Feeling blah about your living room? Been watching your favorite house decorating show and it’s got you envious?
House overhauls are fun to watch on TV, but budget concerns are real. Typical home renovations can set you back tens of thousands of dollars. But there’s no need to hurt your savings if you simply want a fresh feel to your space.
Small changes can add up to a huge difference. A bonus to taking the “less is more” approach is that the following decorating moves are easy enough to implement before the kids come back from school. Here are some affordable decor upgrades that give your family room an overhaul without a painful price tag.
Change out your wall arrangement.
The wall arrangement you have over your couch, or one side of your family room is the focal point. You likely put a lot of thought into getting the frames aligned and picking out the perfect picture of each of your children. But such arrangements can feel dated after a couple of years. If you are still showing off your kids baby pictures, you might want to start looking at other canvas options.
In fact, if you want to add a bit of class to your living room? Save the family mug shots for the bedrooms, and add some oil paintings or other artwork to your living room walls.
Delete one piece of furniture or unnecessary item.
Sometimes, all it takes to make any space look more spacious and less cluttered is to move out one item. Using a critical and objective eye, ask yourself which piece of furniture is either an eyesore or is not fulfilling its function at a high level. It could be a side table that was added to a corner. Or some bean bag throws that kids used to use but don’t anymore. A vase that someone gave you over Christmas that you feel guilty about tossing. (Quick word of advice: If a piece of furniture makes you feel guilty? Chances are high it does not belong in your house.)
After you move out that one item, see if you can delete another the next day. The plan is not to get rid of all the furniture in your living room. But rather to get rid of the stuff that does not belong, so that you can have a better idea of what you need and what you have to work with.
Pay attention to your light sources.
The light in your room plays a huge role in whether your living room feels cozy or harsh. Modern or mellow.
But when was the last time you considered how the lighting in your living room was making you feel? There are a wide variety of activities done in a living room, so you need to tailor the lighting accordingly.
Games, hobbies, and other activities require a well-lit space. In the evenings, or when you watch TV, you want to avoid overhead lighting, and instead switch to floor lights or sconces.
So the first step here is to make sure that you have a light source that accommodates the wide range of activities in your living room. And then consider the bulb itself. Choose the tone of light when choosing the light bulb. Go for a warmer shade for sconces, lamps, and other light fixtures that are secondary sources of light. And a whiter shade for overhead light when you need a light source for a task or an activity.
Up your color-coordination game.
Do you know how often a color should be repeated in a room for you to achieve a color-coordinated look? That number is not as high as you might think. Simply putting the same color 3 times scattered around the room can give your living room a pulled together style.
This is one of the simplest and most straightforward ways to revamp the look of any room in your house. It can be done with cushion covers, throw pillows, a couch throw, a vase, a picture frame… You get the idea.
First step, choose a color that appeals to you. It should be different enough from the colors already present in the room, so that it will stand out and catch the eye. Try a tulip yellow, or a French blue. Then go treasure hunting around your house, or at your favorite discount store for 3 items that are in the color you have chosen. In a pinch, spray paint an old vase or another décor item.
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