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Vintage Living Room Ideas

Vintage living room ideas and inspo.

Are you designing a vintage living room and looking for inspiration? You’ve come to the right place. Spoak has all the interior design inspiration to get those creative juices flowing. Browse room designs, inspiration images and decor ideas or take our free room design tool for a spin below!

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Vintage Living Room Inspiration added by Claire Wieman
Vintage Living Room InspirationAdded by Claire Wieman
Living Room Ideas added by Brittany Zenner
Living Room IdeasAdded by Brittany Zenner
Living Room Inspo added by Alisse Ellis
Living Room InspoAdded by Alisse Ellis
Living Room Inspo added by Alisse Ellis
Living Room InspoAdded by Alisse Ellis
Living Room Inspo added by eyeswoon interior therapy
Living Room InspoAdded by eyeswoon interior therapy
Living Room Inspiration added by Carrie Coats
Living Room InspirationAdded by Carrie Coats
Living Room Inspiration added by Tiayrra Bradley
Living Room InspirationAdded by Tiayrra Bradley
Living Room Inspo added by Briana O'Dea
Living Room InspoAdded by Briana O'Dea
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Living Room Ideas designed by Amanda Beaubien
Living Room IdeasDesigned by Amanda Beaubien
Living Room Inspo designed by Morgan Hatch
Living Room InspoDesigned by Morgan Hatch
Living Room Ideas designed by Nomadic Nooks
Living Room IdeasDesigned by Nomadic Nooks
Living Room Inspo designed by Kathryn Arms
Living Room InspoDesigned by Kathryn Arms
Vintage Living Room Inspo designed by Jessica Maros
Vintage Living Room InspoDesigned by Jessica Maros
Living Room Ideas designed by Diana Farberov
Living Room IdeasDesigned by Diana Farberov
Living Room Inspiration added by Julia Mullaney (spoak)
Living Room InspirationAdded by Julia Mullaney (spoak)
Living Room Inspiration added by Elisabeth Donoghue
Living Room InspirationAdded by Elisabeth Donoghue
Living Room Inspiration added by Shannon Brown
Living Room InspirationAdded by Shannon Brown
Vintage Living Room Ideas added by Hayley Andreesen
Vintage Living Room IdeasAdded by Hayley Andreesen
Living Room Inspo added by Hayley Andreesen
Living Room InspoAdded by Hayley Andreesen
Living Room Ideas added by Gwen Ruehle
Living Room IdeasAdded by Gwen Ruehle
Vintage Living Room Inspo added by Katie Hearsey
Vintage Living Room InspoAdded by Katie Hearsey
Living Room Ideas added by Don Yerger
Living Room IdeasAdded by Don Yerger
Vintage Living Room Inspiration added by Don Yerger
Vintage Living Room InspirationAdded by Don Yerger
Living Room Ideas added by Suga Lane / ABBY ESSIE STUDIOS
Living Room IdeasAdded by Suga Lane / ABBY ESSIE STUDIOS

Find your Design Style

Design tips for decorating a vintage style living room

Here’s how to achieve the vintage aesthetic room of your dreams.

What’s the best way to design and decorate a vintage living room?

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home. But if you ask us, the living room gives it a run for its money since it’s likely the most used room in your house. From entertaining guests to lounging around reading a book to watching way too much TV (no judgment here), your main living space has to be both comfortable and functional. Open-concept living spaces may also include an eating area or a full dining room for easy living.

Whether you're in the process of a living room remodel or looking to makeover your existing one, these are the key elements to include in your design:

  • Paint or Wallpaper: Select a color or pattern that sets the desired mood for the living room and complements the vintage style you want to achieve. We are partial to covering walls, ceilings, and trim in a uniform paint color to create a cohesive look. Or consider an accent wall to serve as a focal point.
  • Sofa, Couch, or Sectional: A staple of any living room, the sofa or couch provides a comfortable seating option for relaxation and socializing. The sofa should be the functional focal point of the room. When creating the furniture plan for your living room, start with the sofa as the largest piece of furniture and plan the rest of the room around it. If you have a small living room, you may want to select a sofa with a shallower depth or a L-shaped sectional to maximize your seating space. If you have a large living room, you may want to consider multiple couches to take advantage of your space.
  • Armchairs: These individual accent chairs offer additional seating and can be placed strategically around the living room to create cozy conversation areas. In addition to leaving space around furniture groupings, make sure to also leave space around each piece of furniture. This allows people to move freely using various routes within the living room. It's important to strike a balance between creating a cozy seating area and providing enough room for easy navigation.
  • Coffee Table: A central piece, the coffee table sits in front of the sofa and provides a surface for placing drinks, books, and other items. Pro tip: The recommended distance between a coffee table and the sofa in a living room is roughly 15-18”. This allows for enough space to move around comfortably and ensures that the coffee table is within easy reach from the seating area.
  • Side Tables and/or Ottomans: Placed next to sofas or armchairs, side tables offer a convenient surface for placing lamps, drinks, or other small items. Ottomans are even more versatile and can serve as a footrest, extra seating, or even a side table or coffee table when paired with a tray. Choose side tables or ottomans that are proportionate to the furniture they accompany. The height of the side table should be similar to or slightly lower than the armrest or seat height of the sofa or chair.
  • Console, Entertainment Center or TV Stand: This furniture piece typically houses the television and often includes additional storage for media devices, gaming consoles, or to display decorative items. Ensure that the size of the media console is proportionate to the size of the screen it will be supporting. Even if you don’t plan to include a TV in your living room (we support your decision for less screen time!), a freestanding console or built-in shelving unit is great for storage and organization. You can hide (or replace) your TV with a large piece of wall art.
  • Area Rug: It’s common to include an area rug in a living room for extra warmth and coziness. If possible, all furniture pieces should “live” on the rug in your living room. If your rug doesn’t really allow for that, then at least the front legs should be atop the rug. This ensures the furniture doesn’t look like it’s floating in the room.
  • Decorative Lighting: Combine task, ambient, and accent lighting for a layered lighting scheme. Typically in a living room, you’d want a flush surface mount light or chandelier on the ceiling and wall-mounted sconces or table lamps placed around the room for mood lighting.
  • Vintage Decor Accessories: Decor in a living room can transform a living area into a vibrant tapestry of textures, colors, and forms, creating a welcoming and personalized environment that reflects your vintage style. The strategic placement of books, vases, and candles on coffee tables or shelves infuses the room with character and warmth. Throw pillows and blankets introduce texture and color helping to make the space feel cozier. Wall art helps to ground the space and showcase your personal taste and interests. Mirrors can amplify light, making the room feel more expansive.
  • Curtains or Blinds: Window treatments not only help control the light and provide privacy but also serve to tie the room's design together. They offer an opportunity to inject color, texture, and pattern into the living space, making it more inviting and personalized. Whether flowing and sheer for a light, airy feel or rich and textured for a more luxurious look, curtains play a pivotal role in setting the tone and atmosphere of the living room.

Get creative and have fun with your vintage living room makeover! If you need an extra hand, check out our step-by-step guide on How To Design a Living Room.

What materials and home decor should I use to achieve a vintage living room design?

The vintage interior design style is a nostalgic nod to the rich history and diverse aesthetics of the 20th century, dwelling in the sweet spot between the new (made within the last 20 years) and the antique (100+ years old). This style is defined by its mix of furniture and decor drawing from various decades. Eclectic vintage interiors blend various elements—textures, time periods, styles, trends, and colors—all woven together to create an ambiance that is both familiar and endlessly intriguing.

To create a vintage aesthetic in your living room, choose softer, muted tones and gentle pastels for your base color palette and layer in patterns, textures, and colors of yesteryears. At its heart, vintage design is about the stories that objects tell, each piece a memento of a bygone era. So get out of the house and on the hunt (who doesn’t love a vintage thrift find?).

Read more about vintage living room ideas and inspo.
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