Living Room

The space looks bigger and brighter, and it's way more functional, too.

A little DIY and some smart shopping totally transforms this living area.

This might inspire you to choose an electric color for your next set of built-ins.

A smart paint job takes this once-boring fireplace front-and-center.

And it's still filled with vintage charm.

Colonial-style houses come with many gifts, like great windows, symmetry, and tall ceilings. But like any place built over 100 years ago, homeowner Katrina’s 1900 Colonial Revival house needed some updating — especially in the living room. While it had large windows, the space felt dark and uninviting because of the old gray carpeting, dark valances, clunky ceiling fan, and striped beige ’70s-era wallpaper.

Let this inspire you to give the weird and underused spaces in your home a new life.

This redo proves the power of color.

The "after" will make you gasp.

This mini makeover was transformative.

With built-ins and board-and-batten!

One major difference? Uncovering the original hardwood floors beneath that carpet.

It's still only just 280 square feet, but feels so much bigger.

Many of this year’s living room before and afters were sparked by the previous space not being used to its fullest potential. 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 totally free activity was fun for our entire family.

One word: fireplace!

A big risk pays off in this living room.

A good indication that a room needs a redo is the realization that you're not using it to its full potential.

Cozy season is here, which means it's the perfect time to refresh living spaces—and that goes double when there's a fireplace involved.