How to have an Arabian Style for Living Room Designs

Arabian living room decoration style creates an atmosphere of mystique and fantasy as if you were in an imaginary Aladdin movie setting! First, you may study some history, knowing that Arab’s interior design has evolved over the years and centuries, where Islamic décor and Mediterranean decoration ideas blended and influenced each other! We can note in Arabian décor style some Greek, French, and Italian touches. 

Decoration represents peoples’ culture and character. But, as the globe is almost becoming one gigantic city, we became capable of adopting the style and culture we feel most attracted to. When one thinks of Arab décor style, extravagant and classical Arabian nights scenery come to mind. However, the modern design style of the Arabs is more of a fairly minimalist style. Arab’s family rooms are also very exotic, full of unique details and luxury furnishings as if you entered a palace! Before delving into detailed ideas and inspiration, you should think first which Arabian interior design you prefer, the classical one or the modern one. You will find below some features particular to Arab’s décor.

Colors

Arabian décor in general is known for bold colors, where tones are usually earthy, with splashes of rich reds, golds, ochres, and oranges, while gold dominating the theme. Metallic objects are essential to this decoration style, and furniture is generally elaborately carved. For an authentic Arabian look, you may add fascinating lanterns to your sitting room, rich rugs, textured and layered fabrics. A wall or two are often textured in Arab living rooms by using wallpapers or textured paint. Apart from walls, bright colors are also found in rugs, pillows, drapes, etc. where colorful energy flows in the living space, as shown in the sitting room fashioned by @andreaschumacherinteriors.

Textiles

Textiles are the focus of attention in an Arabian living room. Luxurious weaves, feels, colors, and designs are a must in an Arab-style place. This is done by using heavy drapery, embroideries, silk, deluxe Persian rugs, rich fabric. Windows treatment is also an Arabian feature, along with so many prints that are found confusing yet powerful. We can notice the beauty of these textiles in the sitting place design of @tissus_ismaili.

Furniture

Unlike the western décor styles, Arab’s sitting room designs do not include sofas and seating furniture, as the Arabic seating was on floor cushions or low benches. Nevertheless, as Arab’s decoration evolved, wooden and elaborately carved sofas and chairs, abstract or geometrically-patterned entered the Arabian scene, next to the other furniture, such as room divider screens, small tables such as this idea designed by @maisonbencherif, and lanterns produced by @ciaras_homestyle.

Lighting

Chandeliers always steal the show in an Arab’s living room. One should dare to pick the biggest chandelier that can fit the salon. The light and shadow these lanterns, pendant lights, led strip lights and chandeliers throw around them give a certain intimate feel to the living area, and also work well for small modern living room designs, giving an impression of a more spacious area. This feature is well translated in this small sitting room designed by @maisonbencherif. It can be a great small salon idea.

Architecture

Arabic architecture is defined by bold forms. If you would like this feature to pop out in your sitting area, go for carved doors and windows, columns, arches, and ornate details. The columns and arches were taken from Roman influence upon the Islamic Civilization and then adopted in Arabian decoration. Mosaic, curved lines, and a lot of details are also very Arabic. 

Layout

The setting is designed in a way that promotes a comfortable ambiance. The Muslim and Arab cultures value a sense of harmony and personal space. Therefore, space arrangement is one of the most important features of modern Arabic interior design, as we can note in the sitting room designed by @moroccanlivingrooms1.

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