Designers Say These 5 Living Room Trends Will Take Over Homes This Spring

Your living room is probably where you spend most of your waking hours at home — especially in an apartment — so it’s crucial to make it a curated place you really love to spend time in. And the new year is a perfect time to tackle that mini makeover you’ve been dreaming of. But where to begin? 

The new year also brings new trends — and it can be hard to parse through your feed for of-the-moment inspiration when it’s just inundated with new content and far-off predictions for the rest of 2026. So I reached out to a few designers to ask the following question: What are the living room trends we’re seeing peak right now? And what might we be seeing more of in the immediate future? Their answers were right on the money. 

Big sectionals can overwhelm a living space and limit options for layout and navigation, according to Amber Guyton, interior designer and founder of Blessed Little Bungalow. “Separate nonmatching sofas and accent chairs that give flexibility are the new wave for living and family rooms,” she says.

Say hello (again) to more traditional furniture silhouettes this year. “Our homes are becoming much more personalized and expressive, and these more detail-rich styles not only allow for much more customization, [but] they also evoke a sense of history,” says designer Kate Pearce of Kate Pearce Vintage. She explains that more traditional shapes like English roll sofas are easier to style with mixed pattern pillows, skirting, and fringe — all vintage details that are making a comeback right now.

Everyone is overwhelmed and overstimulated by constant screen time, and it’s becoming less desirable to have a TV in every room. “Living spaces are for the living, so they are being designed around conversation and intentional, electronic-free time spent together,” Guyton says. Try updating your living room layout by placing furniture in a conversation circle arrangement to encourage more human connection.

“The beige, untouchable spaces are generic and lack soul,” Guyton says. Color and pattern can help make any space feel more lived-in and personalized — something that we are craving in our homes’ communal spaces, she explains. Just check out some of our more dramatic before-and-after transformations for proof!

Yes, we do mean floor-to-ceiling wood paneling. “The key here is to make sure you’re using modern materials,” Pearce says. “Instead of the knotty pine that was so popular in the ’70s, opt for more rich varieties like walnut or oak.” When choosing a color for it, just be sure not to stain the wood too dark, as it can make your room look smaller and feel claustrophobic.