Living Room Makeover: Before & After

Our living room is kind of like the heartbeat of our home. Its not just a living room - its also our dining room, play room, hangout space, and connecting point to our kitchen, media room, and outdoor spaces. Sadly, before my living room makeover we mostly used this room as a pass through...a hallway from get to point A to point B.

Truth be told, I couldn't stand to spend much time in this space before. The lights were harsh, the furniture was sad, and the walls were tired. It was an uninspiring space.

It's amazing what a little paint and color can do to a space! Not only does this space look so much better, it also feels so much better! Its finally a place my husband and I actually want to spend time in!

Let's break down what I did...

Storage - We got rid of the large, wood china cabinet that was housing my husband's (ahem) collectibles.  The china cabinet was way too heavy for the room and it didn't meet our needs.  The drawers didn't have enough space to hold our games and books.  So I purchased some Ikea shelves with glass doors to give us some better storage space.  We love that we can fit all our games as well as see them.

I'm very proud of my husband because he created all the vignettes on the shelves himself - especially since I have no idea what Star Wars toy goes with what.  I love the display because it fits me and my husband AND it keeps everything organized and put away!  My husband also let my nephews create their own lego characters and add them to the shelves.

Fireplace - For our mantel, I mostly decluttered all the stuff I had up there.  I wanted a cleaner look and more color to contrast off the brick.  My husband and I had a date night to create some of the artwork on our mantel now.   I love that the art is personal to us and something we got to spend time together creating.

Seating Area - The seating area for the living room got an update with two new chairs.  I love that they have lower backs than the wingback chairs we had previously.  The room feels more open now.  The coffee table is a piece my husband inherited from his grandparents.  So it really feels like a family room to us because we mixed our inherited pieces with some new modern ones!

The Buffet - Its hard for me to pick a favorite part of the room, but if I had to...I'd definitely say the buffet!  It definitely turned out so much better than I could have imagined and I love, love, love the pop of color.

The Dining Table and Chairs - A lot didn't change here except I reupholstered the dining room chairs.  The new fabric definitely gives the table the wow factor it needs!

The walls need a lot more art.  And I have plans for several DIY art projects - including a disassembled piano that someone gave us.  I'm hoping to reassemble the keyboard and frame it!

So not perfect.  Definitely still a work in progress.  And it certainly won't stay this pretty and clean.  But all-in-all, we love our new living room space!

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