Before and After: A Smart Swap Turns a Dated Bedroom into a Cozy Living Room

Sometimes it takes a little bit of creative thinking to make a home’s existing layout work for you. Take Tia Talula‘s 1930s house, which came with a unique floor plan: “The house was upside down, with the living room upstairs and the bedrooms downstairs,” Tia says.

This downstairs 12-foot-by-15-foot bedroom in particular was in rough shape, with dated ’90s-style built-ins and green carpeting—not to mention, a musty scent. “The room was old and smelly, and wasn’t able to be used for what we wanted,” Tia says. A redo was in order!

Replacing the wall-to-wall carpet with laminate floors helped remove some of that old mustiness. “We added cheap laminate floor to get by, but realized that it looked great,” Tia says. “I think the dark floor makes the laminate looks much more expensive than it is.”

Tia also tore out the old built-ins, patching up the drywall behind and painting it bright white. She also added a picture ledge, which allows her to change up her artwork displays without having to put in any new nail holes.

An area rug, gray velvet sofa, and egg chair all help the space feel extra cozy and make plenty of space for lounging. Now, it would be hard to imagine that this comfortable living room space was ever a bedroom at all. “Don’t be afraid to shift things around in a house that you see on the market,” Tia advises. “We purchased this house at quite a discount as people couldn’t see past what was there.” Some creative thinking and smart decorating got them a great deal on space they love.

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