!!!!...LIVING ROOM....!!!!

Living-Room Makeovers

Before
With plain white walls, no window treatments, and bland, neutral furnishings, the room feels a bit stark. The space has great details, like a wooden mantel and built-in bookshelves, but they aren’t being showcased properly.


After
Drawing the furnishings closer together creates a more intimate atmosphere. The bold zebra print accent adds contrast to the low-key sofa, while removing the large area rug makes the space feel less cramped and exposes the beautiful wood floors.


Before
Spread-out seating makes the room cold, and the contrast between the white walls and the dark wooden trim is too severe. The high end tables make the sofa look wobbly.


After
Newly painted pale green walls balance out the trim nicely (and echo an accent color in the wallpaper in the adjacent room). Adding brightly patterned and colored throw pillows to the neutral sofa injects instant personality. To anchor the seating area, a larger rug replaces the two small ones, and the sofa and love seat are drawn closer together. The end tables are repurposed as a console on the wall behind the love seat, and the coffee table becomes an end table.



Before
Without art or a mantel, the fireplace is lost in a white wall. Bland hues leave the room lifeless.


After
A fun chalkboard solves the mantel problem. Two walls painted blue delineate and enliven the space, while a new sheer fabric panel hides electronics cords and adds texture.



Before
With bare walls painted in the standard landlord-white, blah wall-to-wall carpeting, and a messy assortment of scavenged belongings, the living room looks sloppy and unfinished.


After
Much-needed functional and decorative pieces, like dark-stained shelves and cubbyholes, give the room a livable quality. Some rich green paint, which balances the blues and earth tones in the room, adds depth, while a dark accent rug and upholstered bench strewn with colorful accent pillows help define a conversation area. A collage of maps, vintage postcards, and envelopes personalizes the space.