Living room makeovers

Refresh your look with rich new colors, a fireplace facelift, natural light, and more

Cottage living room before renovation.

Photography by Lisa Romerein

Design ideas from living room remodels around the West

Before: Santa Monica cottage living room

The small, rather dark 1930's living room gave way to a light-filled, loftlike space (next page).

Cottage living room after the renovation

Photography by Lisa Romerein

After: Airy cottage

The living room is now a colorful new gathering area. Light floods into the room and reflects off the white walls and mantel.

For contrast, the wooden floors are stained in a custom mix of ebony and dark walnut shades; the high-gloss polyurethane top coat reflects even more light.

Designer Julie Hart sparks the interiors with colorful accent pillows, throws, and pottery that she coor­dinates with a rotating collection of art.

See more of this airy cottage makeover

Living room before

Before: Craftsman living room

Despite a lot of tight spaces in this 1900s Oakland Craftsman, the owners saw potential.

Next, see how they took advantage of the home's natural light.

remodeled living room

Photo by Ericka McConnell

After: Light-filled living room

Filmy white shades diffuse sunlight through the sitting area—helped by pale fabrics and rugs.

empty living room with white walls

Small is beautiful (before)

This nondescript living room felt dark and cramped. It had little presence of its own.

walls in this living room are saturated with deep red hues and inset, built-in shelving accents accessories and a framed painting

Small is beautiful (after)

Bright red colors and opened walls made an ordinary house special.

Classic comeback for a midcentury abode

Lisa Romerein

Midcentury abode (before)

This living room's previous incarnation included a massive gold-veined mirror that concealed the unfinished double-sided fireplace.

Plantation shutters blocked an enormous expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows.

A team of workers had to chip away for days on their hands and knees to unearth the original terrazzo floors.

Classic comeback for a midcentury abode

Lisa Romerein

Midcentury abode (after)

A handful of dramatic pieces stand out against this room's quieter elements. A pair of towering vintage majolica lamps (Carl's Lamps & Custom Shades, 323/651-5825) creates a yin and yang effect atop an understated low credenza of wenge and white CaesarStone (a quartz-polymer material).

The mix of items from another era with midcentury classics and some contemporary pieces keeps the overall look anchored to the home's origins while adding individual style.

Read more about this midcentury remodel

empty 1940s living room with a fireplace that has two narrow windows on each side

Sunny living room (before)

This cramped, dead-end living room in a 1940s tract home had little light and no drama.

In the living room, a bright red mirror hangs above a cast concrete fireplace. There are four light-colored, leather arm chairs surround stacked coffee tables that are in front of the fireplace.

Sunny living room (after)

Now the ceiling soars. Tall glass doors replace the small windows flanking the fireplace. A striking stairway leads upstairs, and ribbed cast-concrete fireplace create an inviting gathering place.

dark wood hearth surrounds fireplace and low ceilings make this family room look dark

Lighten up a room (before)

The dark mantle on this fireplace was too heavy for the small space, and the low ceilings contributed to the room's cave-like atmosphere.

Two windows flank each side of the fireplace with a gray hearth. Also, white walls brighten up the space with yellow and blue large plaid cushions on wicker arm chairs.

Lighten up a room (after)

A lighter hearth, new windows and a coffered ceiling add more light and brighten this room.

empty living room with a fireplace with built-in shelving to the right of it as well as a window across the other wall

Breathing room (before)

This 1950s house on a down-sloping site was 14 feet wide, boxcar-like, and offered no private outdoor space.

Modern, sleek living room with a wraparound white couch which faces a fireplace. the living room also has a metal gray railing surround and define the space.

Breathing room (after)

The remodel reorganized the main floor and sandwiched it between a new front courtyard and a rear outdoor room overlooking the slope. The ceiling was given a gentle pitch over the original beams. The result resembles an airy garden pavilion.

living room before makeover

$200 Makeover (before)

For those of you who worry that your family room could win a drab decor award, then we have a treat for you--a super stylish room makeover that proves a little cash can go a long way.

yellow walls highlight the artwork above the family room fireplace while the couch faces a clear, glass, mod coffee table

$200 Makeover (after)

We spent only $200 on paint, new pillows, rugs and other accessories to give this space a major style boost.

wicker arm chairs with white cushions face a white couch with a fireplace in the middle of a living room

Budget-friendly makeover (before)

Limited light and gray walls conjured the feeling of a submarine more than a sailboat in this benighted beach house.

black and white graphic print plush cushions are arranged in the living room's wicker arm chairs while white walls brighten up the overall lighting of the living room

Budget-friendly makeover (after)

From dark and dismal to bright and breezy, this living room seems twice as large with the addition of new doors; wider openings to neighboring rooms; and a crisp, unifying coat of white paint.

a before photo of a kitchen space with an island cabinet to the left, brown built-in shelving in the middle and an older fireplace off of the main section of the kitchen

Family room break-through (before)

A dark brick fireplace and paneling made the old kitchen/family room seem gloomy.

bright, vibrant colors and natural wood used in the kitchen area extend into the remodeled and expanded family room

Family room break-through (after)

Removing the fireplace wall allowed the living area to extend into what had been the garage. Flanking windows flood the room with natural light.

 

a before photo of a kitchen space with a baker's rack placed in front of a window and a table with two chairs

Create a home office (before)

When these home owners needed a space for their office they decided on a small butler’s pantry. The underutilized space between the kitchen and dining room would have to pull double duty as a home office and kitchen storage area.

A desk is positioned in front of the window in this home office, while ladder shelving with decorative storage containers are organized on the opposite wall. Chocolate brown walls and black, brown and cream window treatment completes the look of this workspace.

Create a home office (after)

A simple, inexpensive redo transformed the 8- x 13-foot nook into a cozy library-like home office that really works.

taupe walls, traditional dining room table and natural, bamboo roll up shades

Dining room rescue (before)

A hodgepodge of inherited traditional antique pieces was holding back the true style of this modern home owner.

pale, steel gray walls in the dining room with floor to ceiling cream shades (and a round dining room table and chairs)

Dining room rescue (after)

The traditional furnishings got new life by painting the walls a warm, rich blue, and filling the room with meaningful accessories.

two mis-matched couches face each other with a wicker coffee table in front of a fireplace with a brass heat protector

Low-cost living room redo (before)

Previously, the furniture was centered on the fireplace, the focal point of the room, but the homeowner didn’t know how to accommodate a new TV in a natural way.

Couches are against the windows of the living room while a white, plush carpet rug is laid in the center of the room--which creates more space for children to play in the living room.

Low-cost living room redo (after)

By rearranging furniture, eliminating clutter, and bringing in accessories from other rooms, the space was reinvented.

before photo of fireplace remodel with white adobe bricks to the ceiling of the living room

Bold fireplace color (before)

A white-painted fireplace of slump-block adobe made this family room seem dated.

A vibrant tomato bisque-hued plaster added to this fireplace remodel turned the hearth into a modern showpiece in this living room.

Bold fireplace color (after)

Building up the façade to make it thicker and covering it in vibrant tomato bisque-hued plaster turned the hearth into a showpiece.

a before photo of a old brick fireplace with blackened bricks in a family room with white walls

Weekend makeover (before)

The goal: to update the tired existing brick fireplace surround and to transform the space into a warm family area.

Large, natural stones around the hearth update this fireplace's style while red and tan velvet fabric decorates the arm chairs that are placed on either side.

Weekend makeover (after)

By making a few quick changes to colors, fabrics and rearranging furniture you can update your living room in a weekend.

a living room with a blue and white checkered couch before a design makeover

Southern chic (before)

This perfectly livable space was suffering from a case of the blahs.

bright yellow walls liven up and compliment blue and white checkered couches and chairs in the living room

Southern chic (after)

A perfectly livable space was suffering from a case of the blahs. However, new fabrics, paint, and adjustments to the layout have turned it into a showplace.

kitchen barstools with light tan, ornate, stitched fabric

Fun slipcovers (before)

Before, the look of this 80-year-old home was comfortable but not so cozy.

ruffles line the bottom of the casual, cottage-style slipcovers with brown buttons running vertically down the back of each slipcover

Fun slipcovers (after)

Ready for a change? Washable slipcovers in lighthearted new fabrics perk up old upholstery.

 

 

 

 

Sitting room with a white couch, brown walls, and accented in cream colors

One room, three ways

We painted this sitting room in three different shades to compare: cheery yellow, tangerine orange and shown here in chocolate brown.

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