By means of natural stone you can turn your living room into a warm and cozy place to spend with your family and welcome your friends. Nowadays, natural stone tiles are gaining popularity and they are increasingly used in numerous kitchen or bathroom renovation projects. The versatile stones, however, are also an excellent décor for the living room. There are three main ways to incorporate this natural material - as floor tiles, as wall tiles and as a fireplace. We will also add two more suggestions – combine all of the three elements to get a complete sleek look, especially if you have a bigger place or use a table or a vase made of natural stone as a focal point of your room.
The model floor
Choosing the right floor for your living room is not an easy task as this can be the focal point in determining the overall setting, style and feeling of the place. On top of that, the flooring option you pick should be durable and able to withstand the overall wear and tear of a highly functional room. There are many solutions to this problem – you can opt for vinyl, wood, concrete, tiles or natural stone depending on your personal preferences and the overall design of the living room. We can recommend laying natural stone tiles to create the ultimate model floor since this material is resilient, beautiful, easy to maintain and gives you freedom in choosing the shades and patterns that will best match your overall décor. The stone tile floor will bring cheerful and relaxing atmosphere to your living room, combined with the natural and solid feeling you get anytime you step on the floor. You can choose different stones for your flooring depending on your final goal. Marble is the epitome of luxury, that will add value to the room and give it a sophisticated look. Travertine or limestone will tone the atmosphere down with their earthy colours, while granite is the perfect choice for a contemporary living room, adding dramatic and urban touch to the entire design.
Granite floor, Image from Rilane
Marble floor, Image from Rilane
Thumbled French limestone floor, Image from Interior for life
Creative natural stone wall décor
The exposed stone wall is not a new element in home décor. On the contrary, it is a widespread and beloved way to make the room look vibrant, natural and welcoming. To use natural stone for your wall decoration means to combine simplicity of maintenance with durability and good sound absorption. On the market you can find a great variety of stones in different price ranges. The most common types of stone used for living room décor are limestone, sandstone, slate, brick and coral stone. There are a few tricks that will enhance the feeling this natural material brings to your home:
- Choose proper lightning as this will intensify the texture of the natural stone
- Combine the stone wall with a lot of fluffy, furry textures in the room. You can opt for fleecy rugs or cashmere cushions on the sofa as these materials will tone down the cold feel that any stone typically brings
- Add flowers – they are natural as the stone and will only add up to the earthy relaxing atmosphere of the room
- Choose stones of different sizes or even of different types to make the room more dynamic and to bring your own personal touch
- Consider decorating the rest of the room with bright-coloured accessories that will make the stone stand out
- Decorate only half of the wall with stone and paint the other - this will make the design more dramatic and is quite suitable for smaller rooms
Image from Architecture Art Designs
Image from Architecture Art Designs
Image from Architecture Art Designs
The classic natural stone fireplace
If you want to bring modern warmth to your classy living room then opt for a natural stone fireplace. There is a great variety of designs, sizes and materials that you can choose from in order to recreate your own charming place. You can choose a tall fireplace covered with natural stone tiles to be the focal point of your room, or opt for a stack stone masterpiece in creamy colours using multicolour riven glacier stones. If you like to have a geometric accent then you can go for square stones such as imperial black riven mosaic that will also add a dramatic look to the fireplace due to their darker colour. In any case the fireplace is the eternal classic element that turns the room to a cozy retreat. Especially in winter.
Tall fireplace, Image from HGTV
Stack stone fireplace, Image from HGTV
Fireplace surrounded by square stones, Image from HGTV
The complete natural stone look
If you want a natural cave house feel we suggest that you go on and have both your walls and floor covered with natural stone tiles combined with a stone fireplace. This type of combination is more suitable for rustic type of homes, especially if arranged with fur rugs, hand-made cushions, etc. The complete natural stone look, however, can be used also to pursue an ultra modern or contemporary design if combined with the proper accessories such as unique pieces of furniture, state-of-the art illumination, artwork and decoration.
Image from Rilane
Natural stone highlights
Another way to bring natural stone to your living room is to choose a piece of furniture or other accessories made of it. The stone which is the most appropriate for this turns out to be marble, which is already the king in the bathroom and in the kitchen. There are several companies and artists who create astonishing marble masterpieces that can satisfy even the most sophisticated taste. You can have a massive marble dining table or a stylish coffee table made entirely of stone or combined with other elements such as glass, iron or wood. There is also a variety of sideboards and display cabinets. You can also add some smaller accessories such as vases, candlesticks or other ornaments made of natural stone. There some pretty interesting and cool sitting options to choose from that will make your living room look like part of a natural outset.
Ascoli Stone and glass dining table by Basic Elegance Furnishings
Livigno Black Marble coffee table by Basic Elegance Furnishings
Ravelli Marble 3 door sideboard by Basic Elegance Furnishings
If you are fans of the Mediterranean style then why not have a marble column or two in your living room? Just bear in mind that such installation is suitable only for large and spatial premises, a smaller room will look a bit "overcrowded". But then you can use the columns to separate the living area from the dining room or the entryway and thus incorporate your favourite natural stone feature in your home.
Image from Curbed New York
Image from Big Art Design
Image from Houzz
We hope that you have enjoyed our suggestions of how to decorate your living room with natural stone. You can make any combination of styles, accessories or types of stone to achieve the effect you are looking for. Meantime, we suggest this YouTube video of 50 Living Room Designs With Natural Stone Walls for more inspiration.