INTERIORS

How to Give Your Living Room a Refresh

Feb 13, 2019 | By New Darlings

Neutral Living Room inspiration pop of pinkYou 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.

Blue Velvet Sofa Schoolhouse Plaid Chairs(^^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.

Pink and Neutral Living Room

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.

Blush and teal living roomWe 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:

Anthropologie Gold MirrorOkay, 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.

Midcentury Neutral Living RoomOnto 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. 🙂

Living Room Brown Leather Sofa

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

 

8 comments on “How to Give Your Living Room a Refresh”

  1. I love ALL your livingrooms! I love how brass is back!! I just ordered the 3rd livingroom lamp (3 legs, natural shade). I wish I could leave a picture comment of my “redone” (almost done) livingroom! (It’s on my IG feed, @pretty_lil_blondes). Thank you for showing how to freshen up a room without spending a fortune!

  2. All of these are great designs! My personal favorite is the one with the black and white checked chairs … but all designs are gorgeous! Where did you find the brass feather/leaf catchall on your coffee table in Look 1? Thanks so much! xx

  3. You can buy that same old brass table from UO on amazon! I found it in bronze but spray painted it in bronze and it looks great in our living room! 🙂

  4. How do you decide on sizing for the “War Is Over” print over your couch? I love how it’s oversized but doesn’t overpower everything. Is it possible you could list the dimensions of that piece, frame included? That would be so helpful!

  5. Hi,
    I love how you have decorated your new living room! I was already a big fan of your previous apartment but even more so now. The new area rug looks super cozy. I have noticed that you have not attached the link to that particular rug and wanted to know where I can buy it. It would look great in my living room

  6. Would love to know what color white you used on your walls.
    I just purchased a 1930’s home and want to refresh with white walls and white trim….there are sooo many shades of white!
    Thank you.

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