Living Room Makeover: 9 Trends That Will Transform Your Space in 2026

Large, open-plan layouts are the dream of modern living. But anyone living in a loft or a house with floor-to-ceiling windows knows the problem: there are no walls. Where do you put the television if you don't want to obstruct the breathtaking view of the garden and there's no solid wall available?

A conventional lowboard would often look lost here or visually cut through the room without giving it structure. The solution lies in furniture that combines architecture and function. A freestanding room divider acts as a central element, zoning the space – for example, between the dining area and lounge – without closing it off.

The decisive advantage of such a system is its mobility. If the TV panel is motorised or manually rotatable by 360 degrees, you no longer have to commit to where your sofa is placed. You can turn the news towards the breakfast table in the morning and swivel the blockbuster towards the sofa landscape in the evening. All cables disappear invisibly into the column, perfecting the illusion of a picture floating freely in the room.

💡 Livarea Expert Tip:When planning a freestanding room divider, be sure to include a floor socket. This avoids tripping hazards from extension cables that would otherwise have to run across the room.

The Roto TV Room Divider model masters this discipline par excellence. With its sculptural character, it appears less like a piece of furniture and more like a part of the architecture. The combination of lacquer and wood veneer also allows the room divider to be harmoniously adapted to your parquet flooring or kitchen fronts.

The days when games consoles or high-end audio equipment were hidden away in dark drawers are over. Design icons like the modern PlayStation or high-quality valve amplifiers deserve a stage. But a conflict often arises here: how do I present my tech without it looking untidy?

The problem with closed lowboards is often the lack of air circulation for high-performance devices. The solution is an asymmetrical wall unit that combines closed storage with open, staged areas. A dedicated, open compartment provides the console with the necessary 'breathing room' and puts it in the right light – often supported by subtle LED lighting.

Crucial here is cable management. Nothing destroys the aesthetic faster than a tangled mess of HDMI and power cables. Look for furniture that features intelligent cable pass-throughs in the back panel and between compartments. This way, the tech comes together in the background, while only design is visible at the front.

🛠️ How to achieve the perfect setup:

1. Place the console in the open compartment for optimal ventilation.
2. Use cable channels to immediately route power leads to the rear.
3. Store games, controllers, and accessories in the closed drawers next to it.

Our recommendation for this balancing act between presentation and order is the Modern TV Wall Unit Idea C101. It offers precisely this balance: an open element for your hardware highlights and generous drawers for everything that shouldn't disturb the eye.

Televisions are getting ever larger – 75 or 85 inches are no longer a rarity in premium living spaces. And this is precisely where the most common interior design mistake occurs: the piece of furniture underneath is narrower than the screen. The television then appears top-heavy, as if it's about to tip forward at any moment. The wall loses its sense of balance.

This can be resolved with a single figure. The width formula is: Furniture width = TV width plus at least 25 cm clearance on each side. This clearance isn't a luxury; it's the reason a large television appears commanding rather than cumbersome. It's the free space that transforms the device into a considered design element.

And now for the crucial point: Most lowboards max out at 180 cm. This is sufficient for 55 or 65 inches. From 75 inches upwards, it becomes mathematically tight, and from 85 inches, it's simply too small – regardless of the furniture's quality. Therefore, anyone planning a large screen requires a configurable width that extends beyond the standard.

A second effect emerges with these dimensions: visual heaviness. A solid piece of furniture on the floor can overwhelm the room. A wall-mounted design resolves this – thanks to the floor clearance, even a three-metre-wide board appears light and floating. A practical side effect: your robot vacuum can pass underneath unhindered.

💡 Livarea Expert Tip:Don't measure the diagonal screen size; instead, measure the actual casing width of your television – the frame and stand can vary by several centimetres depending on the model. Only then add the 25 cm per side.

To meet these precise requirements, we have configured the Livitalia Mediaaufbewahrung TV Lowboard Schwarz Matt. It can be designed up to 300 cm wide, confidently accommodating even 100-inch screens, while its matt surface minimises reflections and directs focus to the picture.

In modern layouts, the kitchen, dining area, and living room flow seamlessly into one another. This fosters communication but creates a sightline issue: the television is usually perfectly aligned with the sofa. However, anyone wanting to catch the news from the dining table or watch their favourite series while cooking will be out of luck – or at least looking obliquely at a dark screen.

Rigid wall mounts are often far from an aesthetic revelation. Far more elegant is a piece of furniture that has already invisibly integrated this function. A so-called 'flag panel' allows the television to be swivelled away from the wall and into the room. When at rest, the TV lies flat and aesthetically flush; when needed, it aligns itself with you.

This flexibility translates into an enhanced quality of life. You are no longer tied to a fixed seating position. The technology adapts to your daily routine, not the other way around. The mechanism is designed to be robust enough to stably support even larger screen sizes without sagging.

The Livitalia Vision Lowboard is our top choice for this. The panel can be swivelled by up to 90 degrees, thereby enabling the perfect viewing angle from almost every corner of the room, without revealing the unsightly back of the TV or tangled cables.

There are purists for whom even a floating lowboard is too much furniture. For them, absolute reduction is key. In such extremely minimalist concepts, every handle, every drawer, and every visible volume is a disturbance. Yet, without any storage surface, a wall-mounted television often looks lost and 'cold'.

The solution is the single wall shelf – essentially a strong, high-quality board that functions as an architectural line beneath the TV. It offers just enough space for a soundbar or selected decorative objects, without providing storage for unnecessary clutter. This forces you to keep things tidy, as there are no drawers in which to hide junk.

The use of materiality and light is particularly effective here. A board made of textured wood against a concrete wall, underlit with LEDs, creates atmosphere without taking up space. It is the ideal solution for smaller rooms or walls that need to breathe.

💡 Livarea Expert Tip:Combine such a board with an 'Invisible Connection' for your television (e.g., Samsung The Frame), so that not a single cable disturbs the minimalist aesthetic.

Our Oak Brown Wall Shelf perfectly demonstrates this philosophy. With its solid appearance of 8 cm thickness, it looks valuable and prominent, yet remains absolutely reduced in its function.

The desire for naturalness and warmth in the living room remains unbroken. Oak is the material of choice. However, many fear the 'Rustic Oak' look of past decades. How do you strike the balance between cosy country house charm and modern, urban design?

The magic word is material mix. A complete wooden piece of furniture often looks heavy. However, if you combine a modern, simple lacquered carcass (e.g., in anthracite or black) with a striking wooden top panel, an exciting contrast is created. The thick wooden top provides the desired tactile feel and visual warmth, while the underlying carcass stands for technical precision and modernity.

This 'Japandi' or 'Modern Farmhouse' style allows technology to be integrated without the living room looking like a laboratory. The wood 'detoxes' the technology visually. Furthermore, a solid wooden top is more resistant to scratches if you happen to move a vase.

The Livitalia Lowboard with Thick Top Panel shows how this mix works. The 6 cm thick oak panel makes a clear statement for closeness to nature, supported by floating, modern lightness.

Anyone who owns high-quality AV receivers, streaming boxes, or power amplifiers knows the dilemma: these devices generate heat. In a closed cabinet, they risk overheating. If you leave the flap open, it looks untidy and collects dust. Then there's the remote control problem: infrared signals do not penetrate solid wooden fronts.

The intelligent solution for 2026 involves fronts with a slat structure or acoustically permeable fabrics. Here, we focus on wooden slats. These fine rods look extremely elegant and create an exciting play of light and shadow. Physically, however, the front is 'open'.

Air can circulate between the slats – cool air flows in from below, and warm air escapes. At the same time, infrared signals find their way to the devices. This means you can store all your technology invisibly, keep the flaps closed, and still operate everything without risking overheating.

Matt surfaces are an enduring trend in interior design. They appear velvety, elegant, and absorb light reflections. However, many customers hesitate: "Won't every fingerprint show?" Especially with push-to-open mechanisms, where you press directly on the front to open, this is a legitimate concern.

The designers' answer is the return to the recessed handle – but in a reinterpreted, almost invisible form. Instead of an applied handle, an ergonomic handle strip is integrated into the upper edge of the front. The design thus remains absolutely flush and clean.

The functional advantage is immense: When opening and closing, you no longer touch the sensitive front surface, but rather grip behind the edge. The front remains immaculately clean, even if the children want to get to the cabinet with sticky hands. Furthermore, this construction allows for a very linear, graphic look.

The Reverse Design Lowboard White Matt perfects this principle. The integrated handle strip is both a design element and a practical everyday helper, ensuring that the brilliant white matt finish remains beautiful long-term.

When a single piece of furniture is not enough to give the living room the desired character, or when an extreme amount of storage space is needed, modern wall panel systems come into play. Bare walls and large glass surfaces often lead to poor room acoustics – it echoes, and conversations feel strenuous.

The solution for 2026 is the fusion of furniture and wall cladding. Large-format panels in marble-effect, wood, or even elements covered with acoustic felt are installed behind the TV. They not only serve as a spectacular backdrop for the television but also noticeably improve room acoustics.

These systems are modular. They can seamlessly integrate storage elements, shelves, and the TV bracket into the wall cladding. This creates a unit of architecture and furnishing that appears tailor-made. As such planning can be complex, professional help is advisable.

💡 Livarea Expert Tip:Use backlit wall panels as an indirect light source. This is gentler on the eyes when watching TV than a completely dark environment.

With our Livitalia Wall Unit with Marble Wall Panel, we offer not only the product but also the solution. If you are unsure, you can use our individual planning package to perfectly coordinate acoustics, storage space, and design.

Whether it's a rotating room divider for the loft, a ventilated board for the console, or acoustically effective wall panelling: modern TV furniture is far more than just storage surfaces. They are problem-solvers that combine design and smart functions to make your everyday life more beautiful and comfortable.

Have you recognised yourself in one of the challenges described? Or are you facing a very specific spatial problem? Let us know!

We would be happy to advise you personally. Call us or send us an email. Our team of experienced interior designers will plan a solution with you that not only fits but also inspires. Feel free to leave us a comment: Which 'TV problem' annoys you the most?