2010 has been a busy year in the world of interior design. We saw a lot of new things going on, but what’s in store for 2011?

The modern living room design for 2011 looks to be keeping up with the trend of incorporating earth friendly or green elements, along with practical, useful but attractive looking pieces of furniture. The new modern living room has to fit in with it’s genre but also keep up with the 21st century modern family. A tough call, but design and home stores are keeping up well with the demand.

Let’s start at the bottom of the room and work our way up. How will our living room floor look in 2011? All signs point to the use of eco-friendly flooring such as bamboo or reclaimed hardwoods. Bamboo is particularly popular for flooring as it has attractive neutral tones to it and also because the wood is enduring and grows very, very fast. There’s practically no chance that bamboo will be harvested to the point of extinction. Also, on our floor we’re starting to see the use of different layered textures such as throw rugs made of recycled materials or other pieces that are reused from inside the home.

Looking up, we are seeing some really interesting seating and storage options for our living room in 2011. Designers and homeowners are flocking to pieces that can multitask, such as armchairs or sectional sofas. Each piece can be mixed and matched to suit different seating arrangements. Materials again are eco-friendly or easy to take care of or even a mixture of both. You are likely to see upholstery that’s a neutral beige or camel tones along with a couple of statement pillows for interest. When it comes to storage, we are also seeing a lot of multitasking going on. The modern living room designers have this down to a fine art, utliizing a variety of pieces that can accommodate TV’s, DVD players and surround sound systems, but can handily slide closed when not in use. Thus, keeping everything in harmony with the rest of the room.

When it comes to walls and lighting, things are really getting earthy toned for the modern living room in 2011. The new trends are shades of purple and of gray. In fact gray looks to be the new up and comer when it comes to neutrals. Popular shades of purple include the deep, burgundy tinged aubergine and the new mixed shade of dusky lavender and gray. Lighting is also moving towards more mobile and accessible pieces. Lamps and reading lights that are made out of recycled wood and plastic are a very good style move. For wall art, think organic. Large statement scenes of plants, trees and flowers work very well in the contemporary living room.