As promised, I’m spilling all the details of my living room makeover today!
If you haven’t taken the tour of my newly-decorated, lighter and brighter living room yet, you’ll definitely want to check that out. There’s tons of pretty photos to browse with lots of DIY projects! And now I’ll give you the full scoop on how the room came together… with links to project tutorials, where I purchased certain items, and more!
As I said in the reveal post, this room was definitely a challenge for me. Our home is a rental, and I had old wood floors, dark wood trim, falling-apart windows, baseboard heaters, and a myriad of mis-matched, outdated furniture to work with. Not exactly the cake walk I was hoping for. Since this is a rental, we didn’t want to pour a ton of money into decorating or renovating, so I did what I could on our tight budget and am pretty pleased with the results. To see the living room’s “before” photos, click here!
My decorating style seems to be ever-changing and currently lands somewhere between modern industrial chic, cozy vintage rustic, and beachy coastal cottage. Sounds strange, right? But what I’m learning as I go along is that style and design doesn’t have to be put into one, little box. Finding your personal style means combining all the things that you love into something unique and all your own. So that’s what this room is. Things that I love, things from the past, things that I made, and much more. It represents me and my family, and is far from perfect. The pillows are usually on the floor, and my son usually has fingerprint smudges all over the glass coffee table. You can almost always find dirty socks hidden under the couch and a stack of my husband’s farming magazines on the table next to the recliner. It’s not always magazine-worthy, but it’s cozy, comfortable, and lived in. For me, that’s exactly what good design should be.
My coffee table is actually a Walmart find (see bottom of post for the link), and the glass gives an open, airy feel to the space. Would you believe my DIY gallery wall over the couch was done for less than $20? It really was! I shopped thrift stores for most of the frames and made a lot of the artwork myself.
Painting my old buffet-turned-TV stand white made a huge impact in the room, and I love the original gold hardware. I debated adding some artwork above and around the TV, but instead opted for some gorgeous industrial pendant lights. I swoon over these beauties on a daily basis!
I love our comfy gray couches and new pillows…
… but do not so much love this brown faux leather recliner. I’d much rather have two tufted wingback chairs upholstered in a gorgeous fabric, but this recliner was a gift to my husband after almost 5 years of nagging about the mauve-colored recliner I sent to the dumpster shortly after we got together. Sometimes in marriage you have to compromise. He got a new recliner… I got to pick it out! The adorable antler pillow makes it a little better.
I made a couple dollar store vases look like beautiful sea glass with the help of this tutorial from Craftberry Bush. I added little votive candles inside that produce a beautiful glow in the evenings.
When your room is feeling a bit drab, adding a plant or two is the easiest way to liven up the space. This big house plant seems to love it’s new sunny spot next to the window, and I’m praying I can keep it alive for awhile. I’m not exactly known for my green thumb, but it’s getting better year by year!
Our living room opens up to the dining room, which I’m hoping to work on before the end of the year. But first, I’m getting my office in order! I’m SO excited to start showing you projects from the office makeover I have planned!
I’m finally happy with the progress I’ve made in my living room, and I’d love to hear what YOU think of the space! What is YOUR favorite part of the room? I’d be happy to answer any questions you have too! Thanks for all your love and support, and stay tuned for the next room makeover coming up later this month!
Living Room Details
Wall Color: Valspar Woodlawn Colonial Gray
Gray Couches: Ashley Furniture
Brown Faux Leather Recliner: La-Z-Boy
Glass Coffee Table: Walmart
Nailhead Trim End Tables: Tutorial
Refinished Chalk Paint Media Console: Tutorial
Two-Tone Painted Faux Fireplace: Tutorial
Barn Wood Shutters: Tutorial
– Updated from wood to white: Tutorial
Gallery Wall: Tutorial
– Framed Key Specimen Art: Tutorial
– Wood Pallet Arrow: Tutorial
– Fabric Covered Frame Mats: Tutorial
– Canvas Script Art: Tutorial
Blanket Ladder: Tutorial
Faux Fur Pillow: Walmart
Round Compass Pillow: Tutorial
Antler Pillow Cover: Parris Chic Boutique
Pillow Fabrics: Online Fabric Store (light blue & navy blue)
Coffee Filter Wreath: Tutorial
Industrial Pendant Lights: Target
White Faux Fur Rug: Walmart
Round Glass Lamp Base: Target
Natural Lamp Shades – Walmart
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!
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Love the way your living room turned out! What color did you use on the walls?
Thank you so much, Paula! We used Valspar Woodlawn Colonial Gray on the walls… thank you for reminding me to add that in the room’s details! 🙂
Love it all, but I really like the gallery wall. Also the media cabinet. Hard to just pick one thing !
You are too sweet! Thank you, Marijean!
Good job Liz, love your living room, welcoming, comfy looking, not fussy, quite stylish. Did you paint the piano or was it the blonde wood? Love how it fits into living room, Love your gallery wall, can see whole wall without any obstructions as mine has. Oh do I love your buffet turned tv stand/entertainment center.
Glad to hear you made your art, lots more fun that way. I say this cause recently we finally painted our living room (only waited almost 8 yrs.) We have a single wide mfg. home 16×80 on 1/2 acre. Not our dream house but all we could afford in Grand Junction, CO area. We live west of G.J. about 15 miles out in country, There are homes around us but not close. Very quiet out here which is good for two old people I guess.
Our revamping started with curtains I found at T.J. Maxx in Spring, had only been in there one other time since they opened. Guess I must have been meant to find those curtains. They’re med. gray with white designs all over them. That started whole business aha, finally know what color to paint living room, light gray which is so perfect as our l/r tends to be dark. Makes whole room look bigger. Painted our coffee table which is actually a patio table, faux wicker with glass top and wicker shelf underneath. Painted our shutter shelf white with light aqua. Made a gallery wall with all frames I had and other things. Guess could call our l/r shabby chic/beachy/cottage. If I didn’t like color of something it got spray painted or with paint I painted walls. We have one wall that is in common starting in l/r, into kitchen then mudroom. Took out a bottom cupboard in Kitchen right by l/r, painted upper cupboard the gray and painted a plate rack same that almost hangs in l/r area. Took doors off upper cabinet to put bowl collection in. Had to do some talking to get hubs to take that bottom cabinet out. Altho I’d love to have had a buffet there I bought a cupboard thru Fingerhut where I have credit. I’ll be painting kitchen cabinets the light gray with darker gray doors or vice versa,what would you do?
I did buy a “Newto me”couch at Habitat as I really did not like couch we had. Have a club chair bought at Habitat few years ago that I didn’t like the blue/pink plaid upholstery so used vintage tablecloths stored out in shed for couch and chair, hence shabby chic. I figured those tablecloths not doing any good in shed so went thru them for faded ones with flowers/gray colors.
I neglected to take photos of what l/r looked like before, doggone it,but guess I didn’ t want to be reminded of it. Wanted to sell place to move away was so aggravated at how house looked,now I’m happy. Good thing as our mtg. is upside down. Might as well make best of it and fix old joint up since we’re stuck here.
Have to say I really love how your l/r looks, be glad you have a dining room, we have no area at all for a table to eat. Have to eat in living room. Just us two so not too bad but I do miss my dining set and hutch. Sold them long time ago, no room for them. this house is smaller due to layout mostly than place we had in KY. Had 1 1/2 acres and completely rejuvenated home by son who then sold it to us, $55,000. Kills me when I think of that house for half what we paid for this one. Loved that house and property but climate was not good for me at all.
Enjoy your beautiful redo, you’ve done a fantastic job. Happy summer days
I love hearing about the transformation of your living room, JaneEllen! Sounds like you’re doing wonderful things in there! My piano is the original blonde wood… my husband made me swear that I’d never paint it after seeing his grandmother’s painted red. Lol! I hope you’re enjoying your summer as well. 🙂
Your living room is adorable! You did an amazing job! I really love the gallery wall and your wreath. It’s awesome you did all of this on a budget & made/did most of it yourself. You are clearly a girl after my own heart. Very inspiring. 🙂
You are too sweet, Rona! Thank you so much! It’s a great feeling to see a room finally come together with so many things you made by hand. So glad you stopped by!
I think your living room is beautiful! You have such a wonderful eye for design.:)
May I ask where you got your mirror that sits on your piano?
Thank you so much, Brittany! That mirror is actually a hand-me-down that used to be blonde wood with a patriotic eagle design… needless to say it got a makeover!
I love the gallery wall and can’t wait to go seek out some thrift store frames. I am curious, did you ever create a tutorial for your “Happily Ever After” sign?
I most certainly did! Here’s a link to the tutorial: https://lovegrowswild.com/2014/05/diy-canvas-script-art/
Have fun thrifting! 🙂