5 Living Room Makeovers – Before and After

Living rooms serve an important role in our homes. It’s where we spend precious time with family and friends. Creating an inviting atmosphere is important in making everyone feel welcome. Creating a functional space that works for your lifestyle is critical, especially in regions where you are forced to survive winter indoors.

Many of us have living rooms we do not love. How do we create a space that works? Here are some great living room ‘flips’ to inspire you. If you are not ready to tackle a complete overhaul, just try to accomplish a few tasks to make your space work better for you and your family. Try to experiment with furniture arrangement, lighting, color accents, and organization/storage. These improvements can be accomplished with minimal investment, resulting in a more functional space for you, your family, and friends.

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Decorating Tips

Furniture

Make sure your furniture isn’t too bulky. Break up large sectionals and spread furniture around the room so it doesn’t take over and dominate the space. Furniture should be easy to clean so you don’t have to fret over spills and daily wear & tear. Arrange furniture to accommodate how you use the space: view of TV or scenic landscape outside window? Conversation and a glass of wine around a fireplace? Need a spot for playing games or working on puzzles?

Carpeting and Rugs

Carpeting and rugs can serve as a neutral backdrop or as a focal point for your living room. Carpeting is a great way to add warmth. There are more color and pattern options than ever before. There are even carpet tiles that can be installed to create a one-of-a-kind look. This approach also allows for easier replacement in case of stains. Area rugs should be large enough for the space. Rugs should be used to anchor the furniture to further define the space. Rugs can also be used to add color, pattern, and texture.

Windows

Let the light in. Ample light can make a room feel larger. Use shutters or curtains to block light during bright parts of the day. Hang curtains high and wide to make your windows appear larger and consider painting dark wood trim a light color.

Lighting

Task lighting is critical. If you love to read, make sure you have adequate light. Try to arrange floor or table lighting in a triangle, with light from each lamp overlapping. This creates an adequately lit, but comfortable space. Use dimmer switches for overhead lighting so you can adjust the intensity for the occasion.

Textures

Mixing textures can add visual interest to a room. This is also a great way to change a room seasonally. Use faux furs and heavy knits in winter. In warmer weather switch to lighter materials.

Colors

Colors can set the mood of a space. Pick rich colors for a relaxing space or light colors for a vibrant and energetic room. Pick your favorite color and infuse it throughout the space. If you do this with accents such as pillows, pictures, flowers, and coffee table to decor it’s easier to change things out seasonally or if you change your favorite color palette.

Organization and Storage

If you use a room, you need THINGS to be comfortable and enjoy time spent in your space. This can include books, blankets, toys, games, and decorative items. Clutter can create stress, so make sure you have adequate storage to stash items away when you need to use your space. Bookshelves, coffee tables that double as storage chests, shelves, and baskets are great ways to contain clutter.

5 Before and After Living Room Makeovers for Inspiration

The rooms below provide examples of how to tackle the tips outlined above. Enjoy the inspiration and get to work on creating your own dream living room!

Living room 1: Windows, Color and Patterns

For Corey at Hey there, Home, decorating is a family affair. Corey and her mom did a fantastic job incorporating color and making the living room in her mom’s home memorable.

Before: Looks comfortable, but definitely not memorable. The bland curtains dominate the room and the sectional couch takes over the the floor space. The room looks crowded.

After: WOW! The fabulous window treatments are shower curtains. The curtains themselves add bold color and the stripes, along with the high and wide placement of the curtain rod, draw attention to the window and make it appear larger. The color and pattern of the DIY ottoman complement the color of the curtains, but add a nice contrast to the pattern.

Living Room 2: Using Paint to lighten up the atmosphere

Crazy DIY Mom. This living room had a dark cabin feel. Crazy DIY mom painted the paneling and white washed the stone to lighten up the room. She provides some great tips on making sure you grab the right primer and brush to tackle any panel painting project. A little elbow grease took this room from cabin drab to coastal fab. I appreciate that they didn’t remove the paneling, but painted it for a fresh look. I think the texture of the paneling adds architectural interest compared to standard, flat drywall. It also preserves nostalgic character from the time the home was built. Allowing these features to shine through creates unique, conversation-worthy spaces that can’t be recreated in mass-produced homes.

Before: Dark wood and stone create a dark and drab space..

After: Painting the paneling and whitewashing the fireplace create textural interest to the space and make the room appear brighter and more welcoming. The arrangement of the couches allows for great conversation while enjoying a warm fire and great movies.

Living Room 3: Mid-century modern Contrast and COOL

Jess at Bright Green Door did a fantastic job breathing new life into this mid-century modern living room. With the ‘before’ color palette, the fireplace is lost in the paneled walls. And the room just feels like a large space with no purpose.

Before: The monochromatic or dreary color palette doesn’t feature the fireplace, built-in bookcases, or fabulous outdoor view.

After: The fireplace and built-in book cases are highlighted with the new color scheme. The white walls, black brick, and warm flooring color create a comfortable space that connects more effectively with the view of the outdoors from the large picture window. Again, curtains hung high and wide!

Living Room 4: Revamp of a traditional space

Jessica at Four Generations-One Roof. redesigned this space to lighten it up, make it feel more spacious, while creating more functional layout. Notice how much larger windows look with the curtains hung higher

Before: The room is very nice, but very traditional and nothing really stands out to create a memorable room.

After: Light furniture with a pop of color in the rug and wall above the fresh, white paneling create an energetic space filled with light.

Living Room 5: Update for a dark, traditional space

Dear Lillie Studio. took this dark, traditional space and created a fresh country feeling filled with interesting decor and patterns.

Before: The space is dark and traditional with the appearance of a standard 1990’s home. Even the ceiling feels low making the room seem smaller.

After: Light paint allows wood ceiling beams to play a complimentary role. They don’t dominate the space, but add interesting visual contrast. Sconces in alternate materials create a unique look compared to ‘developer standard brass fixtures’ prior to the flip. The gray trim and fireplace also add contrast. Furniture, color, and decor give this room a french country feeling. The pattern in the rug draws attention to the grey ceiling trim, floor trim, and fireplace mantel. This really pulls the room together resulting in a calming and well balanced space.