Two Inexpensive Updates that Transformed Our Living Room
Soft muted tones, comfortable textures, classic details, and a timeless look. That’s the feel I was hoping to achieve in one of our most lived in rooms in the house, our living room. I started with one inexpensive change, that made a huge impact in the overall look of the living room, followed by one more fairly inexpensive but high impact change, and it made the room look like a whole new space, wish a fresh and comfortable feel. Just these two simple changes completely transformed our living room, and all for under $300! No new furniture. No new décor. I didn’t even rearrange much. Just two relatively simple changes!
1. Fresh Paint
I had long loved the cool casual Sea Salt color by Sherwin Williams. So much so that I had used it in our living room in our old house and then used it again in our living room when we moved. It was a comfortable color that went well with my former nautical/lake theme, but it was light and pastel and, with my style changing over the years, I was growing bored of it. A few months ago, I got the urge to repaint the living room. Normally, I would have had my work cut out for me in convincing Ted that we should paint another room, especially one we had already painted since moving into the house. Much to my surprise, he was not at all fond of Sea Salt and he actually loved my new color choice. After a little convincing that there wasn’t even that much to paint considering that we would be leaving the fireplace and bookcase white, I had him fully on board.
I was feeling a move to slightly darker tones and was drawn to some very muted greyish green shades. I love the color options that Magnolia Home Paints offer, and after bringing a stack of options home, we settled on the color Reclaimed Wood. We grabbed paint from our local Ace Hardware store and knocked out the project in a few hours. Painting your walls a new color is such a great way to transform a space for little cost. Between excluding the fireplace, bookcase, windows, doors, and openings, we only ended up using one gallon of paint for our living room walls, totaling only $57.99 (plus tax). Such an inexpensive change that made such a huge impact! The change in color made it feel more cozy and timeless, and while that alone totally transformed the space, something still didn’t feel quite right…
2. New Area Rug
The area rug we had wasn’t that old and it wasn’t bad, but the more I looked at it, the more I felt that it just wasn’t the look I was going for. Luckily, we were in need of a new rug in our youngest daughters’ shared bedroom and the colors were just perfect for their space, so it worked out well to do a little shifting between rooms. After a lot of searching, I was able to order just the right rug through our shop, Charming North. I wanted something warm with neutral colors, and I’ve been particularly drawn to the classic look of the diamond harlequin patterns lately. I was thrilled to find just what I was looking for through one of our wholesalers, and in a larger size for our living room, for a little over $200.00. The moment we put the rug down, I knew it was perfect for the space! You know how things sometimes don’t turn out quite how you had imagined them? Well this was the opposite… The rug looked better than we could have imagined in the space.
The combination of the cozy muted paint color and the warm neutral rug with a classic pattern really freshened up the space, without even changing hardly any of the shelf and wall décor. While the space was nice before, these couple changes tied the room together like never before. It made the space look classier and more timeless, but somehow also more comfortable and casual. The dark tones of the furniture and floors really pop off the Reclaimed Wood color and the whites of the fireplace and bookcase are such a crisp and classy contrast against it. I’ve truly never loved this room more.
While the cost may vary depending on the size of your space, how much paint you’ll need, and the size and cost of your area rug, these two changes can make such a major impact on transforming a room, and there are ways to keep the cost down with both these changes. There are different price points for paint, and you could purchase a less expensive paint, although we were very happy with the quality and coverage of the Magnolia paint. You could also save a lot on painting the room by doing it yourself, as we did, instead of hiring a painter. There are also options to save on area rugs. Indoor/outdoor rugs can sometimes be less expensive, which is the type of rug I went with. Catching a rug sale is a great way to save on this or if you can find a thrifted rug in good shape, this is another cost effective way to change out your area rug. If you’re willing to put in the time searching for the right pieces at the right prices, these two changes are a great and cost effective way to makeover any room in your house.
Looking for more ideas to transform a room on a budget? Try shopping your house and swap décor between different rooms in your house, like how we switched our area rug to a different room. Bring the outdoors in by decorating with natural elements found in your own yard. Find ideas and inspiration for adding natural elements to your décor in this blog post. Swapping out pillow covers or adding a new throw can give your space a fresh look at a low cost. Rearrange shelf décor for a no cost update. Create your own DIY artwork for a new look on your walls. There are so many ideas to transform your spaces at a low cost, the options are endless!
What are your favorite simple ways to transform a space? Let me know in the comments!