Color Trends in the Living Room

Inject new life into your living room or family room with these gorgeous color trends.

Living rooms are where the stories of our lives are, well, lived, and the easiest way to revise those stories is with color. “Bringing updated color into your decor is all about adding that unexpected ‘aha’ with an accent wall or cushions, rugs and other accessories,” says Leatrice Eiseman, director and color forecaster of the Pantone Color Institute, an industry leader in color trends. Inject new life into your living room — and your life — with these five color trends.

A little glamor goes a long way: a crystal chandelier over the dining room table or an ornate gilded mirror over the fireplace mantel can transform a room. The colors are muted and more restrained; for example, baby blue is out and gray-blue is in. Gray is big, but there are a thousand variations, from pink to blue to purple.

“I often look for things that add a bit of glamor and contemporary elegance to a space, and also reflect the colors to open up the room,” says Los Angeles-based designer Jeffrey Alan Marks. “A crystal lamp in a corner, or a mirrored table against a wall, can add light and depth to a room.” These illusions of space can do wonders for a small living room, where you don’t want guests to feel crowded.