When decorating your home, you have to think a few years ahead so that you don’t have to re-design it again in a few years. Fad styles come and go very quickly, so unless it’s your favorite style and you’re positive it’s going to remain your favorite style for years to come, you might want to go in another direction. If your living room needs updates, but you don’t have it in your budget to gut it and start over, there are key items you can re-finish or replace to give it a more modern look.
Add hardwood
The floor is one of the biggest elements of the living room, so an update in the floors is an update to the entire room. There are so many different styles and stains of hardwood to choose from, so you should make sure that it matches the rest of the room if you’re not planning on changing that too. Some things you need to consider here are solid or engineered flooring, prefinished or site finish, the type of finish, the wood type, the grain pattern, and the plank width. If you currently have carpets in your living room, hardwood is definitely the move. It makes the room feel bigger, fancier, and even more inviting. You might even want to consider adding hardwood to ceilings (if they’re high enough) or wainscoting to the walls. Molding done right can change the entire room.
Upgrade your TV
The TV is usually the highlight of the living room, so if you and your family spend a decent amount of time in there, invest in that area. You can make any sized TV look nice when perched upon a nice stand, mounted on the wall, or bolted into the mantle. There are so many features you can look into that don’t make the appearance of the TV any different, but can definitely enhance your experience. Smart TV’s can connect to the Internet so that you can watch Netflix or Hulu without a separate connector, and other TV’s even have a voice feature where you can speak into the remote to tell it what you want to watch. If you’re feeling really high-tech, check out a TV Mirror. If you want to disguise your TV while it’s not in use, pick out a frame and either a piece of artwork or mirror finish to do the job.
Re-paint
One of the first things people do when they’re re-modeling a room is repaint. You’re going to want to hold off on the paint until you’ve figured out the rest of the house. It’s easier to match a color to the furniture you love than to match furniture to the color you love. Make sure you consider the amount of natural light the living room gets before you start painting. A dark color on a palate is going to be even darker in a closed off room. Lighter colors make the room feel more open and bright. Take into account the lighting, design, and room size when re-painting.
Get new furniture
New furniture can be a big move, not to mention an expensive move depending on the size of the living room. Swapping your old, faded couch and love seat for a new one can instantly upgrade the feel of your favorite room in the house. A large couch is also a great focal point for you to design the rest of the room around.
Change up the lighting
This might be a little easier said than done, but it’s worth a shot. If your living room is currently closed off and a bit dark, try picturing it with lighting fixtures in the ceilings. Sometimes lamps just don’t do the same job as ceiling lights do. Also, think about increasing the natural lighting in the room. If you can’t add a window, make the shades lighter or more transparent.
