Green living room ideas – 15 verdant schemes that soothe the soul

Looking to create a restful space? Our green living room ideas promise to renew your connection to nature, with the color green effective at evoking feelings of balance, vibrancy and good fortune. 

Whether a touch of emerald will bring you joy or mint is more your thing, we’ve compiled an inspirational collection of green living rooms. 

With green available in a whole host of shades, it’s easy to find decor and living room ideas that will suit your ideas for decorating with green, and give your scheme a seasonal lift, whether it’s a large-scale makeover for the living room or simple styling project. 

Green living room ideas

If you love green room ideas, why not consider them for your living space? There is a whole range of tones to choose from, including deep, moody tones, right through to lighter shades. Consulting the color wheel will ensure your scheme is soothing and that your room color ideas flow effectively from space-to-space. Our favorite green living room ideas – using a variety of hues – will inspire you.

1. Pick a chalky shade for a restful feel

If you are looking for living room paint ideas, chalky sage green is a restful choice, especially for sunny, south- or west-facing rooms. The obvious choice for patterns in a green living room is foliage-inspired but we love to match this with graphics for a more modern appeal, seen here in the smart bold stripe armchair from Ceraudo and elegant rug with scallop edge detail.

Painted furniture ideas, like the painted cane side table from Trove, are very en vogue at the moment, too. 'The wall canvas, with floral botanical design wallpaper from Designers Guild. is a clever way to introduce a panel of pattern in a contained way, without overwhelming a room,' says the stylist Kiera Buckley-Jones, who created this room for us.

2. Combine different patterns to add layers of interest

Geometrics play the perfect foil to dainty florals and a classic ticking from GP&J Baker. Pattern mixing works especially well when keeping to a tight color palette. Here Kiera Buckley Jones, who styled this room for us, has had fun playing with different shades of green, from fresh and minty with the botanical sofa upholstery from Jane Churchill, to grassy and textural with the Birdie Fortescue rug. The cool, deeper green walls offer a calming backdrop as canvas for the pattern and color play.

'I love playing with different styles, patterns and tones; mixing things up in unexpected ways often result in a more interesting feel. Sometimes unplanned accidents lead to unexpectedly pleasing outcomes,' says Emma Thomas, Interiors Editor, H&G.

Unexpected accent colors, such as dark grey and blue, work well to add an extra dimension of interest, too.

3. Complement mint with pretty pink

Even a grownup space can be very pretty if you choose delicate living room wallpaper ideas, as in this room.  

'This wallcovering from Lewis & Wood feels elegant and charming and the pink and green colorway is a harmonious, easy to live with pairing,' says Emma Thomas, Style Editor at Homes & Gardens.

If you are going down the 'pretty' route for wallpaper, Emma's advice is to offset it with chunky furniture and sculptural accessories, such as the rustic sideboard from Chelsea Textiles and textural table lamp from Matilda Goad.

'Patterned plates as artwork are a great alternative to framed prints, and look good in a group,' she says.

4. Introduce a botanical feel

From arboretum-inspired motifs to hothouse plant life, foliage takes on a fresh look this season. It’s time to welcome all things green and pleasant into the home. 

Energising and uplifting, plants and plant motifs have huge decorative potential in the home and enduring appeal. Fabric and wallpaper ideas featuring botanical prints are pretty without being over-feminine, and they work just as well in modern, country or classic schemes. 

In this botanical-inspired green living room, trellis wallpaper speaks of blissful summer days in the garden. Working geometric motifs into the scheme gives the finished look a modern edge.

5. Go for an all-over green living room

Is there any color more suited to now than green? At at time where our happiness and health have seemed more important than ever, it's only right that we'd want to surround ourselves in shades that symbolize nature, growth and renewal. 

Deep green is also effective in creating a natural, grounding feel in industrial, tech-heavy homes, working well to encourage a connection with nature. And as the two colors most regularly seen together in nature, combining green and blue living room ideas requires our eyes to do little, to no, adjusting, which is perfect for creating a feeling of restfulness and harmony – even in small living rooms.

6. Blur the lines in a modern green living room

Be brave when choosing living room color schemes in modern spaces. 

Keeping the floor the same color as the furniture helps to blend the room together – if nothing stands out, then your eye will flow around a space, and in a small living room this can be key to making it feel larger.

7. Highlight architectural details with a green palette

Take inspiration from a bygone era by painting your period home in a heritage green color. Not only will this highlight architectural details, but will also provide the perfect backdrop for vintage furniture, heirloom pieces and accents of pattern and texture.

If you think your living room is too small for a deep green scheme, then look above. The fifth wall is often an afterthought when it comes to redecorating, but done right, ceiling ideas can make a real difference to a small room. 

As long as your ceiling is painted in the same or a paler color than your walls, no matter the color, your ceilings will feel higher, helping long living rooms feel more spacious.

8. Keep it modern with a white and green color palette

Forget gray living room ideas – green and white is a color combination like no other. This striking duo lends itself to leaf prints and botanical patterns. It will create a fresh, natural look to suit every space from traditional, country to modern. 

As a rule of thumb, cool-leaning greens and yellow-toned greens like lime, fern, jade and emerald work best when used with white living room ideas.

9. Go for pattern-on-pattern in a green living room scheme

Connecting to nature is more important than ever, and you can achieve this by using touches of green in your living room – the most used room in the home. 

An easy way to introduce color to a living room is to go bold with your walls. Whether you opt for a beautiful, bright paint color, or choose a wallpaper in a vivid green tone, you can really transform a room quickly and easily. 

Here, the contemporary green and white scheme gives this otherwise neutral living room a light touch, despite the pattern-on-pattern approach.

10. Embrace a variety of green tones

Why stick to one green in a living room when you can decorate with many? Choosing a tonal palette allows you to explore your favorite green in all its forms, from barely-there pale versions perfect for walls to deep, dark iterations for defining accents. 

The key to this trick is keeping the scheme to one pure color – in the case of this green living room, a warm grass hue – and going either lighter or darker from there. 

11. Paint a country living room in an olive green

Soothing olive green brings a warm, enveloping and earthy aesthetic to any space. It works particularly well in living rooms with good natural light, as the sunlight enhances and warms the softer tone almost making it glow, says Judy Smith of Crown Paints. 

But research recently carried out by Oxford University and paint manufacturers Valspar revealed another aspect to the color green: it makes the room feel two degrees warmer. 

Perfect, in other words, for a space that you want to feel cozy, like a living room snug, or one that's starved of warm natural daylight, such as a room that faces north or east.

12. Go bold with a dark green 

There's no rule that says you can't use dark living room ideas in a small space – in fact, if a room is lit well and has large enough windows and a south- or west-facing aspect, a dark green living room can look beautiful and make a smaller space feel really welcoming. 

'Fresh, cool green can create a relaxing atmosphere in any room. It is associated with nature, outdoors, growth and creativity and, as it is such an organic shade, it is very easy to live with. The important thing is to pair whatever hue you choose with the right accent color, like the warm red above, to create a feeling of flow throughout a room,' says Jennifer Ebert, Homes & Gardens' Deputy Editor (Digital)

13. Use a daring color combination

Blue and green is a color combination that shouldn't work, but when done right, it can really sing out. Color can have a profound effect on mood, and a bright scheme can uplift the senses as well as adding depth to an interiors scheme. 

Spaces with unexpected color combinations, such as green and blue, can work well. However, try to provide relief with some neutral touches, like white woodwork, or introduce texture to break up the look.

‘Combining color is a perfect and affordable way to create an impressive design statement, by applying a modest amount of color for maximum impact. It’s an easy trend to assimilate but does require bravery. 

'We all experience color differently from one another and each will have an energy that appeals. Work with your instincts. Have confidence in your whims, and look at the clothes in your wardrobe for color inspiration,' says interior designer Andrea Maflin.

14. Pick a very dark green for an elegant look

'Dark green, like navy, is wonderful for creating an elegant look, and is perfect matched in a living room that gets lots of warm natural daylight paired with white paintwork, dark woodwork and neutral accent colors, such as grey; in fact, I'd say green is one of the best accent colors for gray,' says Lucy Searle, Editor in Chief, Homes & Gardens.

15. Use green as a welcome accent color

Searching for green living room ideas that are subtle but stylish? This room designed by Carolina-based interior designer Cortney Bishop is one of our favorites. 

'The green here is incredibly limited, yet draws the eye, wherever you are in the room,' says Jennifer Ebert, Homes & Gardens' Deputy Editor (Digital). 'Cortney has cleverly picked it up very subtly in cushions and accessories, but it's incredibly underplayed so that the scheme doesn't feel too contrived.'

Is green a good color for the living room?

Green is a gorgeous color choice for a living room. All colors complement this verdant color – including brights, like red; cool tones, like blues; and naturals, such as brown or beige living room ideas. 

Begin by deciding which shade, or shades, of green you want to incorporate into your space. Different tones will create unique moods, so be sure to take a look at your options. 

Think about going for a paint makeover if you want a more permanent transformation. Collect emulsion samples and remember to test the colors out in various areas of the room, as they can appear different depending on light.

If you want to decorate a large area in one color, go for a light shade to avoid making the space feel dark. Pastel or sage green will add character to your room whilst still making it feel light and airy.

Choose a deeper, forest green if you’re after a more traditional look for your home. This color works well for creating a cozy living room space when paired with creams or maroons.

What color goes with green for a living room?

If you are consider green living room ideas, you'll want to think about accent colors that can go with your main shade. Green can, in fact, be matched with most colors if you pick tones that work together. For an elegant look, green should be mixed with white; for a pretty feel, match it with pink; for a bolder, sunnier effect, put green with yellow or even red.