The honest answer: it depends on which way your room faces and what you want the space to do. But after years of getting people sorted, there are a few colours that almost never disappoint in a living room.
For a warm, inviting lounge that flatters skin tones and looks cracking by lamplight, Farrow & Ball Setting Plaster is hard to beat — a soft pinky-clay that reads neutral but never cold. It's a brilliant choice for north-facing rooms that need the warmth. If you want something cosier still, Mole's Breath gives you that enveloping, grown-up feel without going full dark — perfect for a snug or a room you mainly use in the evening.
Prefer something light but not stark? Little Greene French Grey is the workhorse — a gentle greened-grey that sits beautifully with both modern and period furniture and won't fight your sofa. For a properly elegant, restful living room, Little Greene Pearl Colour or Farrow & Ball Cornforth White deliver a soft, sophisticated backdrop that shifts subtly through the day.
Now, the "but what about" most people ask: *should the living room be a feature colour or kept neutral?* My view — keep the main walls calm and put your personality into one element. A chimney breast in Inchyra Blue or a bookcase in Card Room Green gives you drama without making the whole room feel small or busy.
Practical advice: living rooms are double-light rooms — you use them in daylight and at night — so test in both. A colour that sings at 3pm can turn muddy under warm bulbs. Get a sample pot, paint two coats on a bit of A2 lining paper, and move it around the walls over a couple of days before you commit. Go for an emulsion in a matt or estate finish on walls; it hides imperfections and feels softer than a sheen. Sort that and you won't regret it.