You might remember a while back, before we started our renovation, we gave our living room a little refresh. We received a few comments on instagram asking where did the blue couch go and what made us introduce more blush and teal tones into our home. Well, we needed a refresh.

Get the look:

When we first moved into this house I was so ready for a fresh start. I didn’t want to simply move the same furniture back in and put the “War is Over” poster up again, even though we loved it. We felt like we needed to do something different. We’re photographing things all the time and the idea of a new place and a blank slate, excited us.

(^^A little trip down memory lane with our previous living room setup. See the full post here.)

So inspired by the dark wood floors of the home and darker accents the previous sellers had in here, we took a chance and went outside of our comfort zones, with dark velvet, more vintage accents, and bit of a more masculine vibe. We had so much fun playing around with a new color palette and different interior design choice, but after a while it just felt like we were living in someone else’s house. I really liked how we executed it, including some bold choices like those plaid chairs, which are now nestled safely away in our storage unit for a future project, but it didn’t feel very us. However, from a design perspective, it made us realize how much we love experimenting and would love to help design other people’s homes down the line.

(^^ Anyone remember this old post?)

Anyway, we decided to throw it back to our old apartment style: brown leather sofa (which yes, we saved), a more neutral printed rug, and mid century inspired chairs. Looking at pictures from our old apartment and current living room set up, it’s funny how similar they are. We only switched up a few things and that’s when we thought we’d share how to give your space a refresh without spending a ton.

We’re constantly moving things around to and from various rooms. It’s all about the accent pieces! Pillows, vases, books, lights. All of these smaller items can really help transform a space without having to invest in a new couch or arm chair. We still have that sweet old brass side table from Urban Outfitters too. Ah I wish they still made it. Here’s a similar one from Target.

We went from a lot of black accents to brass, starting with this brass globe lamp from West Elm. Target has so many similar brass lamp options though. We also switched out a lot of darker frames to white and light oak.

Shop lighting:

Okay, so accent pillows. We have a pillow addiction! We ordered a few of these velvet ones from Sézane a while back when they had their home capsule collection live. Their items always remind us of our time in Europe which makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. Ha! It seems like the velvet trend is here to stay, particularly blush tones. You can get pillows like these more affordable from places like H&M and Urban Outfitters. Lulu & Georgia, Serena & Lily and West Elm have some great ones too, and we always keep an eye on their sales.

We rounded up some pillows below:

See that black leather arm chair? Keep reading to see how it popped up in our current living room design in a new way.

Onto accent chairs! We actually sold the black leather chair from our old apartment, but ended up loving the same style and repurchasing them in a light cream fabric. Crazy I know, but it got me thinking how just changing the fabric on a chair could really reinvent it. Reupholstering could be something to consider if you don’t want to invest in a bigger piece like an accent chair, but still want to give the room a big impact.

Below we put together three different living room looks (our old apartment look, current living room set up, and just one we dreamt up for fun) with the same core furniture pieces for a little inspiration. 🙂

Look 1: Sunshine Artwork | Anthropologie Mirror | Green Velvet Pillow | Faux Fur Pillow | Pink Pillows | Brass Floor Lamp | Jo Malone London Candle | YSL Book | Coasters | Marble Coffee Table | Midcentury Chair | Midcentury Planter | Pink Throw Blanket | Leather Couch | Moroccan Rug

Look 2: Macrame Wall Hanging | Basket | War Is Over Print | Black & White Mudcloth Pillow | Shibori Pillow | Gold Coasters | Black Floor Lamp | Standard Wax Candles | Match Striker | Photography Book | Marble Coffee Table | Midcentury Chair | Midcentury Planter | Leather Couch | Black and White Printed Rug

Look 3: Green Velvet Pillow | Pom Pom Pillows | Rejuvenation Arched Mirror | Rattan Floor Lamp | Brass Wall Hanging Art | Monochrome Living Book | Faux Sheepskin Throw | Candles | Match Striker | Marble Coffee Table | Midcentury Chair | Natural Planters | Leather Couch | Black and White Woven Rug