Before and After: The 10 Best Living Room Redos We Saw in 2020

Living rooms have many different functions. They are a place to relax, a place to play or read, and now even a place to teach your children or to work.

Many of this year’s living room before and afters were sparked by the previous space not being used to its fullest potential—whether it was too dark and uninviting or it just wasn’t a place that made that homeowner or renter feel “at home.” With a little bit of love and rearranging (and a fresh coat of paint), these transformations prove that a living room redo is within reach—and possibly cheaper than you thought.

This year brought a lot of great renovations, but here are the 10 best living room redos we saw in 2020.

Sushma Samonini didn’t hate her former living room, but she didn’t love the mish-mosh that it was becoming, either. In this cozy redo, Samonini shows that bold paint color and built-in bookshelves can really up the grandiosity of a space.

Content creator Melanie Sutrathada never posted her living room because it didn’t feel like her—but that was before Brooke and Gabriel Anderson from Dean & Dahl turned it into a colorful paradise that is seriously Insta-worthy.

Tia Talula shows that sometimes you don’t just need to rethink your decor—sometimes, you might also need to rethink your core use of the space. Talula was unhappy with her 1930s home’s layout, which had a bedroom on the first floor. By turning the dated bedroom into a living room, the space not only looks fantastic, but it now makes sense in the layout.

Renter Rachel Rice proves that you don’t have to do a full (or even partial) renovation in order to fully transform a space. With a fresh coat of paint and new furniture, this living room now looks so much bigger and brighter.

When Richa Bista and her husband Kalyan Kandel moved into their home, they were put off by all the mirrors in the massive living room. By replacing the oversized mirror with an appropriately sized one and DIY-ing a shiplap wall look, they were able to bring the focal point down to the fireplace, which they stencil painted to make it a statement piece.

Amanda Heck wanted to update her 1800s farmhouse, but still wanted it to keep its charm. After a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, as well as a mix of furniture-new and sourced-Heck managed to keep the character of her living room while giving it a serious face lift.

Julie Goette and her family moved into this house as-is, and while it wasn’t the worst, it just wasn’t her style. With a budget of $500, she transformed the space into a fun, bright, welcoming family room with a little paint and her own furniture. Goette says she still has work to do, but the “after” is pretty great as it is.

Aubrey Figueroa wanted the aesthetic warmth of a living room fireplace, but her house layout did not bless her with one. With the help of her dad, she solves that problem in this before and after.

When Giulia moved into her Park Slope brownstone apartment, she knew she wanted it to feel brighter while also maximizing on storage, so she brought in some professionals to make that happen. Smart layout options, pops of color, and built-in window seating make this transformation fantastic.

Rose Bickers and her family of six weren’t using their previous living room because it felt so uninviting. By knocking down a wall, they not only made the space bigger, but the wall removal brought in so much more light. The before and after on this one is astonishing.