Quick & Easy Living Room Updates

by Nick, Digital Specialist | September 3, 2021

Given the chance, we think many people would take the opportunity to update their living room- but not everyone has the budget to start from scratch or hire an interior designer. With that in mind, here are six tips for updating that living room on a budget!

Your living room is probably the most popular room in your home, and as a result, it’s probably the room you look at the most. Have you looked at your room recently and thought that your room could use an update? Sure, you could hire an interior designer and have them do all the work for you, but that takes time and costs money. If you’re looking for some quick and easy ways to freshen up your space, here are some great tips!

- Update your wall color: Adding a fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest ways to upgrade your room that won’t cost you much. If you want to keep things simple, you can add a new coat of your current wall color just to freshen things up, or this would be a great chance to try something new. If you’re looking for something new, a neutral like a tan or gray is safe and classic, while something like a pastel yellow or a trendy gray would be a bolder option. Something else you could consider is three walls in a neutral, and the fourth color in a bolder “accent” color.

- Change the layout: Depending on how your living room is laid out (with doors, windows, cable outlets, etc.) you may only be able to do so much, but a simple change to your living room layout can work wonders as far as freshening up your space. It could be as simple as flipping your layout (switching the sofa and TV, for example), or you could take a more detailed look into how you use the room and how the traffic flows through it. Either way, rearranging your furniture can help make it look like new without buying anything new.

- Refresh your Decor: Take a quick inventory of your current decor- artwork, small statues, photos, etc. Does it still make sense? Does it still inspire you? In the words of Marie Kondo...does it spark joy? If the answer to these questions is not an unequivocal yes, then it’s time to go shopping for some new accent pieces. Swap out some old family photos for more recent ones. Shop around for some new artwork that inspires you and makes you happy, or for some sculptures that relate to you, your life, or your travels. A beautiful wall mirror will add a glamorous look to the room without breaking the budget, and can even create the illusion of the room being larger than it is.

- Other things you can swap out: area rugs, lamps and lamp shades, photos and frames, toss pillows and blankets, bookcases and shelving units, statues and other decor!

- Bring the outside in: Get some plants and/or succulents to bring some fresh greenery into the room. Pick some fun vases or flower pots to put them in for an extra little bit of pizzazz. If you don’t exactly have a green thumb, succulents are a great place to start...but if that makes you nervous, go to a craft store and create a colorful artificial bouquet!

- Clean and declutter: You’d be surprised by how far a simple deep clean will go. We’re not talking about your regular weekly cleaning- move the furniture and clean under it, dust all the surfaces, vacuum the couch cushions (and under them, too!), and rotate and fluff the seat and back cushions. In addition, go through some of the clutter that’s been building up (that pile of magazines and newspapers is a great place to start) and throw anything out that you probably don’t need.

We hope these tips will help you take some steps towards updating your living room without breaking your budget- happy decorating!