Update Your Living Room for Under $100
Go get three boxes or bins. You’ll use one for trash-you’ll be amazed at the tissues, old magazines, and candy wrappers that somehow end up under your sofa cushions. You’ll use another box for items that you’ll eventually sell or give away. The living room often becomes the family dumping ground for shoes, books, and games. That’s why you’ll need the third box-for things that belong in other rooms. Start at the entrance of your living room, and start filling those boxes, progressing around the room in a clockwise fashion. Every item you see should have to justify its existence in your living room. You don’t have to keep the dish that Aunt Franny gave you for your wedding if you think it’s hideously ugly. You don’t need as many knick-knacks as you think you do. Don’t just leave paintings on your wall because they’ve always been there and you don’t feel like hanging up a new one. If an item doesn’t somehow bring pleasure to you or your family, get rid of it. The less you have in your living room, the easier it will be to update its look. This step doesn’t cost you anything, and if you sell some of the items you no longer need, it may even earn you a buck or two.
2. Polish.
Now that you’ve decluttered your living room, it’s time to take another cost-free step. Everything should be made to look as good as new. Use a broom to knock down cobwebs. Use a duster to clean off all your plants, silk or otherwise. Use pledge or furniture polish to make every item you’re keeping shine. (If you’re not willing to dust it, you might reconsider whether or not it should really stay in the room at all.) Take all your furniture, and move it into the center of the room. Now, get your vacuum, and clean along the edges. Get down on your hands and knees and scrub the baseboards. If your walls have a washable paint, get a bucket of soapy water and a step-ladder and wash them too. Now that you’ve put a shine on everything, you’ll be able to see whether or not the room needs a more dramatic change.
3. Paint.
If you are looking for a more dramatic change, paint is your best option. You can buy enough paint to cover the average living room for less than $50. And here is where you can really play. Perhaps you’d like to paint an accent wall a different color than the rest. Maybe you’re trying to pick up colors in your existing furniture. If you want your living room to look cozier, choose warmer shades of the earth-tone variety. If you want your living room to look bigger, choose bright, light colors. There’s a reason that most home-models are painted in shades of white and cream-light walls trick the eye into seeing more space. And spaciousness is the modern directive.
4. Lighting.
If you have old-fashioned lamps that no longer suit your dÃ?©cor, keep an eye out for inexpensive torchieres. You can purchase lovely floor lamps with modern lines for less than $20 and brighten up your living room accordingly. If you like the lamps you have, but you’re looking for more romance, consider adding candles to the room. If you’re worried about pets and children knocking them over, remember that you can inexpensively fasten candle-holders to the wall for a dramatic safety-conscious look that will keep the clutter off your surfaces.
5. Sofa Covers.
Maybe it’s time to face the fact that your sofa has seen better days. You’re not likely to be able to replace your sofa unless a friend or relative is willing to donate theirs. But you can still change the look of your sofa and make an impact in your living room. There are available a variety of slipcovers, some of them for under $30, that will wake up your living room.
Make these five changes to your living room, and you can give it an updated, modern look. You can even do it all for less than $100, so don’t use expense as an excuse.
