream and taupe schemes, how to style an empty wall, and the art that suits neutral rooms.
Prints for this look
The colour palette
Build a neutral palette in layers
Most neutral schemes draw on five basics: white, cream, beige, grey and black, with taupe, stone and oatmeal in between. Choose a light base for the walls, a mid tone for the big furniture and a dark tone for small details. Without that dark note, such as charcoal, walnut or black, a neutral room can look washed out.
Undertone ties it together. Warm neutrals (cream, oatmeal, camel) have a yellow or pink base; cool neutrals (stone, putty, pale grey) have a grey or green base. Mixing both can look muddy, so pick one direction for walls, sofa and rug. As a rough split, use the 60-30-10 rule: 60% wall colour, 30% furniture tone, 10% accent. See our decorating rules.
Beige, cream or taupe?
- Beige living rooms feel warm and relaxed. Add oak, rattan and terracotta or rust in small doses.
- Cream living rooms are the lightest and brightest. Use texture, such as boucle, linen and plaster, so cream on cream doesn't look flat.
- Taupe living rooms are a little moodier and more grown-up. Pair taupe with cream, black metal and walnut.
For a lounge that gets little daylight, a warm oatmeal or soft cream is usually the best neutral. Cool greys and stones can look dull in low light.
Styling an empty living room wall
Start with one large piece. One A1 or A0 print above the sofa, or a pair of A2 prints, gives a blank wall an anchor straight away. On a sideboard, try leaning one A2 print against the wall with a vase or lamp beside it for a relaxed, layered look.
For a TV wall, place one print either side of the screen or a low row of A3 prints along a shelf. Then add texture around the art: a plant, a wall light, a woven basket. Not sure where to begin? The Art Match quiz suggests prints for your room in about a minute.
Art for neutral walls
Neutral walls flatter art with gentle contrast. Abstracts in rust, ochre and charcoal, Japanese ink pieces, line art and textured minimal prints all sit well. A single print in one warm colour, such as rust or terracotta, can carry a whole neutral room.
Above the sofa, aim for art about two thirds of the sofa's width. On a 200 cm sofa that is roughly 130 cm of art, hung 15 to 25 cm above the sofa back. Browse our neutral wall art collection for prints made for calm rooms.
Sizes at a glance
| Size | Centimetres | Inches | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 | 8.3 x 11.7 | Shelves, desks, small gaps, sets of 3 |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 | 11.7 x 16.5 | Hallways, side walls, pairs |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 | 16.5 x 23.4 | Above a sideboard or small sofa, the anchor of a gallery wall |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 | 23.4 x 33.1 | Above a standard sofa or bed |
| A0 | 84.1 x 118.9 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Large walls, open-plan rooms, statement pieces |
All our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames, and every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper.
