Stylish Homes With Modern Interior Design Photos Architectural Digest

By Tania Melissa
last updated February 10, 2025
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26 Modern Living Rooms Ideas for a Sleek and Inviting Gathering Space
As major hosting zones, living rooms should be welcoming and cozybut that doesnt mean you need to sacrifice style. Here, over two dozen modern living room ideas prove you can have it all: one room that could be your easy-breezy reading nook, a cozy corner for family game night, and also a chic retreat for cocktails and conversation. Among them youll find spaces from the AD archivesincluding a So Paulo living room by the Campana Brothers that features a cloud-shaped, light-reflecting mirror; and an Aspen getaway by Atelier AM that showcases a custom-made sectional sofa covered in a brick-red cottonas well as fresh inspiration from design experts across the country. Its time to mix a martini, sit down, and stay awhile.
What is a modern living room design style?
You may catch on to a few similarities in the below living room ideas. Common denominators include clean lines and contemporary furnishings warmed up with ever-so-subtle touches like luxurious upholstery, colorful artwork, and fresh greenery. Or, as Joey Conicella of Soco Interiors in Winter Park and Naples, Florida, puts it, Achieving a modern aesthetic is about neutralizing the overall style of the room. Lean into simple and minimal details and functional furniture pieces. Play with natural light and shadows. Instead of adding furniture pieces and accessories, create more negative space by removing things from the room.
How do you accessorize a modern living room?
Accessorizing a modern living room can be a delicate balance between simplicity and impactful statement pieces, says Jamie Young of home decor brand Jamie Young Co. Choose sleek, modern lighting fixtures that can double as art. Pendants, floor lamps, and chandeliers can be both functional and decorative with a minimalist feel.
What is a timeless living room?
Withstanding the test of time usually involves a neutral color palette that provides a versatile backdrop for room decor and well-made furnishings that lastboth elements that can be incorporated into modern living room design. Linda Hayslett of LH.Designs in Los Angeles adds, A timeless living room is one that functions well and has a flow, but also has pieces that last for years in look and comfort. Nothing is too trendy, and lines in furniture and decor are more streamlined and clean.
Modern living room ideas
Ready to incorporate these designers expert advice into your own home? Consider the following 26 modern living room ideas.
Contemporary Interior Design: Everything You Need to Know About This Minimal and Current Style
When it comes to interior design styles, contemporary interior design may be the most future-thinking. What distinguishes it so much is that it is an ever-evolving design style, versus some of the ones in history where they have a very set time period and a very specific set of rules that theyre referring back to, says Erin Sander, an interior designer based in Dallas, Texas, and founder ofErin Sander Design. Defined by clean lines, decorated minimalism, and current trends, contemporary interiors are distinctly of-the-momenteven when the moment changes. Found throughout homes, offices, and retail settings, belowAD dives into just what makes this versatile style and how you can bring it into your space.
History of contemporary interior design
Contemporary design came out after the midcentury-modern movement, Sander says. Starting in the 1970s, the style was first seen as more of an amalgamation of various popular aesthetics of the time, like modernism, postmodernism, and Art Deco. Slowly the term contemporary started to take on a meaning of its own.
This contemporary home designed by Erin Sander features a concrete console paired against natural elements like wood and greenery.
Photo: James Nathan SchroderWhat is contemporary in interior design?
From the 1970s forward, it has continued to grow just as a very current, very on-trend way to define a style that is moving forward, Sander says. It could be understood as a design style that pulls from many popular styles of a given moment, creating a unique look that is undeniably in. This also means, however, that a contemporary home may look different at different times. Other styles that frequently recirculate have many distinct correlations, Sander says. A midcentury-modern aesthetic will almost always make use of walnut-toned wood, for example, in the same way a farmhouse aesthetic will frequently include rustic decor. With contemporary, there arent as many reference points, she continues, and I think what youll see is contemporary borrows from so many different styles and combines them all together.
What does contemporary design style mean?
Typically I would define contemporary more as a blending of styles, saysBrad Ramsey, an interior designer based in Nashville. Its a little more eclectic, but its trend-forward, so contemporary is usually whats on trend right now. Ramsey grew up in a contemporary house outside of Atlanta that was often well-liked by visitors for its uniqueness. It had tall pitched ceilings that are all cedar slats inside with skylights at the top, he says. And when I was growing up, everybody always loved coming over to my house. Even though his parents purchased the home in the 80s, its kept its contemporary status through thoughtful upgrades and changes throughout the years. If it stays in the trends of when they bought it, then it no longer really stays in that contemporary feel; you have to keep updating it, he says.
63 Fireplace Ideas That Make a Statement and Dress Up Any Room
Are you currently in search of fireplace ideas? Nothing feels more inviting and enviable than a stylish and statement-making hearth in your living roomor in any other space in the house, for that matter. After all, a good fireplace design can anchor any room, all the while offering the practical benefits that come with the cozy centerpiece. Thefireplaceis another opportunity to connect the architecture of the house with the decor, says Louisville, Kentucky, interior designer Bethany Adams.The fireplace surround and mantle can be used to incorporate new colors, textures and patterns to your overall decorating scheme.
With these thoughts in mind, we reached out to top interior design pros and took a dip into ADs own archive to uncover 63 truly stunning rooms, all of which feature a beautiful place in which to build a fire. The homes of Anne Hathaway and Diane Keaton are included, as are other abodes with noteworthy fireboxes, stone fireplaces, and eye-catching modern designs any homeowner would love. Whether you take inspiration from these design concepts to recreate your own rendition or hire an interior designer to help you along the way, you certainly wont be lacking in exciting fireplace ideas for long. Now, you just have to stay on top of cleaning these beauties.
1. Cannon balls in the hearth
I love the use of fireballs because it adds a bit of unexpected and architectural intrigue to a fireplace, says Marie Flanigan, principal of Marie Flanigan Interiors. A firebox typically doesnt allow for too much design variation, but including small changes like fireballs and a tiled herringbone pattern still makes a gorgeous statement.
2. Crystals instead of firewood
Designer Benjamin Johnston crystalizes the idea that a fireplace is as versatile as ever.
Photo: Julie Soefer31 Home Design Ideas That Will Change the Way We Decorate in 2023
While stenciling tile is nothing new, creators are steering away from the overdone encaustic tile patterns in grey, black, white and blue and experimenting with contemporary motifs. Choose starkly contrasting colors for a crisp and fresh look, suggests Annie Sloan, paint and color expert based in Oxford, England, and creator of Chalk Paint, who has utilized household objects including cereal bowls and magazines to create one of a kind stencils. These simple shapes look fabulous in block bright colors. Pastel square shapes reference 50s diners, perfect for grandmillennial interiors, while curved designs reference Vernor Patton and 60s cool.
11. Upcycle housewares ina glam way
The antique Kintsugi restoration technique finds beauty in imperfections by filling broken pottery cracks with gold paint.
Photo: Marco MontaltiBefore you dispose of dishes, pictures frames, and even large furniture items thathave seen better days, think about ways in which you can repurpose these pieces to add some new life. Saw down that dining table and turn it into the coffee table of your dreams, as Lance Thomas ofThomas Guy Interiors in Lake Charles, Louisiana, did in his own home.
12. Embrace the 70s mirrored backsplash
Beveled Paris Gray Hexagon Antique Mirror Tile
Take a look back50 years backwhen tackling the backsplash, suggestsAlex Alonso ofMr. Alex Tate Design. So much of the 70s has crept back into fashion, he says, noting that a smoky mirrored backsplash is very chic and trendy. The Miami-Los Angelesbased designer adds that people are looking to make kitchens warm but still keep them modern and interesting, and a mirrored backsplash can do just that. Or you can create a vibrant custom backsplash with watercolor, marbled paper, even a piece of pretty fabric thats protected behind a pane of tempered glass.
13. Enhance walls with limewash paint
Interior designers, like Sarah Weichel of Swike Design, employ Portola Paints & Glazes lime wash paint for distinctive wall texture.
Photo: Austin LeisThe 10 Trendiest Architectural and Interior Design Styles of 2023
When remembering the past, its often art that the cements our memory in a time and place: the clothes we wore, the music we listened to, the movies we saw, the books we read. 2023 interior trends will remind us how we lived. Today, Google released its annual Year in Search, and the top trending queries for architecture and interior design styles over the past year are quite telling. But as Amalia Graziani, developer and designer at Noor Property Group says, What people search and what people end up putting in their homes can end up being very different.
The styles that made the list10 architectural ones and 10 interior onesrepresent search terms that received a significant spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2023 compared to 2022 in the United States. Curious if your favorite look was as loved by others? Dive into the 10 trendiest architectural and interior design styles of 2023 below.
Trending Interior Designs Styles of 2023
It appears people had their minds on water this year, as not one but two ocean-inspired design styles were among the years trending searches. I think that makes senseas human nature goes, weve always been obsessed with the sea, says Joey Conicella, president at Soco Interiors. The ocean means vacation, retirement, and wealth to so many people. And anything California has this feeling of old money. Despite their trending nature this year, these styles also represent an aesthetic that will always be relevant. Theyre geographic styles, Conicella says. They evolve with the times, but unless California sinks into the ocean, its always going to be there.
Also making an appearance among the trendiest architectural and interior design styles were the three big ms of interior design styles: minimalist, maximalist, and modern. Both Conicella and Graziani agree that of the three, maximalist feels most accurate to where they see trends going. Though I love minimalism myself, I think it has swung quite far in recent years, so it makes sense that of those three maximalism is at the top, Graziani says. However, she says the way people are executing maximalism has changed in recent years. It doesnt have to be as loud, but it still has lots of rich layers for the eye to explore.
Moderns appearance within the top three spots was unsurprising to both designers. Modern is always going to be there; I feel like that will always be top three, Conicella says. Its easy to confuse contemporary, modern, and midcentury modern, and it means so many things to so many people, so I think people search it because not many can easily define it.
Despite the expected appearances on the list, the top spot remained a shock. Its definitely surprising, because its so specific, Conicella says. Graziani adds that shes seen certain elements that could be considered steampunksuch as iron work, hanging clocks, screws, or circular windowsappearing in recent projects, which might explain the data, though she was also surprised. If you pull out some of the core visual cues, you can squint and kind of see how its showing up a bit like Gothic maximalism, which were seeing in some spaces where theres a lots of rich, monochromatic layers and deep colors coming together, she explains.