I am participating in Cindy and Mary Ann's latest Project Design Series along with other bloggers. The topic is how to "Refresh Your Living Room With These Inexpensive Tips".
Here are my ideas...
A great starting point would be to REARRANGE YOUR FURNITURE and the best way to do this is to remove all the accessories and smaller pieces of furniture from the room. Take your room back to its bare bones and then have a really good look at the layout.
Sometimes just changing the layout can make it feel like a whole new space. For instance, if your sofas normally face each other, consider placing them at right angles. Also consider the seasons when you decide how to place your furniture. In winter you want your best seating close to or facing the fireplace, whereas in summer, you might want your seating facing the view onto your garden. If you have French doors leading out into the garden, you want to make that access point more accessible in summer, whereas in winter you could easily position a sofa across that point. The picture below would be a good option for winter.....
.... but in summer you might want to move the sofa to the opposite side and position two armchairs on the window side. Like this...
...or this.
Once you have your layout organised, CONSIDER ADDING SOME COLOUR. Colour can be introduced with just a few small changes, like adding some new scatter cushions and a vase or bowl on your coffee table.
Consider this room below....the very neutral colour scheme which was cosy in winter, might feel a bit drab in summer.....
By introducing a few well chosen items in the form of cushions, coloured glassware, a throw, or some pottery, you can liven up the look with a very small budget.Try moving some artwork from elsewhere in the house that fits in with your new colour scheme.
In the example below, the blue cushions are the only accessories with any colour, yet imagine how different the room would be without them. I am a strong believer in keeping your big ticket items like sofas and curtains neutral in colour.
These gorgeous feather filled cushions below are from here at only R300 each.($25)
Another easy way to refresh your living room is to RESTYLE YOUR SHELVES. If you have some sort of bookcase or display shelving in your living area, or even a console table, consider a complete change of the items you have on display. Instead of the current trend of displaying a variety of items in a stylish way as in the picture below....
....perhaps you should try a change of direction and display a collection of items with the same colour, shape or purpose. Repetition can have great impact when it's done right. Think out the box on this one. Raid your kitchen or pantry cupboards for a collection of white jugs or bowls or go shopping at a department store for some inexpensive glass or ceramic vases ... en masse is the point here...
Perhaps the most inexpensive way of all to refresh your living room is to USE THE BOUNTY OF NATURE to add new decorative elements to your room.
So whether it is a few fallen twigs in a wooden trug...
...pine cones in a pottery bowl...
...beautiful green apples...
....sea shells...
.... or succulents...
....nature's free gifts will always give your room a lift!
Finally you want to introduce something into your room to give it that wow factor and because you have saved so much money by using the ideas above, you can now afford a little splurge. The way to go here is to INTRODUCE AN OVERSIZED PIECE for big impact....
...it could be an enormous table lamp...
....a giant vase....
.... huge glass vessels...
...an oversized clock...
... or a massive mirror...
...or two.
I hope you found some of these ideas useful and remember that the most important thing is to have fun when making your changes! Please go and visit these fabulous bloggers to see their ideas on the subject.
Till next time
Sharon x
