In my experience, there’s nothing quite like the feeling that comes with carving out a space that is truly your own. By taking your surroundings and injecting a bit of yourself into them, happiness and belonging are never too far away. And the living room seems like a good place as any to put that into practice.
So today, I’m going to be sharing how to (re)decorate a living room on a budget that feels professional yet authentic. You’ll get that editorial, put-together edge, whilst not straying too far from your roots, budget or your morals.
Yes, modifying your living room need not be expensive, character-depleting and can be environmentally sustainable and I will be sharing some tips on how to help make that happen.
Defining your purpose & limitations
I think the biggest hurdle we face as homeowners is the sheer number of options. Open to us are so many choices: keeping on top of home repairs DIY or calling in the professionals; deciding whether to redecorate the living room with designer paints or cheaper trade alternatives; do we go for new furniture or try thrifting for unique finds? Throw in all of the styles available and it can make your head spin!
The best remedy for decision overload is defining your purpose, needs and limitations, then really drilling down into them. Having a few restrictions can actually force you to think creatively, rather than curbing your brainpower. For example, if you have a gloomy north-facing living room, you can either brighten things up with warm-toned colours or even lean into the cooler light by opting for a dramatic shade like a moody, grey-adjacent blue.
Whatever the case, it is possible to enjoy the good life on a budget and treat ourselves to the interiors we deserve, all while dodging the pitfalls of a less-than-perfect space.
Finding style inspiration
Taking a leaf out of the Danes’ book and recalling everything I know about “hygge” – a way of life centred around contentment and taking pleasure in the small things – it’s a good idea to redecorate your living room in a style that truly resonates.
Whether you feel most at ease following a minimalist lifestyle or you revel in the colourful organised chaos of your home, there is a style befitting of every personality type out there. But where to find them?
Here are a few great starting points. Social media! From beautifully curated Pinterest boards to TikTok’s oddly specific algorithm or even checking out your favourite brand’s Instagram feeds, there’s a treasure trove of inspiration to access at the click of a button.
For a more tactile approach, keep your eye out and jot down anything that inspires you when you’re out and about. Everything from your friend’s homes, cafes, interiors from your fave Netflix show or a holiday home, could hold the missing link between a pleasant interior and a compelling one.
Thinking about materials
Materials play a huge role in the way interior designers approach how to decorate a living room. After all, your choice of materials impacts both the visuals, ambience and comfort of a space. So it stands to reason that a well-thought-out home décor scheme will prioritise all three.
You’d be surprised at how the introduction of a particular material can influence your understanding of a space. Flush metals introduce a chic coolness to a space, whilst woods provide warmth befitting of a spectrum of different interior styles from earthy minimalism all the way to farmhouse nostalgia. Natural fabrics like wool and cotton introduce a down-to-earth and welcoming quality.
As well as these considerations, there’s the matter of sustainability. By sourcing second-hand, British-made or natural materials, you get the added bonus of peace of mind, knowing that you curated a professional-looking living room with the smallest environmental impact.
Playing with colour
Speaking of environmental impact – did you know that nowadays paints are way less impactful than they ever used to be? In fact, there are so many sustainable paint brands that provide the highest quality paints, using safer water-based formulas.
This means that when you experience the sheer fun of pulling together a cohesive colour scheme – primary, secondary, accent colours and all – there won’t be any niggling worry in the back of your mind, consumption-wise.
But back to the colours themselves. The various shades you use in your living room have a massive effect on how you perceive and enjoy the space, and part and parcel of this is how big the room feels. For example, bright and airy neutrals can open up the room and bringing the wall colour up to the ceiling can create a bold yet cocooning feel. Yep, that’s right – the ceiling doesn’t have to be white!
Settling on an aesthetic
Character is one of the top things I look for in a home, but you don’t need an old property to create it. Oh no – it’s something you can actively build with via layering and careful accessorising along with the furniture pieces you implement. Just make sure that there’s an element pulling everything together, without going too hard on each element being too matchy-matchy. Finding the middle ground here is the key to an authentic feel.
Layouts: knowing when & how to break the rules
If there’s anything you should take away from this guide on how to redecorate a living room, it’s that layouts are key. Whether you’ve an irregularly shaped room with odd nooks and crannies or one huge square you don’t know what to do with, your overall arrangement can help bring a sense of direction to the space.
While you might want to do some research into your various layout options, the common ones are:
* A twin sofa layout, where two sofas face one another
* A U-shaped or L-shaped seating arrangement
* Zoning an open-plan living room with various functional sections
* An angled arrangement wherein the seats all face one central point
* Building an asymmetrical layout using small groupings of furniture such as an armchair and footstool combination.
Whichever way you sway, remember to consider the flow of traffic through the room, clearance between furniture pieces and how much blank space you want to leave.
Styling versus furnishing
This tip is often brought up in conjunction with fashion, but it’s just as true of home décor. There’s a massive difference between styling something versus wearing it, or in this case, furnishing.
With styling, there’s an intentionality behind your choices, and the even smallest of touches can revitalise your interior space. Here, you’ll play with perspective, direct the eye on a certain journey and create visual weight.
For instance, instead of leaving your coffee table empty, have you thought about the placement of decorative objects and how they interact with the rest of the room? What about your TV stand or bookcase? Each surface has the possibility of introducing visual interest, texture and rhythm, and this is what makes the impact.
Go forth and decorate
Ah, there we are. I hope that these insights have you feeling confident that you know exactly how to redecorate your living room with pizzaz. By taking on some of these tips, it’s easy to curate a style that feels as natural as it does professional.
