3 Easy and Cheap Ways to Give Your Living Room a Makeover

Mar 17, 2019

Most people spend the majority of their day in the living room. After all, the living room has a variety of different functions. It’s the place we go to when we want to spend time with our family, watch a movie, relax, or socialize. It’s also the room that gets used most often for entertaining guests.

Due to the heavy traffic and constant use most living rooms tend to get worn down much quicker than the rest of the house, and we’re more likely to get used to and bored of the way they look. However, doing a full renovation takes both and money that not everyone has readily available. Luckily, there are ways that you can update and ‘remodel’ your living room without draining your bank account.

1.     Change the Layout

This is by far the easiest and cheapest way to change the look of your living room. Your first step should be to identify the central point of the room. This is the spot that the rest of your furniture is oriented around, and it’s usually the television, entertainment center or a fireplace. Unfortunately, if you have a fireplace as the central point your options will be more limited; however you can still make a change by rearranging the configuration of the furniture.

However, if your television set is the focal point, you have more leeway when it comes to changing the room’s layout. Consider whether there is a different spot where you could move it. Figure out the best way to reroute the cabling without too much hassle and you’re set. Once you’ve chosen its new placement don’t simply copy the same furniture arrangement you had before. You’re not looking to simply flip the look of your living room. For a truly updated look, assess all of the major pieces of furniture and figure out a few ways you could arrange them. 

After you’ve created your new arrangement look at all of your decorative pieces and try to come up with new ways to place them in order to get the best look. If you need to remove certain items that don’t fit with your new style idea, don’t hesitate to do so! This will let other, perhaps less noticeable items truly shine. Replace smaller dated items with trendier pieces, such as throw pillows with a fun print and you’ll have a living room that looks drastically different.

2.     Paint Transformation

This is one of the most obvious, effective and least expensive ways to transform your living room. If you’re feeling particularly bold, you can paint the entire room a bright new color and get a whole different look for the space. You can also choose to paint just one accent wall that will be the main focal point of the room.

If you have a dado rail in your living room, you can choose to play up the contrast by painting different colors above and below it, or you can create the illusion of one by painting the bottom three feet of the wall a different color to the rest.

If painting seems too permanent and time-consuming, you can achieve the same effects with some well-placed wallpaper. This will especially work well if you’ve decided to create an accent wall in your living room.

3.     Update your furniture
 

If you’ve become bored with your furniture, or if certain pieces are starting to show the effects of time and regular use, it may be time to consider an update! This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and purchase all new furniture. Instead, choose to give your existing furniture a makeover as a much faster, cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative! You’d be surprised at the effect a little sanding, a new coat of paint and a nice finish can have on older and outdated pieces.

For damaged upholstery, you can choose to recover or replace it completely giving a whole new life to your sofa, armchair or loveseat. However, this investment is only worthwhile if your furniture has a good-quality frame. If this is not the case, consider utilizing printed throws to cover any stains and damage to the upholstery.