How do I Make an Italian Living Room?

To make an Italian living room, soft colors should be kept in mind. Using a rich paint with a slight shine to it rather than a dull flatness in either a soft tan or light gold can help create an ideal backdrop for an elegant Italian living space. Wood floors with natural fiber rugs should coordinate, although not necessarily match, the tone of the walls. Larger furniture pieces with clean lines should be your goal if you want to create a stylish Italian living room. The accent pieces should also be large; antiques and metal work well in contemporary Italian rooms.

A large metal-trimmed wall mirror can make a good accent for an Italian living space. Corrugated metal can look especially modern on a mirror frame and add contemporary Italian appeal. Touches of black wrought iron such as on lamps can give an otherwise soft neutral Italian living room some needed drama.

An antique wood table or chest, especially one handed down through generations in a family, is a popular part of many Italian living rooms. If you plan on placing wooden book shelves in the space, try to stack some larger books on one shelf and a tasteful floral arrangement on another. It's important not to over-clutter shelves, mantles and tables with groups of tiny accessories. Instead, make a style statement with a limited number of grander, larger decorative accents.

Keeping the scale of seating pieces and tables on the large side is crucial for modern Italian living spaces. Sofas and chairs should have clean lines and an elegant, simple style. Upholstered seating pieces tend to be in light or medium neutral shades in many Italian living rooms. As a change from neutrals, solid colors such as red could be used for seating to stand out in the Italian living room. Sleek leather oversize sofas in brown or buttery tones are other popular options in Italian furniture.

A shag or looped area rug in a neutral color can add interest through texture. Its color should be either lighter or darker than the floor for the best contrast in your Italian living room. While some contemporary Italian living rooms feature pattered area rugs on wood floors, the details and colors are typically minimal rather than ornate. Slightly golden wall colors should blend harmoniously with rug and floor colors to create a comfortably sophisticated mood.