Quiet Luxury in Timeless Living Room Elements

By Esther Ellard, Effortless Designs

If you have been in the design space for any length of time, you have probably heard the term “quiet luxury.” In one of our recent projects, we incorporated quiet luxury into a family living room that desperately needed an upgrade. Quiet luxury in its most basic sense is defined by three main components for interiors: understated elegance, high quality materials, and restraint in design. In this project we rightly name #Project CozyButLuxe, we took an outdated and overpowering living room and curated a timeless and current look through intentional design choices that embody “quiet luxury.”

Colors and Textures

One of the first things we started with in the conceptual phase was choosing a nature inspired palette of soft white, warm beige, chocolate brown, and olive green. These colors really grounded the space and gave a classic understated elegance look to the room. 

One of the requests by our clients was to have plenty of textures thrown in. We did this by leaning into high quality materials such as the following: linen sofa, patterned cotton pillows, linen roman shades, limestone fireplace material, and soft loop rug. By incorporating a variety of textures, the design began to take shape as a hallmark of quiet luxury,

Window Treatments and Fireplace

One of the key elements of this space came down to the window treatments. We selected window treatments that truly had a restraint in design. We did not want to select full floor to ceiling curtains as it could easily overwhelm the space. The true sign of quiet luxury is using negative space to highlight the quality pieces. With a white backdrop of SW Alabaster, the Liz Linen Roman Shades in Chocolate Tart were the perfect option for a timeless yet bold contrast.

The fireplace itself was a focal point that we wanted to embody quiet luxury while also being a statement piece. We opted to create a more modern designed fireplace by removing the hearth and adding a recessed box behind the TV for it to lay flush with the fireplace itself. When selecting the material for the fireplace, we opted for an aged texture of limestone that held that understated elegance we were looking for. The roman shades and and white backdrop frame this fireplace moment perfectly, adding a layer of symmetry that heightens the luxury look.

Accessories and Lighting

The final touches of the project included lighting and accessories. To add to the quiet luxury look, we made sure to incorporate branches, twisted candles, worn coffee table books, and textured vases to make the space feel curated but not minimal. The lighting selections reflected a well thought out lighting plan of milk glass wall sconces, three armed chandelier, and tapered table lamp that supported a warm, calm, and inviting aesthetic.

Quality Over Quantity: The Essence of Quiet Luxury

Quiet luxury in a home is really summed up in the phrase “quality over quantity.” This term that has taken over interiors is not about spending more but rather choosing better furnishings and finishes. From window treatments to tree branches, opt for selecting pieces that reflect a certain understated elegance and restraint in design if you are going for a quiet luxury look in your home.

*Photography: Robert Peterson with Rustic White Interiors

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