10 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Living Room
Give your living space a little nip and tuck — or a whole new style — with some strategic upgrades and sound advice
Are you looking to freshen up your living room decor or even give the room a completely new look? The good news is that you can make huge improvements without a full renovation or a big budget. Here are 10 simple but high-impact strategies for giving your living space a style upgrade.
2. Rearrange Your Furniture
Switching up your furniture arrangement costs nothing but a bit of time and muscle, and it can make a dramatic difference in both the look and function of a room.
Start by creating a sketch or scaled drawing of the room. Keep rearranging (referring to guidelines about layouts, circulation patterns and clearances in the links below) until you like the look. Improvements to consider are changing the orientation of your couch, breaking up a too-large seating area into two intimate conversation areas and floating your furniture (pulling it away from the walls).
Use a mover’s trick and put heavy blankets under your furniture to drag it into place without scratching your floors. Then ensure you can comfortably move in and out of the room and seating arrangement without a piece of furniture blocking your path. Also, sit in every seat, making sure you can easily reach a place to set your drink.
How to Get Your Furniture Arrangement Right
Key Measurements for Your Living Room
Switching up your furniture arrangement costs nothing but a bit of time and muscle, and it can make a dramatic difference in both the look and function of a room.
Start by creating a sketch or scaled drawing of the room. Keep rearranging (referring to guidelines about layouts, circulation patterns and clearances in the links below) until you like the look. Improvements to consider are changing the orientation of your couch, breaking up a too-large seating area into two intimate conversation areas and floating your furniture (pulling it away from the walls).
Use a mover’s trick and put heavy blankets under your furniture to drag it into place without scratching your floors. Then ensure you can comfortably move in and out of the room and seating arrangement without a piece of furniture blocking your path. Also, sit in every seat, making sure you can easily reach a place to set your drink.
How to Get Your Furniture Arrangement Right
Key Measurements for Your Living Room
3. Swap Out Pillows and Throws
“Add some throw pillows!” is oft-given advice for good reason — it’s a high-impact yet low-cost and low-commitment way to freshen up your space. To help you choose from the bazillion available options, here are some commonly espoused tips: Use even numbers of throw pillows for a more formal look and odd numbers for informal spaces. Mix pillow shapes, sizes (18 to 24 inches works on most sofas), colors, scales of patterns and textures for visual interest. And stick to a cohesive color palette that echoes the palette of the rest of the room. (Three to five colors is usually about right.)
The good news is that it’s hard to go very wrong with throw pillows if you choose what delights your eye and feels great to the touch. Just don’t use so many pillows that there’s no place left to sit!
8 Steps to Finding Your Design Style Using Ideabooks
Throw Pillow Master Class: How to Choose and Style Like a Pro
“Add some throw pillows!” is oft-given advice for good reason — it’s a high-impact yet low-cost and low-commitment way to freshen up your space. To help you choose from the bazillion available options, here are some commonly espoused tips: Use even numbers of throw pillows for a more formal look and odd numbers for informal spaces. Mix pillow shapes, sizes (18 to 24 inches works on most sofas), colors, scales of patterns and textures for visual interest. And stick to a cohesive color palette that echoes the palette of the rest of the room. (Three to five colors is usually about right.)
The good news is that it’s hard to go very wrong with throw pillows if you choose what delights your eye and feels great to the touch. Just don’t use so many pillows that there’s no place left to sit!
8 Steps to Finding Your Design Style Using Ideabooks
Throw Pillow Master Class: How to Choose and Style Like a Pro
4. Roll Out a New Area Rug
It’s a rare living room that doesn’t call for an area rug. Even in a carpeted room, an area rug helps to define a seating area and make a room feel complete. So if you don’t already have an area rug, or the one you have doesn’t reflect your current taste, this is a good opportunity for a refresh.
If you’re trying to make a formal living space feel more casual, consider a flat-woven or natural-fiber rug (such as jute). Tufted rugs with asymmetrical patterns or high-low textures are good bets if you’re looking to add a contemporary element to your room. Color-wise, light colors tend to make a room feel larger while darker colors make it feel more cozy. And the busier the patterns of your other textiles, the simpler your rug can be, and vice versa.
At least as important as the style of your rug is its size. A common recommendation is that all of the legs of your furniture — or at least the front legs of your seating — should be on the rug. If you love your current rug but it’s too small or irregularly shaped, you can layer it on top of a larger one. Natural-fiber rugs or solid, neutral-toned wool rugs are often good, affordable choices as base layers. A small, vibrant but well-worn antique Persian or Moroccan rug can look gorgeous over a large jute rug, for example.
All of that said, the “perfect rug” isn’t a specific size or style. It’s the one that most appeals to you and fits your lifestyle and budget.
11 Area Rug Rules and How to Break Them
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
It’s a rare living room that doesn’t call for an area rug. Even in a carpeted room, an area rug helps to define a seating area and make a room feel complete. So if you don’t already have an area rug, or the one you have doesn’t reflect your current taste, this is a good opportunity for a refresh.
If you’re trying to make a formal living space feel more casual, consider a flat-woven or natural-fiber rug (such as jute). Tufted rugs with asymmetrical patterns or high-low textures are good bets if you’re looking to add a contemporary element to your room. Color-wise, light colors tend to make a room feel larger while darker colors make it feel more cozy. And the busier the patterns of your other textiles, the simpler your rug can be, and vice versa.
At least as important as the style of your rug is its size. A common recommendation is that all of the legs of your furniture — or at least the front legs of your seating — should be on the rug. If you love your current rug but it’s too small or irregularly shaped, you can layer it on top of a larger one. Natural-fiber rugs or solid, neutral-toned wool rugs are often good, affordable choices as base layers. A small, vibrant but well-worn antique Persian or Moroccan rug can look gorgeous over a large jute rug, for example.
All of that said, the “perfect rug” isn’t a specific size or style. It’s the one that most appeals to you and fits your lifestyle and budget.
11 Area Rug Rules and How to Break Them
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
5. Add Greenery
Houseplants freshen up a living room not only by improving air quality but also by adding texture, color and interesting shapes — sort of like sculptures with health benefits.
Spiky plants can add a modern edge to traditional rooms; more delicate leaves can soften a lot of hard surfaces and right angles. And tall, dramatic plants or potted trees can draw attention to high ceilings, fill lonely corners and add a much-needed vertical element to living rooms with a lot of low, horizontal planes.
10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors
Houseplants freshen up a living room not only by improving air quality but also by adding texture, color and interesting shapes — sort of like sculptures with health benefits.
Spiky plants can add a modern edge to traditional rooms; more delicate leaves can soften a lot of hard surfaces and right angles. And tall, dramatic plants or potted trees can draw attention to high ceilings, fill lonely corners and add a much-needed vertical element to living rooms with a lot of low, horizontal planes.
10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors
6. (Re)style Your Shelves and Coffee Table
Whether a shelf is filled with books, decorative objects or a mix, if it’s messy or poorly arranged, it’s a missed opportunity to inject style and personality into a space.
Keep these pro tips in mind when styling your shelves:
5 Ways to Style Shelves Like a Pro
Whether a shelf is filled with books, decorative objects or a mix, if it’s messy or poorly arranged, it’s a missed opportunity to inject style and personality into a space.
Keep these pro tips in mind when styling your shelves:
- Keep the heavier books and items on lower shelves.
- Break up rows of books with horizontally stacked books.
- Leave breathing room (maybe a quarter to one-third of the space).
- Add one or two picture lights or cordless rechargeable lights.
- Choose frames and decorative objects (including plants) with shapes and textures that contrast with your rectilinear books.
- Use tall and heavy sculptural objects as bookends.
5 Ways to Style Shelves Like a Pro
Follow similar principles when styling a coffee table. A trusty formula is to pile two to three coffee table books that reflect your interests and taste, top them with a pretty, sentimental object or candle and then add a potted plant or small bouquet. But play with it! Designers often recommend using a chic tray to stylishly corral the vase, candle and smaller items such as coasters and remote controls. And leave room — a third to half of the table — for drinks and perhaps feet (depending on your house rules).
How to Decorate a Coffee Table
How to Decorate a Coffee Table
7. Change Up Your Artwork
Even when we have beautiful, original artwork on our walls, we can stop truly seeing it over time. Simply moving a piece to a different location in the room, or to another room altogether, can allow us to appreciate it in a whole new light, literally and figuratively. At the same time, adding a new artwork in a fresh style or medium can completely change a room’s personality.
While art is (or at least should be) personal, when it comes to hanging it, there are a few rules that are applicable to most situations. For example, designers often say that artwork ideally should fill about two-thirds to three-quarters of a wall. If your individual piece isn’t that big, consider grouping smaller pieces of art to reach those proportions. Center the artwork (or group of works) at eye level — often artwork is hung too high. If you’re hanging art above a sofa or side table, aim to have the bottom edge of the frame 6 to 12 inches above the furniture. And if the work is hanging above the fireplace, it should be about two thirds the size of the surround and mantel.
7 Ways to Arrange Artwork
Even when we have beautiful, original artwork on our walls, we can stop truly seeing it over time. Simply moving a piece to a different location in the room, or to another room altogether, can allow us to appreciate it in a whole new light, literally and figuratively. At the same time, adding a new artwork in a fresh style or medium can completely change a room’s personality.
While art is (or at least should be) personal, when it comes to hanging it, there are a few rules that are applicable to most situations. For example, designers often say that artwork ideally should fill about two-thirds to three-quarters of a wall. If your individual piece isn’t that big, consider grouping smaller pieces of art to reach those proportions. Center the artwork (or group of works) at eye level — often artwork is hung too high. If you’re hanging art above a sofa or side table, aim to have the bottom edge of the frame 6 to 12 inches above the furniture. And if the work is hanging above the fireplace, it should be about two thirds the size of the surround and mantel.
7 Ways to Arrange Artwork
8. Re-Dress Your Windows
Blinds, shutters, drapes … sheer, light-filtering, light-blocking … window dressing combinations and possibilities abound. The option that’s right for you depends on factors including budget, your need for light control and privacy, and whether you prefer a window covering to be a style statement or discreet.
If your current window treatments are ill-fitting, provide insufficient coverage or aren’t functioning properly, those are clear indicators that it’s time for an upgrade. There can be aesthetic indicators too. Are your draperies two to 2½ times the width of your window, or three times as wide if they’re sheers? Do they hang from just below the ceiling or molding all the way down to the floor? Do you look at your current window treatments and think, “Those look terrific”? If the answer to all or some of these questions is no, then your living room would probably benefit from new window treatments.
Which Window Treatment Should You Choose?
What to Know About Curtains and Drapes
Blinds, shutters, drapes … sheer, light-filtering, light-blocking … window dressing combinations and possibilities abound. The option that’s right for you depends on factors including budget, your need for light control and privacy, and whether you prefer a window covering to be a style statement or discreet.
If your current window treatments are ill-fitting, provide insufficient coverage or aren’t functioning properly, those are clear indicators that it’s time for an upgrade. There can be aesthetic indicators too. Are your draperies two to 2½ times the width of your window, or three times as wide if they’re sheers? Do they hang from just below the ceiling or molding all the way down to the floor? Do you look at your current window treatments and think, “Those look terrific”? If the answer to all or some of these questions is no, then your living room would probably benefit from new window treatments.
Which Window Treatment Should You Choose?
What to Know About Curtains and Drapes
9. Upgrade Your Lighting
Lighting fixtures are the jewelry of a room. So replacing outdated, undersize or blah lights with an updated design that makes a statement — or, more important, a fixture you simply love — is akin to upgrading from jelly bracelets to a Rolex.
Replacing or adding a hardwired fixture may require hiring an electrician. If you’re looking for a more immediate change, you can simply replace a fixture’s shade. And the advent of rechargeable cordless lights is making it even easier to add fixtures like sconces and picture lights without installing a new junction box.
Of course, there’s a lot more to lighting than the style of the fixture. Lighting designers recommend adding dimmers and layering different kinds and heights of task and ambient lighting for the best functional and aesthetic effect. Even changing the temperature of your light bulbs can alter the room’s ambiance and even affect your paint color. For example, if you have natural or cool white LED bulbs in your living room (over 4000k), try swapping them for warm white LEDs (3000k or lower). You may feel the room get cozier, your whites get creamier and paints’ blue and green undertones get muted.
How to Light Your Living Room
Lighting fixtures are the jewelry of a room. So replacing outdated, undersize or blah lights with an updated design that makes a statement — or, more important, a fixture you simply love — is akin to upgrading from jelly bracelets to a Rolex.
Replacing or adding a hardwired fixture may require hiring an electrician. If you’re looking for a more immediate change, you can simply replace a fixture’s shade. And the advent of rechargeable cordless lights is making it even easier to add fixtures like sconces and picture lights without installing a new junction box.
Of course, there’s a lot more to lighting than the style of the fixture. Lighting designers recommend adding dimmers and layering different kinds and heights of task and ambient lighting for the best functional and aesthetic effect. Even changing the temperature of your light bulbs can alter the room’s ambiance and even affect your paint color. For example, if you have natural or cool white LED bulbs in your living room (over 4000k), try swapping them for warm white LEDs (3000k or lower). You may feel the room get cozier, your whites get creamier and paints’ blue and green undertones get muted.
How to Light Your Living Room
10. Splash Out With Paint
Whoever said that “paint is cheap” clearly didn’t have a soft spot for Farrow & Ball. But one can’t deny that a can of paint can deliver huge bang for the buck. This can be equally true whether you’re swapping a bold color for a more neutral hue or vice versa, and whether you’re covering a large area or a small one.
On one end of the coverage spectrum, both in terms of impact and effort, is color drenching — painting the walls, ceiling, woodwork and trim in a room all one hue. The resulting look is dramatic and contemporary, even when the color itself isn’t particularly bold. On the other end of the spectrum is choosing to paint just one architectural feature, such as a wall of built-ins or a fireplace surround. Tip: A contrasting color will draw the eye, so paint only what you want to emphasize.
Whichever route you choose, it’s a good idea to paint a swatch directly on the surface you’re planning to cover and then look at it at different times of the day before committing to painting the whole thing. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure, don’t be afraid to consult a local paint store or call in a design pro.
How to Choose a Paint Color You Can Live With
How to Mix Colors and Make It Work
Tell us: What small updates made a big difference in your living room? Share in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more stories
Browse photos for ideas
Find home professionals
Whoever said that “paint is cheap” clearly didn’t have a soft spot for Farrow & Ball. But one can’t deny that a can of paint can deliver huge bang for the buck. This can be equally true whether you’re swapping a bold color for a more neutral hue or vice versa, and whether you’re covering a large area or a small one.
On one end of the coverage spectrum, both in terms of impact and effort, is color drenching — painting the walls, ceiling, woodwork and trim in a room all one hue. The resulting look is dramatic and contemporary, even when the color itself isn’t particularly bold. On the other end of the spectrum is choosing to paint just one architectural feature, such as a wall of built-ins or a fireplace surround. Tip: A contrasting color will draw the eye, so paint only what you want to emphasize.
Whichever route you choose, it’s a good idea to paint a swatch directly on the surface you’re planning to cover and then look at it at different times of the day before committing to painting the whole thing. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure, don’t be afraid to consult a local paint store or call in a design pro.
How to Choose a Paint Color You Can Live With
How to Mix Colors and Make It Work
Tell us: What small updates made a big difference in your living room? Share in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more stories
Browse photos for ideas
Find home professionals
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It can be easy to think you need to buy something to “fix” your living room. But sometimes when a room isn’t working, it needs less, not more.
Apply 19th-century tastemaker William Morris’ advice to your living room and eliminate (i.e., store, donate or repurpose) anything you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. Alternatively, try emptying the room of absolutely everything but the major furniture pieces. While you’re at it, give all of the now-empty surfaces a good wipe-down. Then you can judiciously add back to the room, allowing in only those items that fit the same “useful or beautiful” criteria.
A lot of a good thing can backfire too. Remember, you don’t need to display your favorites all at once. You might even appreciate your cherished art and decor items more if you rotate them out periodically.
How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Living Room
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