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Giving their longe a new look is something many people crave. Yet they put it off because they are worried about all the costs involved. After all, replacing furniture, adding wallpaper, and re-carpeting isn’t cheap! But what if I were to tell you that you truly could revamp your entire living room all without breaking your budget? All you need to do is follow the advice you’ll find below.
Contents
Revamp your living room all without breaking your budget
Invest in a mirror
First of all, if you are looking to transform your living room, why not add a mirror? Mirrors are not only highly decorative items, but they reflect light in such a way that they seem to add space to a room. This is ideal for smaller spaces, or any areas that you would like to feel more spacious.
Of course, placement is crucial when it comes to adding a mirror to your living room. It needs to be a spot that reflects space rather than a blank wall. Mantel pieces are often a good choice too, as a mirror can be bought to fit the mantel perfectly, and they will reflect the space of the rest of the room, making it feel as if it has doubled in size.
Try some new furniture
Now, you may think suggesting buying new furniture is not in line with the values of this endeavour. After all, aren’t isn’t our goal to save, rather than spend money? Well, the good news is it’s perfectly possible to get some ‘new’ furniture for your living room without breaking the bank, in several ways.
The first of these is to use the old pieces of furniture you have and give them a new lease of life. You can do this by sanding down wooden items and then painting them. If you use chalk paint you will find this task much easier as well, as it is designed to cover pieces that have been varnished.
Another option is to give your soft furnishings a new lease of life by investing in slipcovers. These are covers that are designed to easily slip over your current couch and chairs and are then held in place with elastic. The benefit of slipcovers is that they not only hide any wear and tear or stains but can also change the entire colour or design of your sofa with ease.
Finally, when it comes to new furniture it is often possible to get some great deals on ex-display or overstocked items. Indeed, with offers like these cheap sofas on clearance a new statement piece that can completely transform the look of your lounge is well within rhea. All without breaking the bank.
Change up your fireplace
Fireplaces tend to age very quickly because they are both difficult and expensive to fully replace. However, instead of ripping out an old fireplace, painting it is another option. Indeed, many fireplaces are made from wood, tile, or stone and there are a range of specialist paints that can be used to paint these over.
For a simple, clean, and minimalist look go over everything with the appropriate kind of white paint. Alternatively for a more modern look try a darker grey and pair it with copper accessories.
Try a different focal point
Whether we like it or not, for most of us the focal point of our living room is the TV. That is everything is arranged in our living room to face and enables us to comfortably watch the TV. The problem with this sort of setup is that it can be very limiting, and doesn’t always use the space in the room to its best effect.
To remedy this you may want to try out another focal point for your living room. A window, especially if it’s a bay window can work very well for this, just as long as it’s framed by some good curtains that have been hung properly. A fireplace can also be a wonderful focal point, especially in the winter, as it’s extra cosy to sit around it and watch the flames.
A long coffee table placed centrally in a room can also work well, as it provides a focus point for all your seating, as well as offering practical usage for drinks and books. Some people even choose a cabinet to be their focus point, which can not only be decorative but cleverly hide a TV when it’s not in use too.
Repaint your walls
Probably one of the simplest and cheapest ways to transform your lounge, painting the walls is always a good idea if you are looking for a new look. However, if you are looking for something that will truly make an impression, why not skip the single colours, and go for something else?
Indeed, a mix of two shades or more from the same tone can help provide texture and interest in a room in an effective but budget-friendly way. Painting bold patterns free hand with a smaller brush on a neutral base can also be very eye-catching especially if it’s done on a single feature wall.
Try new lampshades
Another great way to change up the look of a room is to swap out the lampshade for something new. Lampshades can make a difference in how a space feels not only because they are aesthetically pleasing but also because they provide different tones of light and shadows as well.
For example, a large loosely woven wicker lampshade will cast a large shadow pattern in a room. Whereas a cylindrical lampshade with a gold interior will help soften and reflect the light in the space in which it sits.
Add some artwork
There is a massive trend for framed pictures and gallery walls in living rooms right now, and they can be a brilliant and inexpensive way of totally transforming a space. Of course, there is some debate on how to begin putting a gallery wall together with some people claiming that you must first find artworks and images that you like, and then fine frames that fit.
However, others begin with the frames and then search for artworks that are in the correct proportion. Indeed, platforms like Etsy have plenty of posters, illustrations, and even fine art pieces available to download and print at home in the right sizes for your needs, with most being under £10!
Deep clean
While it’s not strictly about decorating, deep cleaning your living room can also help you revolutionize the way it looks. This is because dirt can build up very gradually over time, so gradually in fact that we don’t notice it’s happening. However, when we take the opportunity to deep clean we can see an instant improvement in our living space.
To deep clean your living room properly you’ll want to hoover, and wash all the carpets including the spaces under your furniture. Be sure to wipe down all your skirting boards too, and use the long hoover attachment to pick up all the dirt and debris that sits at the edges where the wall and the carpet meet.
Using a mild solution of sugar soap is a great way to reinvigorate the paint on your walls, ceiling and skirting boards too, without having to repaint them. You’ll want to refresh all your soft furnishings by washing them as well including your curtains, and cushion covers. However, you must be careful of shrinkage which can be common in heavier fabrics.
Switch up your throw pillows
Simple, easy, and quick, you can instantly change the look and feel of space by adding new cushions and throw pillows. The good news is that cushions and new cushion covers can be bought cheaply at many home decor stores, as well as in places like supermarkets now.
To add some interest to a room choose patterned cushion covers or ones made from materials with an unusual texture like velvet or boucle. To calm a room choose cushions in a soft tactile fabric in natural shades, as close to the colour of your sofa and chairs as possible.
Add some greenery and plants
Last of all, if you want to make over your living room without spending a fortune, then bringing some of the outside in is a great idea. Of course, what we are talking about here are plants which can truly shift not only the look but the feel of a room as well. There are even studies that state that bringing greenery and plants into our homes is good for our physical and mental health!
You don’t need to spend a fortune on plants for your lounge either. Instead, buy smaller plants in the type you want, and then nurture them until they grow to the desired size. You could also grow your plants right from seed, if you enjoy tending to them, or what about bringing some plants in like succulents or cacti from the garden as they often do very well in indoor conditions.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
