updating-your-living-room-budget-main-imageYour living room is the centre of all of the action in your family, and it's probably where your family spends the majority of their time. If you are like many Canadian homeowners, you probably enjoy the idea of freshening up the appearance of your living room from time to time, but you don't want to have to spend a fortune to do so. Take a peek at our five ideas for updating your living room on a budget.

Get Creative With Plants

Houseplants are an important part of your living room's décor, but no one ever said that you have to leave them sitting out all alone. There are plenty of ways that you can make more of your greenery, and these include planting them in unique pots or urns that complement the colours you choose for your living room. Another great way to spiff up your plants is to place them in terrariums, bell jars, or even alongside bottles or jars that are of similar sizes. This way, you create an interesting conversation piece for a little bit of nothing.

Try a Wall Collage

If you're having a difficult time deciding what you should do with an oddly-shaped wall in your living room, why not consider a wall collage? This is a great way to add some personal flair to your living room, and you can do it in any number of ways. Posters, swatches of different types of material, pictures of your children and family, or even vintage artwork that you pick up in a local thrift store can all find a home here. The idea is to layer the pieces in an asymmetrical manner and cover the entire space from top to bottom without leaving any gaps.

Have Fun With Lampshades and Light Fixtures

One of the absolute simplest ways to change the atmosphere in your living room is to dress up your light fixtures and lampshades. You can take an ordinary beige lampshade (one that might be found in a thrift store) and dress it up with some leftover material with nothing more than a few minutes of your time and a hot glue gun. Then, once the lights are turned on, the effects are incredibly noticeable. Reds can warm up your space; blues can cool it down. Natural greens or even browns provide a neutral, comforting effect. You can experiment by putting different swatches of material over your lampshades until you've decided which effect you like best. Check out your local thrift stores for vintage lamp bases that will fit your vision.

updating-your-living-room-budget-purpleUnique Wall Displays

Wall displays are always a fantastic way to capture the attention of your visitors and start some great conversations, but the truth is things like spoons, plates, and porcelain dolls are generally overdone. If you have a hobby, or even if there is something that you are passionate about, then get creative with that idea and create a wall display. For instance, if you are a fan of racing, then you can hang up collector's license plates in patterns to create an exciting feature. On the other hand, if you're a fan of horses, you could display your family photos in a giant wall decal that looks like a horse. The possibilities are truly endless, and you can get as creative as you'd like.

Simple Organization

Sometimes, completely changing the atmosphere in your living room can be as simple as reorganizing your furniture and accessories. Why not take a picture off of your wall and prop it up beside a pretty side table, instead? You can also consider pitching (or storing) some of the books and magazines on your shelves that are neglected, then reorganizing the rest according to the colour of their spines. This will add some "pop" to the room, and you won't have to spend a single red cent to accomplish it.

Bring Outdoor Décor Indoors

Who ever said that decorations intended to dress up your garden or patio had to stay outside? In fact, some of these pieces can be outstanding focal points, and it's always a great idea to bring nature indoors as often as possible. Garden gnomes can be a cute way to play up a freshly-painted bookshelf, and that two-foot concrete mushroom might find a new home in that corner of your living room that looks a little bare. You can even go as far as adding a layer of paint to some dated cast iron patio furniture, bringing it inside, adding some cute bargain cushions, and creating a beautiful reading space.

There are plenty of unique ways to transform your living room without spending a fortune on new furniture, drapes, or carpeting. Consider bright, bold rugs, swatches of material hung over your existing drapes to add a little pizzazz, or even a handcrafted sofa cover to breathe new life into your home.

Photo credit: neutral living room, purple living room
Posted by Chris Penny on

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