AFTER // Claire's Living Room Makeover

Back in January I started a Living Room Makeover. Almost two months later and it's finally complete! There were a few things that held up the project, but I'm so happy with how everything turned out. I purchased a couple new items, created a few DIY pieces, built a piece of furniture (yes!), and did some rearranging to make the room meet all the goals I set out to accomplish.

One of my main goals - DECLUTTER! I got rid of some underutilized furniture, gave a lot of my little plants to friends, and picked out some light colored accessories that make the room feel lighter and a bit larger. Curating the room and paying attention to small details gives the space a more cohesive and polished look.

Getting rid of the shelf that held all our DVDs instantly made the room feel less cluttered and less overwhelming to me. I swapped the shelf out for a table I picked up in Michigan a couple of years ago. It holds my knick knacks and vintage radio perfectly. Originally I was thinking of putting a circular side table in that space, but once I put the rectangular table against the wall, I ended up really liking the way it looked. Eventually, I might make a piece of furniture that better matches my new TV stand, but for now, this works.

I moved the amber lamp to another room and purchased a floor lamp. At first I was worried about not having a side table between the couch and chair, but I'm not missing it at all and am glad the space is less crammed with furniture. I picked up some new couch cushions from West Elm, grabbed some lovely new ceramics from Gather Home + Lifestyle, purchased new curtains from IKEA and had the biggest Craigslist score of my life (thanks Ali!) with a light colored rug that I absolutely love. I moved our wall hanging that was above the couch to a space that works better with it's vertical layout. My husband is working on a painting for above our couch so in the interim, I created an inexpensive temporary piece of art. All these little improvements have a huge effect on the room.

What I struggled with the most was a TV stand. I looked all over and couldn't find one that was both in my budget and fit the space. My solution...IKEA hack! This credenza brings the TV higher off the ground, holds all our DVD's, and hides miscellaneous items. Also, it feels totally awesome to have built a piece of furniture! It definitely gave me the courage and confidence to build more pieces for my home.



Thanks everyone for the great makeover suggestions. I hope this inspires you all to tackle any redecorating projects you have in the future. We'll continue our home makeovers next month so stay tuned!

{Claire}

BEFORE // Claire's Living Room Makeover

"Spring Cleaning" has crept up a couple months early in my home. Wanting my apartment to feel a bit less cluttered, I've slowly started to go through my place, purging unwanted and unused items while also working on some redecorating. The first room to conquer: my living room. When you walk in the front door this is the first room you see. I like a lot of the elements in the room, but want it to feel more polished and convey a cohesive overall look. It's time to ditch some old furniture that doesn't work well in the space and give the room a few upgrades and "TLC". Here are some photos and ideas of what I'd like to accomplish.

Find a new solution to hold the DVD's. This bookshelf works fine, but I really don't like that every thing in the shelves are on display. Now with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, my husband and I barely watch any of our DVD's. I plan on donating at least half of them and then creating a solution to hide and hold the rest. Maybe put them in the tv stand? Getting rid of this bookshelf will also free up some space by the couch. Maybe a nice place for an end table?

Sorry tv stand, you gotta go! Bite marks (from an old roommate's dog), dents from being dropped during a couple moves, and the fact that the wood stain doesn't match any of our other living room furniture....it's officially time we parted ways. My goal is to get something a bit wider and taller, to fit the space more appropriately as well as find a piece that will hold more to hide some of the clutter.

Reorganize plants. It's no secret I have a slight obsession with plants. I love having my back porch full of greenery in the summer, but when winter arrives and all the plants come inside, it can be a bit overwhelming. I think it might be time to pair down my plants, only keeping a select few.

I really like the large amber table lamp we have between our couch and chair, but I've never liked the original lampshade it came with when I found it at a thrift store. Also it takes up a bunch of room, so I'm thinking of moving it to a different room and purchasing a floor lamp instead.

A lighter colored rug, maybe new couch pillows, and curtains for all three windows (instead of just two) will be subtle changes that will make a significant change to the room.

Do you have any suggestions for my living room? I'll be back in a few weeks to show you the transformation! While you're waiting, check out the before and after of my porch makeover.

{Claire}