how to: diy small living room makeover

Renovating a house is a process! It was finally time to reveal my living room after a number of projects that took place in this space. I’m really happy with the final result. Of course there are still plenty of things I want to change and modify about how it turned out, but I’m loving the way I was able to incorporate items that we already had. My absolute favorite is for sure the couch, I mean come on, it’s perfect. So if you’re looking to update your home I hope this can inspire you to make it the space you want to live in.

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

tools +materials + Furniture

tools

materials

Painting Supplies

furniture

Couch

other projects in this space

1. The plan

It seems like so long ago but it took about 10 months to get this project from this starting point to where we’ll be at by the end. But the goal was to brighten, open up, and modernize the space, while still keeping some of it’s original warmth.

I wanted to take out the wall between the kitchen and living room, spoiler alert, we did! You can see that process in the kitchen demo video.

2. Accent Wall & Small Entryway Makeover

DIY Danie was visiting so she helped me get this room painted in this gorgeous Bit of Sugar color.

After paint, I was able to get this geometric accent wall installed, to set the tone for the rest of the room.

I also did a ton of patch work here, modernized our front door and made a really fun nook for our keys which I’m obsessed with. You can see the full build in my Small Entryway Makeover video or the on the blog.

3. Floors

When we moved in I knew the original floors were under this floating laminate. I was so excited to really see what it looked like under there so we could get it professionally refinished and stained.

I wanted to have continuous flooring from the living room and throughout the kitchen, I was so happy to find someone local who was able to install the red oak flooring for us.

Obsessed with how the floors turned out!!

I was only able to do a happy dance for a little, it was time to get back to work and the walls needed paint!

4. DIY Fireplace Wall

We always wanted a fireplace that could also double as an entertainment center. So I got to building that, it’s one of my favorite parts of this house. You can find the details of this build in the full DIY Fireplace Wall build video or on the blog.

5. Adding Shoe Storage

We have tiny closets in our bedrooms and we needed more shoe storage. I got these dark cabinets, they seem taller than I expected but they’re going to be functional for exactly what we need.

I don’t think they’ll be permanent because they cover so much of the accent wall but they’re definitely better than piles of shoes everywhere.

6. Couch delivery

While I waited for our new couch to be delivered I decided to spruce up these windows. Honestly, they need to be replaced. But it’s just not in the budget right now. I’m hoping next year we’ll be able to do that, but for now I’m just painting over the wooden trim to match the walls and try to tie them into the rest of the room a bit.

Finally! The most exciting delivery!

Even before it was fully assembled I knew it was as perfect as I’d imagined.

It was really easy to put the pieces together and then attach the cushions. This couch has that perfect worn in leather softness and it’s exactly our style.

7. Radiator Cover Upgrade

I made this Radiator cover the same way I did for the one upstairs. That one has already survived one winter so it was a no brainer to do the same for this one.

First, I used the miter saw to cut down pieces for the frame and for the slats.

Then I used pocket holes to assemble the frame.

Essentially, I made a hollow box and covered that box with 1×2 pieces of pine that I evenly spaced out for a modern slatted wood look.

This blog post has more detailed instructions on how I did this if you want more step by step instructions.

To install it I removed the existing radiator cover.

Then I did a quick clean to get rid of any dust that was inside.

I used my multitool to remove a little bit of the baseboard that was in the way of the new cover.

Then I slid the cover right over the existing radiator and nailed the top piece down.

8. Adding decor & dying my curtains

At this point all of the building projects were done and it was time to decorate. Luckily, we had a lot of elements from previous apartments that I was able to incorporate. Frist, was this beautiful antique rug.

I couldn’t find curtains anywhere that were the color I wanted for the space. So armed with the knowledge I’d gained from many YouTube videos I decided to dye these linen curtains myself. I just followed the instructions on the box and it worked perfectly!

It’s hard to see on camera, but they’re this perfect deep blue that’s washed out a little, like a pair of black jeans that have been faded in the wash.

The only problem is that these windows are still not working for me. I am really not loving the way the built in blinds are looking and there’s no way for me to remove them.

In an effort to combat all of the white in these windows, I purchased these bamboo shades in a dark walnut color and installed them. I know this might be controversial but I think these windows needed the warmth.

The last piece of decor that had to be addressed was actually viewer inspired. Our fireplace came with these crystal rocks that just weren’t really our style.

So I removed them and added these lava rocks which felt much more “us”.

9. The reveal

First, let’s remember where we started with this project.

Can you even believe it’s the same space?

To be honest I have so many feelings about this room. I love that we’re not living in chaos anymore but I want to be transparent, I do feel like this space is not 100 percent where I’d like it to be. So there will be other projects to come for this living room, which you can find on my channel and in other blog posts.

It’s good to remember that sometimes we can get a space really close to how we want it but there might still be changes we can make in the future, and I think that’s ok! So I hope this living room makeover inspired you to get after a project you’ve been wanting to do, but also helped you see that it doesn’t have to be done to perfection to be enjoyed in the meantime. So stay tuned friends, and happy DIYing!