How To Revamp Your Living Room on a Budget

*Collaborative Post

With a new season on the horizon, many of us often take this as a sign to make changes to refresh our homes and make more of what we have. One area of our house we focused on last year was the living room. As a family of four, it was starting to feel tired, drab, featureless and just not quite homely enough. After months of planning, using Pinterest for inspiration and discussing colours, we set to work and created a living room that we now love – and one that didn’t break the bank! If you are thinking about doing the same with yours here are just a few ways to revamp your living room on a budget.

Feature Wall

One great way of making an impact in your living room is by creating a feature wall. You could do this by:

• Painting one wall a bold colour
• Wallpapering one wall
• Installing/building a fireplace

All of these would usually be done to the wall that your sofas face so that you and any guests have this to draw your eyes to. Choosing the right colour or wallpaper choice is probably one of the hardest tasks so I’d recommend taking your time over this, to test out samples and consider how your living room light changes throughout the day. A dark shade may well look lovely during the sunnier parts of the day but how would this fare as the light moves away or during the gloomier months? You want a colour that will suit the room all year round and one that won’t dominate this space but will make it feel welcoming.

If you opt for a wallpaper, perhaps go for a lighter background with interesting prints.

If your home doesn’t have a fireplace, one simple way of overcoming this is by building one. It can actually be quite an easy yet effective choice for revamping your living room and it’s what we opted for. Made using a wooden frame, plasterboard, skirting, tiles and an electric log burner, we instantly transformed a bland wall into a stunning, homely feature that always gets compliments.

To truly make the fireplace stand out, add a block colour to just the “chimney breast” this will also help you to stick to your budget.

Large Mirror

Mirrors are a super quick and easy way of creating the illusion of space and light in any room. Choose a large statement piece and place it on one of the larger walls of your living room to maximise on that natural light. To stick within your budget, look for a good mirror in charity shops or on Facebook Marketplace that way you may also manage to find something truly unique as well. If you already own a mirror which is no longer the right match to the room, why not try upcycling it to bring it in line with your new colour scheme?

A New Carpet

A carpet really makes a room. Not only does it add that cosy and homely touch but it can also change the whole feel of a living room. As lovely as flooring such as laminate is, you tend to lose that warmth and comfort which is really important for a multi-functional family space such as this. Now, your chosen carpet doesn’t need to make a big bold statement like your feature wall as it needs to be something you can live with day in day out but it does need to be luxurious, well-made and hard-wearing.

Some perfect carpet choices for the living room would be a flat weave, woven, natural woven or tufted as these will all cope really well with this high-traffic area of the home. Look for a high-quality and reputable company that will be able to meet all of your living room needs as well as provide you with expert advice and even some discounts. Also, make sure you get some samples to see exactly how your carpet will look and feel in the room. Online sites like Designer Carpet offer this service for free.

Soft Furnishings

Soft furnishings such as pillows, large cushions, throws, curtains, door stops etc will give your living room that finishing touch but how do you change these on a budget? A very simple way is by using what you already have and giving them a refresh. For example, you could dye your throws to brighten them up, you could place new covers on your cushions and you could adjust the length or colour of your current curtains to create a whole new look. If you are a whizz with a sewing machine, this way of revamping will be really good fun.

Plants

You would be amazed at how adding houseplants to a room can completely change how it looks and feels. Not only does it provide some life, colour and interest but if you choose wisely, you will also be improving the air quality within your living room. Plants such as Spider Plants, Peace Lillies, Snake Plants and Boston Ferns all work to keep the air in your home much cleaner and you can get many of these at affordable prices either from garden centres, DIY stores or sometimes even selling groups or Marketplace. If you have green fingers, you may well already know how to successfully grow plants from cuttings. Simple, budget-friendly yet very effective.

Do you have any more tips for revamping your living room on a budget? If so, leave them in the comments below.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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