Designers Say These Decor Mistakes Are Making Your Living Room Feel 'Cold' — Here's What to Change for a Warm and Welcoming Space
Ever wondered why your living room feels cold? From angular sofa styles to color schemes that feel washed out, these are the things to switch up
No matter the style of your living room, we all want these spaces to feel inviting, relaxed, and warm; a place to unwind in at the end of each day, but achieving this isn't always as easy as it sounds.
You've chosen your furniture, paint colors for the walls, and added textiles, but the space still feels stark and not like the cozy space you had in mind. According to designers, there is a whole range of 'mistakes' that can make your living room feel cold, and the solutions are easier than you'd think. "Cold, unwelcoming rooms go beyond aesthetic concerns," says designer Jessica Hobson.
"When a home isn’t warm and designed to embrace our mind and bodies, it can literally trigger feelings of stress and anxiety — the absolute opposite of what you want for your sanctuary in this world." Here, designers share the common things they see in living rooms that stop them from feeling warm and cozy, and the simple swaps to make a cold room feel warmer.
1. Overly Rigid and Angular Sofas
When it comes to the most important furniture pieces to get right in your living room, buying the right sofa is at the top of the list. “If you want a living room to feel genuinely warm and inviting, I tend to avoid sofas that feel more like architecture than furniture — very low, sharp-edged, or overly rigid pieces can look beautiful, but they rarely encourage you to really settle in," says designer Venetia Rudebeck of Studio Vero.
Instead of the ultra-minimalist, angular living room sofa ideas that can feel too serious in a living space, Venetia turns to more relaxed silhouettes. "I’m always drawn to generous, softly tailored shapes with a proper back and arms, which immediately make a room feel more relaxed and human," she says.
Don't forget that the material and texture of your sofa can also affect how warm and welcoming the space feels. "Linens, wool blends, mohair, or velvets bring depth and softness, even in a neutral scheme," she adds. "Comfort is also practical — choosing durable, high-performance upholstery means the sofa can be truly lived with, which is when a space starts to feel welcoming rather than precious.”
This 3-seater sofa has a slouchy and relaxed look with its layered cushions, while the tobacco color brings warmth and depth.
As co-founder of Studio Vero, Venetia brings a considered yet instinctive approach to interiors. She curates projects with character and meaning, layering past and present through art, antiques, and personal collections. Her work is never about following trends but about creating welcoming rooms that are built to evolve with their owners over time. Known for her discerning eye and talent for pairing unexpected pieces, she balances creative vision with a deep understanding of how a home should feel: calm, cohesive, and effortlessly elegant.
2. Cool-Toned Neutral Color Schemes
Your living room color ideas have a huge bearing on how welcoming your space feels, and the general consensus is that neutral color schemes can run the risk of coming across as distant.
"Color sets the emotional temperature of a living room, and schemes that rely on pale grays or icy whites can easily feel unforgiving as the light shifts through the day," explains Tori Young, interior design creative lead at HollandGreen.
That said, you don't need to bypass cool tones completely. "We focus on depth — dusky blues and blue-greens can feel wonderfully cocooning when balanced with warm materials and soft lighting," says Tori.
"Earthier tones such as tobacco brown, gray-green whites, and warm yellows bring an immediate sense of comfort and generosity to a space. Used more sparingly, deeper shades like maroon add intimacy and richness, anchoring a room without overwhelming it.”
If you're on the hunt for a new paint color for your living room walls, try a soft shade of green like this one, which brings more warmth than white or gray.
3. A Lack of Good-Sized Rugs
“Flooring is one of the quickest ways to influence how welcoming a living room feels, yet it’s often where warmth is unintentionally lost," says Tori Young. "When hard finishes are left exposed, or rugs are too small, too thin, or overly synthetic, the space can feel transient rather than somewhere to settle."
One of the easiest ways to warm up a living room, especially if you have hardwood floors, is to add a large rug, and going for one with a pattern or rich color palette feels aligned with the latest flooring trends.
"We favor generously sized rugs in natural fibers — wool, hand-woven flatweaves or deeper pile styles — to soften the architecture and anchor the seating," Tori adds. "When scaled and layered properly, a rug doesn’t just add warmth underfoot; it brings cohesion, comfort, and a sense of ease to the room.”
When choosing a rug size, go for one larger than you actually need, which creates a more cohesive and expensive-looking space. This one is made from 100% jute, which is hardwearing for heavy footfall.
4. Relying on the 'Big' Light
Even with well-considered furniture, texture, and flooring, the wrong living room lighting can keep the space feeling cold and unwelcoming. "One of the most common mistakes is relying on a single central ceiling light, the 'big' light," says designer Gemma Tucker of Balance Interior Design.
"This creates a flat, top-down wash of light that feels harsh, exaggerates shadows, and leaves corners dull and lifeless. Downlights can be even more unforgiving, pushing the space towards something functional and overlit rather than calm and inviting."
The solution? Layered lighting that creates warmth and ambiance. "Think about light at different heights and for different purposes," recommends Gemma. "A combination of low-level table lamps, floor lamps, and subtle wall lights creates gentle pools of light that guide the eye around the room. This immediately adds softness and dimension, helping the space feel more relaxed and welcoming."
Don't forget about the light bulbs themselves, too. "White or blue-toned light strips warmth from materials and skin tones alike, making a room feel cold," adds Gemma. "Overly bright lighting can be just as problematic, flooding the space and erasing any sense of depth or intimacy.
"Bulbs with a warm color temperature enhance natural materials such as timber, stone, and textiles, making them feel richer and more tactile." It's one of the easiest ways to tweak your living room's lighting to make it feel warmer.
As well as a ceiling light, add extra light sources with a pair of wall lights. In the evenings, these provide a softer glow than overhead lighting, helping the space to feel relaxed and cozy.
5. Bare Window Treatments
Living room window treatments are also key to making the space feel warm, especially in the evenings. "Bare windows can make us feel exposed, rather than cozy and sheltered," says designer Augustine Atobatele of Studio Augustine.
Similarly, certain styles of window treatments can fail to warm up a living room. "The same can be true of sheer fabrics, which often lack the visual and physical weight needed to create a sense of comfort," says Gemma Tucker. "Minimal roller blinds, especially those made from synthetic materials, can also feel overly utilitarian."
To counteract this, designers agree that a layered approach is best. "Where sun shading is required, I prefer to layer them with a Roman blind or curtains fitted outside the reveal to introduce softness and depth," says Gemma.
Layered window treatments are demonstrated in this living room. Augustine explains that "the curtains softened acoustics, creating a sense of place and making the room feel warmer."
For extra coziness, go for a weighty fabric when choosing living room curtains. "Heavier fabrics such as linen or velvet are hard to beat," says Gemma. "Both dress a window elegantly when open, and when closed, they add texture, softness, and a sense of enclosure that instantly makes a sitting room feel warmer and more inviting."
Boost warmth in your living room with these striped curtains. With the fringe trim detail at the top, they bring extra design flair to this functional buy.
Augustine Atobatele is the creative director and founder of Studio Augustine, an interior architecture and design practice based in London. The studio works on residential projects across the UK and internationally with families.
6. The Wrong Scale and Placement of Furniture
Thinking of your living room as a whole, rather than just individual pieces, is another important step in making it feel warm and welcoming. "In a generous space, furniture that is too small, such as sculptural accent chairs or a lightly scaled sofa, can leave the room feeling sparse and disconnected, lacking the warmth and ease most people want from a living room," explains Gemma Tucker.
"Furniture should be substantial enough to sit comfortably within the room's architecture, while still allowing for easy, natural movement around it," she adds.
"Arrangement plays an equally important role. Bringing sofas and armchairs together around a central table or footstool helps to define a convivial seating area, encouraging conversation and making the space feel purposeful and inviting rather than scattered or formal."
7. Ultra-Minimalist Decor
While a minimalist living room can be incredibly stylish, one of its drawbacks is that it doesn't always create the most inviting of spaces. "Modern, tonal spaces can be beautiful but can often read cold and uninviting," says designer Jessica Hobson.
That said, it's not about reinventing the style of your living room, but warming the space with thoughtful details. "Think chunky throws, woven leathers, and velvet pillows," suggests Jessica. "You can stick with a monochromatic palette and avoid it feeling stark when you really layer the textures."
Another way to warm up sleek and minimalist decor is to add something vintage. "Every room needs something old to give the kind of visual layers that create that true feeling of home," she adds. "Think antique or vintage accent furniture, tabletop accessories, artwork, and mirrors. These old items make a room feel lived in, unique, and interesting."
Add warmth and coziness to minimalist furniture with this patterned cushion in a palette of rich colors.
8. Forgetting About Your Wall Decor
Lastly, make sure to turn your attention to wall decor in your living room. Blank, empty walls can feel uninspiring, whereas mirrors and artwork bring interest and a welcoming feel.
"Every room needs artwork to warm up the space and give it personality," says Jessica Hobson. "Try a gallery wall with collected pieces to give you a curated feel, or a singular large piece for a big wow factor. There’s a huge range of artwork out there, so it’s accessible for every budget."
When it comes to decorating with mirrors, Jessica recommends going for those made from brass. "Brass is such a naturally warm metal that adds a beautiful layer to any room," she says. "Mirrors can also be a great tool to bounce light around the room and make the space feel instantly more alive."
The organic shape of this mirror helps soften a space, and would work especially well displayed above a living room fireplace.
Jessica Hobson is a Summit, New Jersey–based designer specializing in deeply layered, confidently-colored interiors. A former fashion insider with over 15 years in womenswear, she brings an expert eye to how textiles, color, proportion, art, and lighting interact to create warm, vibrant homes. Raised in Saudi Arabia and shaped by global travel, Jessica draws daily inspiration from design across the world – from quick visits to nearby New York to extensive shopping trips to Europe and beyond.
Looking for more stylish decorating advice? Take a look at the biggest living room trends for 2026 to give this hardworking room extra design flair — from decorating with patterns to playful and unexpected details.
