These 5 living rooms all have one stylish thing in common

Even though we think of kitchens as being the heart of the home, the living room is where we enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. When you want to create a space that’s comfortable, inviting and reflects your personality it can be tricky knowing where to begin. The easiest thing to do is to start with a neutral base. So we’ve rounded up five minimalist living rooms that all have one stylish thing in common: a grey couch.

1. Elegant cottage transformation

The living room of this Victorian cottage in Sydney expertly uses a pared back palette in an interesting way. Faced with a limited footprint, the architects and designers from Alexander & Co needed to make careful choices that would feel grand in a smaller space.

The bright, airy room is subtly layered with texture and detailing with a nostalgic edge. Central to the space is the linen couch with rounded edges and curved wooden arm rests. The compact design of the couch creates an illusion of extra space while still feeling luxurious.

“The project is beautiful in its exploration of finding the contemporary and grand within what is historic and compact,” says architect Anna Trefely.

2. Heritage meets modern

Sitting in a heritage home’s new extension, this living area is a stylish balance of modern pieces and traditional detailing. Designer Janik Dalecki says, “…the decision was made to open up the home to a new clean-lined addition at the rear. This was to be a contemporary building that contrasts and yet complements the 100-year-old home creating a strong design statement."

The monochrome colour palette suits the classic style of this home, with the two grey couches beautifully contrasting the rich wooden floors. Placed in a conversational layout, this is a clever and stylish way to maximise a side space.

3. Contemporary villa style

This classic villa had an original layout that did no favours for busy, modern life. Following a major renovation by Matt Brew Architect, a new open-plan kitchen, dining and living space was created.

As with most open-plan layouts, creating different zones is important. Here, the generous couch has been used to delineate the space to achieve a cosy, inviting corner. Interior designer Tomi Williams of Indigo Design also helped to lift the look of the space with a contrasting palette and textural touches.

Dressed with velvet cushions in tonal shades of lilac, this couch is a great example of why minimalist, grey sofas can make other design choices easy.

4. Comfortable and compact

The thoughtful way the space in this home has been used is proof that you don’t need a lot of room to live well. The living room sits at the back of a narrow, heritage-listed home that was in desperate need of an update. Ben Callery Architects lifted the roof to flood the space with sunlight and have used a minimalist material palette to open the space up.

The grey couch anchors the living room and sections off the area for relaxing and watching TV. An L-shaped couch is great for rooms like this where you need to maximise space for lounging without the need for additional furniture.

5. Subtle style

Creating a connection to the backyard was the top priority for the owners of this home. Architect Nathan Porter designed the open-plan living space to feel flush with the outdoors by using wide bi-fold doors and a soaring angular ceiling.

In order to not detract from the view, the furniture choices and colour palette have been kept minimal. The grey couch was an ideal choice for this setting as it looks comfortable and inviting while still allowing for a seamless visual connection to outside.

Story by: Lakshmi Krishnasamy