No matter how much you enjoy the look and feel of every room in your home, eventually your decor is bound to get routine, and eventually even turn into that ugly cousin of routine: boring. This is especially true for your living room, where you and your family spend so much time while at home.
Fortunately, the living room – unlike, say, the kitchen or bathroom – is one of the most easily changeable and updateable rooms of just about any home. These are a few ways in which you can breathe new life into one of the most frequently used rooms of your home:
1. Minimize and Reconsider
An effective way to update a room is to take serious and comprehensive stock of how it is decorated in the first place. This means not only considering what you need and what you can do without, but literally “robbing” yourself by taking everything out of the room, up to, and maybe even including, furniture. When you start putting things back, you will begin to get a solid idea of what you need and what you could do without, and where you need to make additions or other changes. Although this method might seem labor intensive, when you are finished you are likely to find all of the work that you put in more than worth it.
2. Contemplate Window Treatments
The window is an oft overlooked part of the decor of a room, partially because changing the window itself is not always an option. But when altering the window itself is not possible, window treatments can be just as, if not even more, effective. New curtains, blinds, valances, etc can really help to update the look of any room. The options are numerous, and the right window treatment can be surprisingly transformative for the feel of an entire room.
3. Do Not Ignore Your Windows
Speaking of windows, your living room windows provide much more than just light and an opportunity for decorative updates through window treatments. The reason that you are updating your living room decor is to enhance the experience of spending time in the room, and a big part of that experience can be enjoying the view. Especially if you redecorating for the spring or summer, consider refocusing your furniture around your living room windows to take advantage of the light, view, and proximity to your home’s outdoor space.
4. Utilize the Power of Pictures (and Frames)
If you do not have the time or money for a complete room overhaul, simply changing what is on your living room walls might just have the dramatic effect that you are seeking for your room’s decor. Go through your photo albums – and the pictures you have stored electronically on your computer, phone, and other devices – and consider what you would like displayed, and/or what would look best on the walls of your living room. Great frames of all kinds are available at discount stores, and here is a secret: with the right frame, sometimes you do not even need a picture.
5. Get Adventurous With Paint
Painting is an extremely common way to update the look of a room, so common in fact that it is often dismissed by those looking for a more original way to decorate. However, a new color does not have to be a cliché. Think about bright, original hues for your living room. If you fear what might happen when you actually commit to a color, you can use an online painting simulation program to get a good idea of the final result.
These are all ideas to consider when trying to either trying to “reinvent the wheel” with your living room’s decor, or simply spice things up a little.
Nicole is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about home decorating. For great window treatments, she recommends venetian blinds from Super Blinds Mart.