The wallpaper maker Wallsauce expects walnut, smoked oak and other deep-stained woods to come back, with wall colours such as forest green, chocolate brown, burgundy and midnight blue, and aged gold and brushed brass instead of bright metals.
Living room colour ideas for 2027
Wallsauce suggests a deep colour on "a single feature wall" to add depth while keeping the rest of the room balanced. In a terraced house the chimney breast is the obvious place for it, or the alcoves if you want the fireplace to stand out against them. Three of the paint brands' 2027 colours of the year are softer: Dulux Soulful Sage, Little Greene Marle and Graham & Brown Rose Earth, all covered in our colours of the year guide.
What colour should you paint a living room?
Start with the light. Light from the north is cool and flat, so browns, clay pinks and warm whites suit a north-facing living room better than grey or blue. A south-facing room is warmed by the sun, so cooler colours won't feel cold there. Then look at what is staying, such as the floor, the sofa and any wood: walnut or dark oak furniture sits well against the deep greens and browns in the 2027 forecasts.
Living room panelling ideas
Wallsauce expects texture to matter more in 2027 living rooms. Panelling on the chimney breast or along one wall adds it, and painted in a deep colour it gives you a feature wall without wallpaper. The alcoves either side of a chimney breast can take shelves, low cupboards or a desk; see our alcove cupboard fitting page.
Fireplace ideas for a living room
Many London living rooms have a fireplace that was boarded up decades ago. Before you light anything in a reopened one, have the chimney swept and checked. An old flue may need lining, and a new stove needs a hearth that meets the Building Regulations, fitted by a HETAS-registered installer (HETAS runs the government-approved scheme for stove and solid-fuel fitters) or signed off by building control. We arrange the chimney sweep and the HETAS installer as part of the job.
Much of London is covered by smoke control areas. In one, you can only burn authorised smokeless fuel, or wood in a stove on Defra's exempt appliance list, and a chimney that releases smoke can bring a penalty of up to £300, according to gov.uk's smoke control rules. Your council can tell you whether your street is in one.
If you only want the look, a reclaimed or reproduction cast-iron insert and a new hearth bring back the period fireplace without a working fire. Removing a chimney breast to gain floor space is structural work: the chimney above needs support, building control has to approve it, and a chimney breast on a party wall needs a party wall notice to the neighbours.
Small living room ideas
- Build storage into the alcoves instead of adding freestanding units that take floor space.
- Choose a sofa and units on legs, so more floor shows.
- Paint the skirting and window frames the same colour as the walls, so the room doesn't break up into strips.
- Light the corners with wall lights and lamps rather than relying on one ceiling light.
- Knock through to the dining room. Taking out a load-bearing wall needs a steel beam, an engineer's calculations and building control approval, as our structural alterations page explains.
Living room lighting ideas
Wallsauce picks out brushed brass lighting for 2027. Wall lights on the chimney breast or in the alcoves, on a dimmer, give the soft light these darker colours need. Lamps can plug into 5 amp round-pin sockets wired to the light switch, so every lamp in the room turns on from the door. Both are jobs for a qualified electrician, which we arrange, and both should be done before decorating.
What updating a living room costs
For an average London living room, repainting the walls and ceiling typically costs £450 to £700, usually plus VAT, and our guide to the 2027 colours explains what else changes the price. Opening a fireplace, panelling, alcove units and knock-throughs depend on what is behind the plaster, so we price them after seeing photographs or visiting.
Tell us what you want to change in the living room and send a few photographs, and we will get back to you within one working day.