2021 Living Room Trends (The Survey Results Are In!)

To zero in on exactly what it is today’s furniture-shoppers want, we asked 400 participants for their candid input on topics relating to their furniture and décor tastes – specifically for the living room. See how your choice of coffee table, sofa color and more measures up to the surprising insights below!

“What is your favorite living room design style?” When polled on living room style, 27% of participants said they prefer “rustic,” 25% said “modern” and 18% said “traditional.” Rustic takes the cake! With rusticity leaning toward minimalism, and embracing the charm of imperfection, it’s a style that requires less attention to detail than the less popular traditional – and no wonder it’s the preferred choice for the majority of respondents!

“What is your favorite living room color palette?” 68% of people prefer a neutral color scheme for their living room, 19% jewel tones, 18% pastels – and another 18% earth tones. But the fact that only 9% would choose bright colors is telling: high-energy palettes are proving on their way out for 2021!

“What is your favorite style of sofa?” 46% of consumers preferring modular style sofas over any other style paints a pretty clear picture: being able to customize a sofa’s shape outweighs all else. (What’s least important to consumers? The Chesterfield style, which received only 9% of the votes – yet another sign that traditional style belongs to a more and more niche subset of decorators.

“What is your favorite sofa color?” The results are loud and clear: grey, at a whopping 49%, steals the show! Less show-stealing (but not completely off the map) is beige (16%), white (10%), blue (9%) and brown (7%). Tied for last place? Black and “other.” (With almost all the neutrals already covered, we can only assume “other” to mean brighter, more eclectic hues.)

“What is your favorite sofa material?” Polyester clocked in at 43%, followed by leather at 23% and high performance fabric at 18% – each of which, interestingly, are generally easier to clean than the last place finisher (velvet, 17%). Design pros and industry leaders, take note: here, along with the results from #3, consumers are looking towards more adaptable designs.

“What is your favorite coffee table material?” Except for question #10 (spoiler alert!), this is where, of all the data on this list, respondents agreed the most uniformly. An unmissable 65% said they prefer wood as a coffee table material followed (far behind) by concrete at 15% and glass at 8%. And it’s easy to see why: wood is warm, goes with every color and style and is a living room classic.

“What is your favorite way to display your TV?” When asked about TV-displaying preferences, 61% of respondents agree that a wall-mounted TV is the way to go. Unlike an entertainment center or the more traditional TV stand, wall mounts are easy to customize for TV height and placement and take up less space. With the rise of small space living, the results here seem to check out.

“What is your favorite feature in a sofa?” When it comes to favorite sofa features, deep-seated wins at 51%, followed (at a tie) by USB ports and track arms at 22%. What’s perhaps most surprising here is that more consumers would choose decorative features (here, it’s rolled arms and tufting at 22% and 21%, respectively) over the more comfort-focused adjustable headrest (15%). Tight back, tapered legs and nailhead trim trailed the majority, rolling in at 12%, 12% and 11%, respectively.

“What is your favorite feature in a coffee table?” 49% of those polled say that storage in general is more important than any other coffee table feature (almost) combined. The result immediately following is where things get more specific: 26% also prefer storage – but only if it’s the kind that lifts from the top! Glass top, tapered legs, and nesting were not as popular, coming in at 17%, 17% and 16%, respectively. In last place? Casters (11%).

“What is your favorite living room accent piece?” Accent pillows reign supreme, with a clean 71% choosing them over wall art (by a hair, at 70%), throw blankets (57%), candles and mirrors (42%), planters (41%), trays/bowls (28%), sculptures (26%) and books (25%). Hard objects like candles, mirrors and tabletop décor seem to be trending less, with the majority preferring soft pieces like blankets and pillows. (With home as a cozy retreat from the chaotic world outside, we tend to agree!)