Small space? Boring and bland space?
Not anymore! I'm here to the rescue!
OK so! I move in my apartment and naturally it has white walls tan carpet and most people just leave it that way (even in their house)...but why!!!? Make it you! (that is as long as you get it approved by the apartment office first, if you are a renter :))
Today's space: Living Room
Tips:
1. Arrange your furniture in a way that makes you feel very comfortable and cozy in your space, so that you will want to enjoy it and be able to actually live life in it!
2. Feng shui (fung-shway) <---- I'm all about it! I wanted a living room that was cozy yet not crowded...I wanted people to feel at home, but at my home. My kitchen overlooks my living room and is very close together...so...
3. Couch/sofa-I arranged it in a way so that it almost breaks up the living room from my kitchen/bar area. It kind of made like a little hallway between the two spaces.
4. Large comfy chair- This is arranged so when sitting in it I can still see everything else in the living room and when sitting on the couch I still have a view of everything in the living room.
5. Coffee table- In the middle so everything is surrounded by it and everyone can use it! Use candles, magazines, coasters, a cool conversation piece on the coffee table---when you have guest over, there is always something to talk about, a place to set their drink, a magazine for them to look at and the candle sets the "scent mood"
On my coffee table-
coasters-for drinks
vases-for looks and conversation
candle-Sun&Sand by Yankee Candle (love this one, I think it's a good neutral scent that many people will like and it will remind them of the beach)
6. Pillows-I actually found my couch and chair on Craigslist and went to the people's house to check out if they lived in a clean place to determine how clean the furniture was...I trusted it and rented a steam-vac and cleaned it twice myself.
Cost of couch, chair and ottoman-$200
ANYWAYS-back to the pillows...five came with the couch which made the back of it...3 out of the five were this really bad pastel printed fabric, so my mom and I covered them in different zebra print fabric that I got in the remnants (the ends of extra fabric from bolts)
7. Paint- Accent walls are great...I wanted a dark color of paint in my living room but painting all the walls dark would make the room seem smaller...so I just painted one, the one you see right when you walk in the door to my apartment. It is a dark plum color...if your just painting one accent wall, you wont need much paint, so ask around to your friends, family, co-workers and see if they have any extra paint...my friend had this dark purple we like a lot of the same colors, so I knew I would love it...and I do! She also suggested that I use a golden cream color to go with it, so that is what I used on the rest of my walls...I did pay full price for the golden colored paint...but the purple was free!
8. Other furniture accessories-The TV stand was $20 at Goodwill, TV free, All the picture frames came from Ross (dress for less) they always have good deals on home decor.
Put it all together and this is what you get!!
I love golds, teals, purples....so I just used them all and it flows as long as you use them in the right places :-)
SO!---
Couch, chair, ottoman-$200
Fabric to cover ugly pillows-$30
TV stand-$20
TV-free
Paint-purple-free, cream-$22
Vases on tv stand&peacock feathers-$10
Side table-Free(beside a dumpster) and lamp..not sure where it came from
Coasters (for drinks)-$5 each...I painted them at a pottery place
Most decorations all under $10 from Ross, Yard Sales, Antique Malls
Curtains and curtain rod-$12 total-Big Lots
Total for living room...about $364
Salvation Army tip-All furniture there has a tag with the date it was brought in...if it has been there 10 days or more it is automatically 50% off!
