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Every now and then we’ll encounter that unicorn piece of decor that can instantly upgrade a living room. Take that single piece away, and your living room suddenly looks lackluster. These powerful, special pieces can be hard to find, so to help you out, we’ve put our editors on the mission. We picked their brains to find out which transformative pieces will make your living room pop.
Collaged Majida Throw Blanket, Anthropologie, $148 “All my living room furniture is white—including my sofa, which is super stressful. Something with a lot of colors really stands out against the whitewashed backdrop, and this throw does the trick. I also love that it’s a functional decor piece as it’s (allegedly) supposed to start getting cold in New York soon, so a cozy blanket is a must.” –Elly Leavitt, Associate Digital Editor
David in the Desert rug, Cold Picnic, $135 “Most of my living room furniture is neutral tones, so I like playing with color and pattern in accent pieces like rugs and pillows to add playful elements. Really loving everything Cold Picnic is creating right now.” –Lahaina Alcantara, Digital Photo Editor
Francis Mirror, MoMA Design Store, $590 “I think a mirror is such a transformative piece, especially if you live in a small space and need it to feel larger. This is the one item I’ll splurge on because a good mirror is effective and will last a long time with proper care.” –Rachel Besser, Market Editor
Garden Lush, Minted-Domino, $21 “I think the biggest impact you can make in any room is adding things to the walls. The easiest place to start is with art. I’m a big fan of adding large scale prints to my walls in bright, bold color palettes. I’ve recently been loving the combination of pink and red featured in this Minted print.” –Alyssa Clough, Social Media Editor
Triangle shelves, Wood Creek Co. on Etsy, from $24+ each “My dad and I made a series of six triangle shelves for one wall in my living room, and they are without a doubt my favorite piece (possibly in my whole house.) Not only do the shelves themselves act as art pieces, but they are an easy element to update with the seasons. Plus, they are actually functional storage—a triple threat! Wood Creek Co. makes and sells similar shelves on Etsy, so you could mix and match these to make your own collection.” –Jessica Dailey, Digital Editorial Director
Throw Pillow Cover With Pillow Insert Indoor, Society6, $23.99 “My living room is fairly neutral, so I like to jazz it up with statement pillows that have cute sayings on them. This one by Society6 is cute and fun, but doesn’t ruin my neutral decor.” –Nikhita Mahtani, Digital Editor
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