Living Room Makeover Ideas

New tile, paint, and lighting help this fireplace say, "hi, fall!"

Why have a room serve only one purpose when it can have a few?

After quite a few months of casually house shopping, a 1970s house in a great location came up and this couple had to go for it; it just had too much potential.

Spoilers for “Best Room Wins.”While we’ve been in a golden age of TV for awhile now, but only in the past few seasons have we seen more variety in new home and design programming. If you want something besides another flipper taking over their hometown or another pair of questionably employed folks complaining about paint colors, there are actually other options out there.

Not to mention balanced.

Vancouver-based Kristina Steinmetz knows her way around a good DIY. Her site, Ich Designer, is filled with clever and sophisticated home projects and IKEA hacks that have surprisingly humble origins and price tags. We recently featured her re-done mudroom, and her latest living room makeover might be even better. Here’s a wider shot, so you can get more of a sense of the whole room. It was in good shape but definitely needed an update.

When reader Chantel Breault decided to give her living room a makeover, her chief incentive was to give it some life. The space before didn’t evoke much at all in terms of feelings or aesthetic. It was “Neutral, lacking personality, not even cozy,” and Chantel wanted to make the space feel more cohesive and classic. With solid bones, there fortunately wasn’t a huge amount to tackle with this project.

This garden-level space was the home’s entrance, office, guest room, and living room all in one, and though it was full of intriguing art, fantastic patterns, and great furniture, it needed a little something to make it as welcoming and cozy as possible. Removable wallpaper to the rescue!

This is how this living room looked when it was listed by a realtor: a cozy mix of cool aqua and warm brown tones and the ubiquitous builder-grade ceiling fan. The room was bright and inviting, but its new owners were ready for a fresh look. Alison Elefante of @rubyandpeach and @rubyandpeachphoto cleverly created a black-and-white base on which to layer colors and textures.

This Victorian home had so many enviable features—fireplace, hardwood floor, glorious windows—but it needed a bit of love, especially when it came to the fireplace and its “ugly brown tiles.” The fireplace and the room as a whole are now both modern and Victorian, thanks to thoughtful design choices and one brave DIY.

This simple white storage bench, designed by the Swedish powerhouse, IKEA, has found a new home and a totally new look in a Victorian in London. IKEA’s PLATSA storage bench—not currently available in the U.S. so the STUVA might be the best alternative—fits perfectly into this living room nook, with just a little bit of wiggle room. It looked just fine in the white space, but the room now has a completely different look—and, therefore, so does the PLATSA.

This open-plan living and dining room had tons of charm: A graceful chandelier, attractive and comfortable furniture, lush plants, and lots of natural light. Its owner, however, wanted to added a little something extra—that je ne sais quoi that would elevate the space. Reader Kari Hailey looked for ways to add architectural interest and warmth to the room, and finally found something they could do themselves, without spending a ton of money. Kari cleverly added beams!

The holidays are a season of giving, and since today is Christmas, we wanted to highlight a Before & After that perfectly captures the spirit of the season. In just a few hours, Emily Henderson and her team transformed the living and dining room of a deserving family, treating them to a brand-new space as a holiday surprise. Last month, Emily put out a call on her website for readers to nominate someone they felt really deserved a free makeover.

This living room had a fabulous picture window, but that was about all its new owners loved. After refinishing the floors, replacing the fireplace, and majorly expanding the built-in storage, they now have a living room they totally love. Sarah of Room for Tuesday has created a combination fireplace/statement wall, and it was a fantastic way to go. The green paint really centers the room and adds a major punch of color, while allowing the rest of the walls to be light-reflecting white.

Hannah Wilson and her husband own a home remodeling/design company called Blank Slate Renovations, and the home they currently live in is a 1,300-square-foot condo in Dallas, Texas. They had to remodel the whole space and they had to stick to a pretty low budget. Now finished, it’s got a minimal/modern/organic/Scandi/boho style.

Brick veneer plus DIY art makes for one fresh hangout space.

This living room project ends in a fresh start—something we could all use at some point in our life. Here is a little backstory on this project from the designer who helped a man in mourning start anew: During our first consultation, the house was in extreme disrepair. My client, a recent widower, was left to clean up the pieces of his wife who was an extreme “collector.

If you’re thinking that there couldn’t possibly be any improvements upon this Wes Anderson–worthy houseboat, hold onto your Team Zissou beanie because things are about to get a lot cuter—and cleaner. Erika Klees of the Pink Lady is the person responsible for this amazing houseboat renovation.

This bedroom had stained wall-to-wall carpet when Kelly and Jeff bought this house, but after a makeover it's a colorful, peaceful master room retreat.

When reader Erika moved into this house, the living room was musty and dusty. But after four months and a ton of work (and a fair amount of money), this space is transformed and totally fresh. It’s easy to look at that room before and assume the only issue with it is that it might not be someone’s taste. But here’s the truth, from reader Erika Thompson: These are the pictures that were on the listing when we bought the house.

After 20 years, this living room was ready for an update. It didn’t need a gut job, just a refresh, a lightening, and perhaps even a brightening. Now the room still has all of its best elements, plus a few new ones that suit the space—and the times—perfectly. This is so streamlined and sophisticated now. It’s a clear evolution of the aesthetic seen in the image before, which is fascinating to see.

In just under a month, this living room went from cozy and sun-soaked to the homeowner’s favorite aesthetic: “boho surf-scandi.” And while the above photo reveals that the wall is in somewhat rough shape, just wait until you see the walls now… Those near-black walls alone are dramatically to-die-for—I especially love the way they work with the fireplace and stove—but then you add the paneling and wow! Amazing.

Gorgeous hardwood floors, a large window, posh location, a fireplace, and built-ins galore? Yes, please. This Upper East Side apartment’s living room was already dreamy as hell, but one bold client-designer team knew it could be so much more. My favorite part of this transformation is the way the newly painted built-ins echo the tone of the fireplace, creating, along with the mirror, a delightful triptych. The coffee table appears to be the same hue, further unifying the space.

It would be fascinating to meet the person who decided to decorate this living room—in what its new owner described as “the ugliest house I’ve ever seen”—with bright green walls and all red furnishings, but we’ll have to be content with seeing how this Christmas-y space was transformed into a bright, modern, and colorful—but not quite as colorful—room.

This is a very nice living room! If it has a flaw, it’s that it is all a bit…beige, with endless shades of taupe and brown. Check out the renovation that makes the room’s many assets pop — and makes you forget there was ever any beige involved. It’s now so fantastic!

It’s not a problem that many people have in New York, but this Tribeca apartment was almost too big. Sans furniture, the side-by-side living rooms seemed intimidating and cavernous. Plus, the unusual proportions of the space, with windows sitting almost on the floor, made furnishing it tricky. So the homeowners called in Homepolish designer Alec Holland, who transformed the space into a cozy family home, using tricks that anybody can utilitze in a room that feels just a little too large.

See? Wow! Some of the changes in Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth’s living room are ambitious and intimidating—the wainscoting, the (SPOILER ALERT) fireplace—but others are more doable while still having a major effect. Swapping out the art, throw pillows, and accessories made such a difference, and the new sofa and rug turned a cozy living room into a dreamy, airy space.

Buying an apartment in New York often involves a level of compromise. When Deeksha and Joe moved from D.C. to New York, along with their three-month-old son, their dream was to find a three-bedroom apartment. Reality was a spacious apartment in Washington Heights, with gorgeous views of the river — and only two bedrooms. But in the apartment’s L-shaped living room, they saw an opportunity.

Despite the fact that every room in this house was dark and the living room was a deep, almost-brown maroon color, Andrea (a fashion blogger over at Blonde Bedhead) could see this home’s potential. A bold move, considering this is her first house! “I was your typical millennial, avoiding home ownership for years, choosing the mobile life of apartment rentals.

The before: bland, typical and boring. The after? A creative, bright and bold living room with #desertvibes.

Every New Yorker dreams of living in a beautiful pre-war building with beautiful pre-war details, but sometimes the reality is less exciting. Hari and Kaity loved a lot of things about their one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, but the living room was a bit, well, dull. So they set about making a few changes — small, budget-friendly upgrades that nevertheless made a big difference.

It’s a funny thing what happens when you move into a new home. All of a sudden, the furniture pieces that worked so well for you in your previous abode just don’t feel…right anymore. Sure, some things transition seamlessly, but others end up feeling too small or too basic in the new space. Vijay Nathan—Apartment Therapy Media’s Product Manager—and his wife Anita would certainly agree. If you’ve been following along with the couple’s rental loft 2.

Moving into a new place can be a fun adventure. It can also be a little daunting when you realize a hefty amount of the furniture you had in your previous home just doesn’t work anymore and you aren’t sure where to start the refresh process. Such was the case for one of Apartment Therapy’s Product Managers, Vijay Nathan and his wife Anita.

When Tim purchased his house in 2010, it had been abandoned since 2004, a year before Hurricane Katrina. The windows were left open and the walls were covered with mold. The property was what Tim describes as “marginally livable,” and didn’t even meet the requirements for financing. He would have to pay out of pocket to get a hot water heater installed, the electricity turned on, and have the mold re-mediated in order to secure a mortgage.

Brady was blessed with a beauty of a blank canvas, and he did not fail to make it special. By mixing a variety of styles, from Boho to classic Hollywood glam, he was able to create a space unique to his personal style and needs. From Brady: I spent months and months looking for the “perfect place” and saw over 20 apartments before I finally landed on this one.

Sometimes the “before” photo is more jaw-dropping than the finished project, and this is one of those times. Round of applause for Lotta, who was able to see the clean, modern potential in this living room —especially given what she had to work with. From Lotta: This beautiful modern home, designed and built in 1987 by architect Jon Condoret, needed to be brought back to modern again.

It can be hard to feel inspired when you walk into your newly purchased home’s living room and the windows (and fireplace mantel and furniture) are dripping in drapery reminiscent of a doily. But Lauren of Circle G Designs managed to design her Pittsburgh home with class and style, blending modern sensibilities while respecting the home’s 1964-era architecture.

Andrew Deming and Rachel Gant of YIELD Design Co. transform a drab 1950s living room into a bright and fresh sanctuary, incorporating their mix of modern and vintage design. The difference is astounding, and truly brings this midcentury home to its fullest potential. “When we bought our house last year, the living room was one of the worst spaces.

Marisa’s living room was feeling a little dark and dated. She knew the carpet had to go and had her ideal fireplace mantel in mind. With a few trips to the tile store and some help from her dad, Marisa was able to make her mantel dreams come true. From Marisa: When we first moved into our ranch-style home, between the old brown carpet and the dingy brick wall, the open concept layout felt dark and small. While some people love the rustic brick wall, I knew that it wasn’t for me!

Some thought Christina, who runs the blog Christina’s Adventures, was taking on a bit too much when she decided to buy and restore a 1902 Victorian house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband. Not only was it quite dated and run-down, but they had a very young kid and another on the way! But Christina saw the potential in this house’s bones, and her restoration has created a modern, bright home with a family-friendly, farmhouse feel.

At Apartment Therapy, we talk a lot about dealing with small spaces, but larger spaces can also present their own unique design challenge. When one Brooklyn family moved into their dream home, the oversized living room proved to be a bit of a conundrum — so they turned to a designer for guidance. Before, the family’s furniture — a single sofa and a small dining table — was a bit lost in the expansive space.

This little corner recess in my rental apartment living room had gone through many changes over the years. That is until I found this gel fuel fireplace that was within my budget. Once it was delivered and put in its place, I realized it looked very small and toy like. My dad built a small hearth for it to sit on and the bookcases to fill in the empty space on either side. I was quite happy with the outcome, at the time.

Our family room has a cathedral ceiling and a large, prominent fireplace. We wanted to make this room a standout, but our budget was more of a washout. By whitewashing the fireplace ourselves, and installing faux beams, we were able to make a big impact, on a not so big budget. We’ve always loved beams. But we didn’t love the prices. Luckily, we discovered faux beams, which sell for a fraction (like 1/5) of the cost of real wood beams. And guess what? They look real. Seriously.

We spend a lot of time in the living room as a family, reading after dinner, celebrating birthdays, entertaining, playing board games on New Years, and it’s a space that needed a little editing to gracefully reflect transitions in our family life. As I simplified the room, my family instantly felt at home in the new space, and our new teal velvet sofa became a popular (and comfortable) destination.

I’m super excited to share my very own living room Before & After with you. Once I finished my kitchen makeover earlier this year, things snowballed a bit and I suddenly wanted to change everything. I’ve also lived in my loft for seven years, and the itch is for real—the redecorating itch, that is. That’s a thing, right?

Rachel’s home hadn’t been updated since it was built in 1975, and it was evident in the dark fieldstone fireplace. Not having the funds for a full renovation, she got creative with paint—and boy, does it look great. From Rachel: We painted the 1970’s field stone fireplace. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and watered it down quite a bit which allows the texture and various colors to still come through.

As marketing manager for Eventbrite, Sara is a professional social butterfly. She’s fun, fabulous, and loves to entertain, but her apartment in Boston’s Beacon Hill didn’t exactly reflect that. And, since she works from home, she wanted a space that inspired her. Sara decided to work with designer Victoria Solomon to add some style and cohesion to her place.

When Kelly and Dave purchased their home, its layout was in its original, chopped-up form, but what the young family needed was an open plan that would allow views through the living spaces. So when they embarked on extensive renovations, their first plan of action was to get rid of that wall you see in the Before photo above… With the wall gone and two columns in its place, one can see from living room to dining room and kitchen.

Erica inherited a living room with a sponge-painted fireplace and an olive paint job. She had planned a pallet wall, but realized the time (and tools) it would take was not realistic. Until she found a quicker solution: From Erica: After hunting down a few pallets, I realized that the effort and time (and tools that we didn’t have) to find, dismantle, sand, wash, and then nail the boards to the wall just wasn’t worth it. I was downtrodden until I discovered Stikwood!

Minneapolis designer Jay Nuhring has another no-shopping makeover for us. This time, his client has a huge living room, three of the same sofa, and a wall of books that looks a bit bland. Jay applied the use-what-you-have motto and created a whole new space within a space! From Jay: This project was really easy and really affordable. Nothing new was purchased for this living room makeover. Everything was shopped and sourced from what the homeowner already had in the house.

While she was overseas with their daughter, Jeffery decided to surprise his wife with a total living room transformation. See the new room—and read about her reaction—after the jump! From Jeffery: My wife and daughter went to the Philippines for 3 months. I wanted to surprise my wife with a living room makeover, which I tackled in the two weeks before their arrival home. Our living room was boring. The last owners had a thing for wood grain and dull colors.

Maggie and her husband are in the process of renovating their Pittsburgh home, transforming it room by room from a dark, dated place into a light and bright space that’s a joy to be in. One of their favorite projects-in-progress is this window-filled room, which they has tons of potential… So far they’ve ditched all the wood paneling, raised the roof, and installed drywall.

When Cassie from Hi Sugarplum! moved into her home, the basic features were solid: a wall of windows, a brick fireplace, and plenty of space. But the room seemed too dark for her taste, and the furnishings didn’t feel quite right. Fast forward a few years, and it feels like a completely different room. The white walls instantly brightened the room, while all the accents and accessories keep the room colorful and happy.

Merci bought her San Francisco condo a couple years ago, and has been turning it into her dream home. See how this staged space went from dated to modern: From Merci: I bought this San Francisco beach condo about two years ago and worked over the first year to decorate with minor renovations to make it the home that I’ve dreamt of. Wanted to feature how color can make a difference in changing a home and low cost renovations to home (e.g.

Project by: Ana Location: Seattle, WA The one thing I love and appreciate most in life, besides my baby son Magnus and awesome husband Jordan, is working with my hands. The process of creation amazes me every time, and I look down at my hands and thank them for being healthy and strong, then I realize I should thank my eyes, brain and heart for caring on an artistic drive in me year after year.

Project by: Molly of Awfully Big Adventure Location: Austin, TX This project focused on taking my tiny, boring, popcorn-ceilinged living room and turning it into a cheery, comfortable place to come home to- all on a serious budget. Using mainly Ikea, Craigslist, hand-me-downs, and tchotchkes galore, the living room came together and is now a colorful, eclectic space far from the oatmeal box it once was.

What to do when your place is a total blank space? Kristin overcame the unlimited possibilities of her white-and-concrete living room, and went big and bold with graphic wallpaper. See how it looks now: From Kristin: There are good things and there are bad things about moving into a house with white walls (not even a backsplash in the kitchen!) and concrete floors. The good: It’s a totally blank canvas.

Project by: Brittany and Justin Location: Springfield, Missouri The TV room in our 1930 bungalow is the room in the house that gets the least amount of natural light, so we wanted to create a bright space with a colorful touches to hang out in the with our three chihuahuas. The previous owners had installed several built-in pieces—including a desk, shelving, and a decorative room divider—so we started by clearing the room.

Project by: Harmony Weihs of designHARMONY Location: Bothell, Washington What to do when your living room is full of LEGO in plastic containers, slowly taking over your home? You get in touch with a designer who can give you both a great designed space and plenty of room for your LEGO! From the designer: We walked into this house on our first visit to find rooms and rooms and containers and containers of LEGOS.

Melissa’s living room wasn’t bad looking — it had perfectly functional, traditional-styled furniture and a lot of natural light. But it didn’t fit her or her husband’s style. So they worked together to come up with a look that would! From Melissa: My husband (lover of mid-century modern) and myself (a lover of modern, chic style) met in the middle and co-designed our space together.

Anna and her fiancé were like many couples who are just starting out: their first home was full of mismatched hand-me-downs. Even though there’s a big front window, the room never felt like it got a lot of natural light. And it was just small and cramped. Their goal: Make their living room lighter, brighter and look bigger! Here’s how they did it.

If you are anything like me, you often look at your living room and wonder when you are going to get around to making those updates you keep talking about. If that’s the case, let this roundup of Apartment Therapy’s makeover projects inspire you to take up the cause, even if it’s a little bit at a time. 1. Ferren and her husband started with the goal of brightening their space and spent the next year gradually replacing items with pieces that were more to their taste. 2.

Have you ever seen those glass and brass, ’80s style light fixtures that often hang in foyers and dining rooms? Not terrible, but slightly outdated. The good news is that you might already have one or you could find a used one for cheap. The even better news is you could turn it into a stylish, geometric lamp that matches pricier contemporary lamps.

Unless you’re moving to a new place and starting from scratch, design alterations tend to come as a series of gradual changes. But there’s nothing quite so satisfying or inspirational as seeing a room radically transformed and filled with meaning, color, and great ideas. Here are 8 such Before & After projects to give your eyes a treat. Shown above: A Beautiful Mess: Laura’s Living Room (Before & After!

From Jamie: In truth there are still a few small things we want to change or tweak (one major project being the demolition of the drywall around the stairs to allow the installation of a modern, open handrail) but we are satisfied with how far it has come. We feel it is bright, cheerful, and modern while still meshing with the overall transitional style of the house.

You know how earlier today we shared real advice about how to be patient and take your time when decorating a home? This Before & After perfectly highlights that idea. See this living room go from full of uninspiring hand-me-down furniture to a living room that, after taking the time to discover their tastes, is now a sophisticated, lovely space that matches their personality!

Nicole Lanteri worked with this family of five to transform this long, narrow space into a beautiful room that is inviting and much more functional. Nicole says the key was to rethink the layout and size of the furniture to create a cohesive feel in this multi-purpose family room.

Renting almost guarantees you’ll be living and working around compromises, and perhaps nowhere more so than when it comes to planning a home entertainment setup. Awkward layouts can prove a challenge, especially when you can’t move or tear down walls like a home owner.

Last year, Manisha posed a question to the Apartment Therapy community about how to add some color to her living room. “It needs some oomph,” she said. “Right now everything seems to be grey, white and black.” Armed with your suggestions, Manisha added color in a few strategic places. Want to see what her living room looks like now?

How do you add color to a rental without painting? That was the challenge this client posed to Lisa of Olive Juice Designs. She responded by creating an inviting living room, perfect for entertaining, without pulling out a single paintbrush. From Lisa: A single apartment dweller in San Francisco contacted me to help her with her living room. She admitted that her apartment was lacking in many areas, and she was embarrassed to have friends over.

For most apartment and home owners, the idea of a dedicated media room is wishful thinking. Usually a basement, spare bedroom, or in this case, the living room has to be designated for home entertainment purposes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean having to settle for “as-is”.