Before and After: With £4,600, a Dull, Dim Living Room Now Feels Big and Bright

It’s cozy season, which means the idea of a statement fireplace feels extra appealing—whether it’s for curling up with a good book, sitting back for a riveting movie, or relaxing with a cup of hot cocoa.

Of course, sometimes it takes a little elbow grease to make a room with a fireplace the warm and welcoming space you envision. In Manvir’s (@manus_abode‘s) case, for example, her living room featured a substantial brick fireplace, but the whole room just felt “outdated” and “dull and dim,” she says.

The beige and brown colors also made the room feel smaller than it really was. Manvir knew she wanted to give it a revamp that would feel bright and inviting.

In order to fund her renovation, Manvir says she sold nearly everything in the room—even the carpet. Then, over the course of four months, she transformed the space into a black-and-white and light-filled place to relax. (She actually spent most of that time waiting for her sofa and fireplace orders to arrive. “Who knew fireplaces were in demand in the summer?” she says.)

Manvir painted the walls a bright white, and pros laid new, warmer flooring, updated the fireplace, and hung the TV on a bracket over it. Two mirrors on either side of the fireplace—which Manvir nabbed for £20 each and painted black—help make the space feel bigger. Manvir also upcycled the coffee table by painting it black and swapping out the drawer handles.

All in all, Manvir estimates that the room redo cost £4,600. “I love how bright and opened it has become and how the fireplace is now the center of the room, with the seating area around this,” she says. That envy-inducing fireplace is sure to get plenty of action over the coming months!

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