Before and After: A $0 One-Day Project Made This Living Room Mid-Century Cool

Here’s proof that gorgeous spaces take time to come together—and even when lots of major changes are made to a space, one extra little upgrade can take it over the edge. When Michelle Moskaleno moved into her family’s 1995 home, the living room needed major help. Structurally, it was fine, but it definitely needed some help in the aesthetic department. “The walls were yellow-ish, there were no light fixtures besides the ceiling fan lights, and it had no curtains, only valances,” Michelle says.

“We gradually made some changes such as adding ceiling lights, getting new curtains, and doing a fresh coat of gray paint on the walls,” she says. But even after adding in their furniture, “it was still in much need of a touch of personality.”

Michelle calls her style eclectic, but leaning toward mid-century modern, so she decided to try a terrazzo accent wall where the TV was placed. “Due to the Coronavirus, I had limited resources and was unable to go to the stores to buy craft supplies, so I had to get creative with what I had!” Michelle says. “I gathered all the contact paper leftovers I had from previous projects and started experimenting with them.”

Using just the rolls of contact paper she had on hand and a pair of scissors, Michelle started the transformation (which took just a day!). She had four different colors of contact paper, including a bright orange, white, gray marble, and tan, that she cut pieces from; to get the randomized look of real terrazzo, she cut out shapes randomly as she went and tried to space the pieces out somewhat evenly. “Every single piece is a unique shape,” Michelle says.

“When I placed the very first pieces on the wall, I could tell it was going to work out because the room changed instantly with the pieces in place,” says Michelle. The terrazzo effect gives the TV wall some presence and personality, and spotlights the coordinating furniture, too.

Coupled with the new shelving—a combination of a $200 IKEA adjustable unit on the right, and a pair of $4 IKEA clearance shelves on the left—the wall makes a spunky but still sophisticated focal point. “My family room looks so cheerful, bright and welcoming now!” Michelle says. “I honestly can’t think of anything that I could have done differently because it turned out so much better than I had anticipated. I guess, my only regret is not doing this sooner! “

For anyone looking to take on a similar project in their own home, Michelle offers up a little advice: “Try to not use the parts of the contact paper that are wrinkled, since the marks won’t go away, even after you stick them to the wall,” she says. “Don’t overthink, and use up to four types of contact paper with one strong contrast color to be the pop of color.”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.