5 Easy Living Room Improvements

One of the things I love about a ‘fresh start’ each year, is the opportunity to set new ‘home goals’ to be completed by the next Christmas (when all the decorations are up), as it means each festive period you can see just how far you’ve come house-wise compared to the previous one. The holiday photos will forever show your progress (or lack of it!). 

It can be overwhelming trying to take on too many home projects at once though, so it’s nice to break down each room, into say, 5 ‘improvements’ that can be carried out- some big jobs maybe, and perhaps some small, realistic ones too. I’ve done this for lots of our rooms this year, and will see how many we can make happen by December. 

These aren’t necessarily my living room goals for 2018, but here are 5 ways of updating your living room space:

Go Bold

If you’re bored of your white walls, just fancy a new colour, or actually want to go light and bright in order to freshen up, giving your living room space a lick of paint is a relatively inexpensive way of totally transforming the space. Obviously this can seem daunting if you have kids or work full time (or both!), but if you plan for the living room to be ‘out of action’ for a week, and hang out in bedrooms/kitchen instead, then you can work for a few hours each evening to get it done and it’s a more realistic time-frame that you can plan for. If you can take a day or two off work, or book in some childcare, then even better! I actually love the purple walls in the above photo- I think they looks so cool. 

Update your flooring

Of course, updating your floor is a big job and a costly one too, but my word, decent wood flooring can make the world of difference to your living space. Since we completed our kitchen renovation, and had lovely, new wooden flooring fitted, it’s really shown up the scruffier flooring on the rest of the ground floor. I’m so looking forward to a time when we can get the rest of the house fitted out too. 

Choose some inexpensive accesories

Okay, so this really isn’t rocket science when it comes to updating your home, but with a young baby I find it hard to find the time to actually go out and browse the shops for things I like. Of course, I do look on websites, but at the moment one of my favourite things to do is watch YouTube ‘home hauls’ from certain vloggers and stores (for example, I’ll type something like ‘Matalan interiors haul’ into the search function) whilst I’m cooking dinner- I kill two birds with one stone and get to see what other people who’s taste is similar to mine are buying, and then can easily pop online and buy it later. 

Upcycle your existing furniture & invest in timeless pieces

We live in such a throwaway culture these days, and I can’t bear the waste. But how do you stay ‘on-trend’ or update your look without simply chucking stuff away? The clear answer is to upcycle as much as you can. We have a foot stool at the moment with a pattern on that I loathe BUT it’s such a great stool in every other way that there is no way I’m going to simply get rid of it… we are going to reupholster it in a material that we love when we’ve got a spare £120 (the going rate to do this where we live). A new look AND guilt free. You should also think carefully when buying furniture as to whether it will go the distance- I’ve seen some stylish-yet-practical sofa beds lately and kind of wishing now that we’d bought something that did two jobs.

If you must buy new furniture, purchase pieces crafted by artisans to help the community. These artisans are making and selling furniture to put food on the table and support their families, not buy their second yacht or another vacation home. You can chuck out an old piece and buy something new without guilt, knowing you’re helping a furniture maker, who’s likely very passionate about their craft, make a living.

Freshen up with flowers

Nothing cheers me up more than a cheap and cheerful bunch of seasonal flowers in a nice vase in the living room- currently the first daffodils of the year are residing in our lounge. I also think house plants give such a great look, and providing you look after them not my forte they are the green gift that keeps on giving! 

What little living room updates/tips to you have? I’d love to hear them!

*In collaboration

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.