Mediterranean living room ideas

A Mediterranean living room is made of things you can carry in: a linen sofa, cane chairs, a solid wood table, terracotta pots and a jute rug. Domusia redecorated the six real rooms below in this style, and not one of them needed an arch, new plaster or new tiles to get there.

Redesign your living room in Mediterranean
Mediterranean living room with a sand linen sofa, cane armchairs, a solid wood coffee table and a jute rug with a navy border, beside black steel windowsOriginal photoBeforeAfter
Mediterranean living room under exposed timber beams, with a wooden sofa frame, cane chairs, potted olive trees and lemon prints on the wall
Mediterranean living room in a period apartment with herringbone floor, linen sofa, cane chairs with olive cushions and a thick wooden coffee table
Mediterranean living room with a rattan armchair, an olive green chair, a wooden sideboard with an olive tree in a terracotta pot and a jute rug
Tall Mediterranean living room with a fireplace, a beige sofa, cane chairs, blue ceramics on the mantel and a large natural rug
Mediterranean living room with an L-shaped linen sofa, a cane chair, terracotta pots, a paper pendant lamp and framed botanical and tile prints

Rendered with Domusia

What makes a living room Mediterranean

  • A deep sofa in sand or off-white linen, loose rather than tailored, with cushions in navy, olive and mustard.
  • Cane-backed armchairs on solid wood frames, set at an angle to the sofa so the group reads as a conversation.
  • A low coffee table in thick, hand-finished wood, carrying a few books and a ceramic bowl, with nothing glossy on it.
  • A large jute or flat-woven rug in natural tones; in the first room its navy border picks up the colour of the cushions.
  • A small olive tree in a terracotta pot, which appears in almost every room, often next to the brightest window.
  • A weathered wooden sideboard with glazed blue and ochre ceramics, and table lamps with plain linen shades.
  • Botanical, lemon or tile-pattern prints in thin frames, hung as a loose group rather than a strict grid.

Colour palette

  • Sand linen
  • Terracotta
  • Aegean blue
  • Olive leaf
  • Ochre

Get the look

  1. Replace one upholstered armchair with a cane or rattan chair on a wooden frame: it changes the room more than any paint colour.
  2. Lay a jute rug large enough to take the front legs of every seat, then keep the cushions to two accents, deep blue and olive.
  3. Put a small olive tree in a terracotta pot by the brightest window and group the ceramics on one surface instead of spreading them.

Questions

Do I need white walls and arches for a Mediterranean living room?

No. None of the six rooms on this page gained an arch or new plaster. Walls, floors and windows stayed exactly as photographed; the style comes from the furniture, textiles, lamps and plants.

Which colours work best in a Mediterranean living room?

Start from sand and off-white for the large pieces, then bring in deep blue and olive through cushions and ceramics. Keep terracotta and ochre to small doses: pots, a lamp base, one throw.

Does the style suit a dark wood or herringbone floor?

Yes. Three of these rooms keep oak herringbone or dark boards. A natural jute rug bridges the floor and the pale sofa, so the floor never has to change.

How can I see my own living room in this style?

Upload a photo of the room to Domusia and choose Mediterranean. You get a redesign of that exact room, with the same walls, windows and floor and new furniture in place.

Mediterranean in other rooms

Other styles for your living room

For a whole house

Redesign your living room in Mediterranean