Low cost ways to transform your living room

Maia Devereux Maia Devereux
MODELO ALASSIO, SE PUEDE HACER EN CUALQUIER COMPOSICIÓN Y MEDIDA., TAPIZADOS BEDLETTO, SL TAPIZADOS BEDLETTO, SL
Loading admin actions …

The living room is one of the most important rooms in the house, and creating a cosy and friendly atmosphere in it is crucial.  If your living room décor is looking a bit tired, or if you're just tired of it, then maybe it's time to do some work to give it a fresh and modern new look. When it comes to home decor, it's all about the details—in other words, changing small things can have a huge effect. What this means in practice is that you don't need a massive budget to change the look of your living room—with a pinch of creativity and our tips and tricks below, you'll have a new look room in no time.  And since it's January, and energy levels are probably as low as bank balances after the excesses of the festive season, you'll be relieved to hear that our suggestions won't take an enormous amount of effort to implement. 

Give furniture a facelift

So you've invested a fair bit in your living room furniture, and are loath to get rid of it. But you're also sick of looking at it. Solution? A little creativity and a little DIY, and you can bring about a magical transformation. Given the enduring appeal of ‘shabby chic' and distressed vintage styles, you don't need to be a master craftsman to turn old wooden furniture into something that's both new and bang on trend. Get some sandpaper, some paint and some varnish, and get to work. By the time you're finished, you won't recognise your boring old table or dresser, and you can enjoy the smug satisfaction of having done it all yourself. 

Give your couch a new lease of life

The key item in any living room: the sofa. It probably took you months to choose yours, and chances are you're happy with its size, its shape, and its comfort level. What you might be tired of, though, is its upholstery. Why not change it? Reupholstering a sofa is a job for the professionals (unless you're extremely handy with a staple gun we wouldn't recommend taking this one on yourself), but there are plenty of them out there. You just get to take on the pleasurable job of choosing a new fabric. Once the job is done, you'll have a whole new centrepiece for your living room, and you'll be amazed at the difference it makes. 

Cushions and textiles

If reupholstering the couch just seems like too much work, then there is an easier way to breath new life into your living room: textiles. Changing cushions and throws will change the whole tone of the room: from floral to austere; from warm to cool; from neutral to bold. Anything is possible.

Get quirky

If your budget is low then your creativity needs to be amped up to make up for it. Take a look around your home and try and see it with new eyes—look for things that might have outlived their usefulness, but that still look pretty, and put them to work in a different context.

As a cool example: an old pair of children's wellington boots will create an original, fun and low-cost vase. The options are endless: books hung from hooks, pallets as storage, fruit boxes turned into tables. There are a multitude of options, you just need to step outside the box a little, let your imagination run wild, and have a bit of fun.

Give your walls some tlc

Bare walls? Or bored of the pictures you have? One of the easiest, and most transformative, ways to change your living room is to add to or change up your wall art. You could go for a series of pictures all on one wall, creating a collage effect, or just one huge picture that will dominate the room, or maybe a few judiciously placed images around all four walls… whatever you like. It might take a while to make the choice, but once your walls are well-dressed, it'll feel like the rest of the room is, too.

Change one wall

Alternatively, repaint or re-cover one wall of your living room. Go for a contrast paint colour, choose some striking wallpaper, or even change the texture of one wall entirely—like in the stone effect we see in this picture. It won't take too much work, won't cost much, but it'll have a big effect. 

Of course, everything depends on your budget, but we hope we've made it clear is that no need to start throwing up partition walls, buying lots of new furniture, or tearing up carpets for you to have a renovated living room that looks brand new.

Need help with your home project?
Get in touch!

Highlights from our magazine