ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Living Room
STYLE: Eclectic, Rustic, Vintage
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
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RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
Sometimes, to get a renovation started, you just need a little kick in the pants — expected guests, maybe, or a great deal on a centerpiece element of the new space. For homeowner Katie Shelby, the motivation for a living room redo came from her family’s pet. “Our new dog we got last Chrstmas ate the carpet down to the wood and we needed to change the carpet, so every aspect of the room snowballed from there,” Katie says.
The light destruction might have gotten the ball rolling on Katie’s living room makeover, but the before wasn’t exactly her dream space and she says it had been on her to-do list for a while. It was filled with hand-me-down furniture and “was very bland and did not stand out,” she adds. Here’s how she turned it into the perfect family hangout spot for a total cost of $3,500.
Credit: Katie Shelby
Credit: Katie Shelby
Credit: Katie Shelby
Plaid carpet gives the floors a cozy feel.
The destroyed old carpet had to go. In its place, Katie chose a plush carpet with a cozy, cottagey plaid pattern. The subdued neutral color palette helps tame the pattern so it’s not too in-your-face.
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Credit: Katie Shelby
Credit: Katie Shelby
Credit: Katie Shelby
New built-ins add interest to a plain wall.
The bare walls didn’t provide much in the way of visual interest before. Katie and her husband fixed that with a wall of storage featuring both cabinets and open shelves. The built-ins were made using base cabinets from The Home Depot, which Katie painted a deep charcoal gray (Sherwin-Williams’s Iron Ore).
Open shelves on the wall above give Katie a place to display decorative items around the TV, which is now mounted on the wall for easy viewing.
Credit: Katie Shelby
Credit: Katie Shelby
Fresh seating and a gallery wall help bring everything together.
Leather arm chairs have an old-school vintage feel that gives this living room sophisticated lounge-space vibes. (Believe it or not, they’re from The Home Depot!)
On the wall opposite the built-ins, Katie installed a metal rail she bought at IKEA; she uses it to hang art and potted plants, which makes this the easiest-to-assemble gallery wall ever.
The decor on the rail and on the built-ins was a family effort: “My sons, Max and Carter, loved going to thrift stores and Goodwill to find some cool items for the shelves,” Katie says. They even made some of the art themselves.
Now, the living room is a cozy space for grown-ups to relax. “I love that we can sit in there and have a glass of whiskey or wine and enjoy a show together while the kids are in the other room watching Disney,” Katie says. “It is just a great space to walk into when you first enter our home.”
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Further Reading
Partner: Create Your Own Interior Design Mood Board | Apartment Therapy
These Modern Furniture Stores Are Making Us Rethink Our IKEA Loyalty
My Mom’s 5-Step Cleaning Routine is Thorough, But it Keeps My Kitchen Spotless Every Day
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