A lot of people ask me how I designed my living room to feel so modern and sleek, so today I wanted to share some design tips with those of you that want to achieve this same minimalist clean look. Here are my tips…

1. This one is hard to control but big windows are the key to creating a really airy and open backdrop to your space. Granted you can’t change the design aesthetic of your current home, but what you can do is open the curtains to their full amount {or remove curtains all together} and allow as much light in as possible. Make sure to leave the space around the window and window sill as open and completely exposed.

2. Less is more. While we want our living space to feel cozy for guests, the less clutter, the modern the room will feel. Rather than having two couches or a plush L-shape, I went for a structured single sided couch {from Modani} and added sleek Barcelona chairs. Avoid furniture that looks “busy” {ie. bookshelves stuffed with books and papers}. If you need more storage, consider floating shelves or ottomans with hidden storage space {like this}.

3. Choose light colored furniture. Light grays, creams, and whites are your best bets. Feel free to add a pop color here or there, but avoid anything wood, black, or brown. I chose a light gray couch, white chairs, gray benches, and a white TV console {I especially love anything that is white high gloss!}.

4. Choose a glass coffee table to accentuate the open-ness of the room. I love mine because it is two leveled. I use the lower level for displaying coffee table books, bowls, and candles, while I keep the top level simply styled with a few items like my geometric jars {similar} and candles. Again, less is more so don’t over style the top level! {My coffee table is from TUI Lifestyle but my sister found a similar one from Modani.}

5. Mount your TV on the Wall. TVs can take up a huge amount of space on a console and look incredibly bulky. Contrary to what you would think, TV mounts are incredibly affordable {most costing less than 100 dollars for even the largest TVs!} so they are worth the splurge. Plus by hanging them you now have opened up media consoles for extra decorative space. Equally as crucial is hiding away any hanging cords with a cord cover to keep your wall looking clean.

6. Buy matching lamps for either end of your couch to frame the room. I bought standing ones from West Elm but simple end tables {or butler trays} with table lamps would look equally as chic.

7. Stick with one color palette for your couch pillows. I opted for ones in cream and white and then had fun with textures. {I especially love my furry one from West Elm and my mirrored one for Calypso.}

8. Lean a cool piece of art against the wall rather than hanging. The key to executing this properly is placing it close enough to an end table or media console that it looks placed; if you place it too far away then it looks like it was just left behind. The piece should be a decent size {nothing smaller than 18×24!} and if this still doesn’t feel right, lean it on a floating wall shelf!

Last but not least, have fun accessorizing. Shop my picks below!