A Living Room Makeover with Lowe’s

Partnering with Lowe’s Home Improvement to give away a home makeover was basically a dream come true. As a design blogger it is such an honor to have the opportunity to participate in this type of project.  Working with Tom and Jenny Belling, the sweet couple who wrote in asking for help with their living room, was the icing on the cake!

Before

I can’t think of a more deserving couple. Tom works for the Charleston County Police Department.  Jenny is an orthodontic assistant. They’re a hardworking and fun-loving couple, and their living room did not match their personality at all.  The furniture was outdated and falling apart.  And overall the room was a far cry from their desired design style.

Design Plan

The plan I put together for the Belling’s living room involved:

• Lightening and brightening the space.
• Bringing in a warm-inviting-happy vibe to better match their personality and design style.
• Making the fireplace wall more of a focal point.
• Creating the illusion of taller ceilings.  (The ceilings are 8 ft.)
• Adding some smart storage solutions.

Using this beautiful, colorful rug as the inspiration, I put together a design board with a classic, cottage, farmhouse feel.

Makeover Process

We had one day to execute the plan, but I knew along with the awesome Lowe’s volunteers that would not be a problem.  I tackled a few of the little diy projects I had planned for the space ahead of time.

I selected a few furniture pieces that could pull double duty for storage.  These side table trunks can hold a ton, perfect for extra blankets, photo albums or seasonal decor.

The reddish tone of the wood they came in wasn’t really jiving with the look I was after, so Chalky Paint to the rescue!  This particular paint is awesome for painting furniture as there’s no prep work involved.  No priming needed.  I’m a big fan of Lowe’s chalky paint as you can have it matched to a specific color, opening up lots of possibilities.  For these side tables I had the white paint matched to the Belling’s trim paint.

*Painting tip:  Make sure to let each coat dry completely before adding another.  When painting over laminates or high gloss finishes some light sanding may be required.

After

The fireplace makeover brought in some major visual bang for the buck.

(wall color – HGTV home by Sherwin Williams Sea Salt)

Whereas before the oak fireplace felt heavy and dark, in white you can appreciate the beautiful moulding and marble surround.

Another key component was hanging the curtain panels high and wide.  It makes the window look larger and the ceiling appear taller.  I went with simple white velvet curtain panels that look so luxe in person and compliment the fireplace.

Last minute I made a switch to an all-white fan because with 8 foot ceilings I wanted the fan to blend in with the ceiling.  Tricking the eye into thinking the ceilings are taller than they actually are.  The addition of a ceiling medallion dresses the fan up just a little.  White blends beautifully with the ceiling and doesn’t distract from the fireplace wall.

DIY Decorative Shutters 

Jenny, who loves to take pictures, has snapped some beautiful photos of the Charleston, SC area.  To add in a personal touch I framed a couple of black and white prints in simple white frames, a nice nod to the black and white of the fireplace.

*Design Tip – Engineering prints can be printed in large sizes for as little as $2.50 each at your local Staples. They make for great, inexpensive large scale art.

To reflect light back into the space I created a large scale paneled mirror to hang on the wall opposite the window.

I used three inexpensive mirrors  and lightly sanded their plastic frames.  I applied some dark walnut stain to the grooves in order to give the plastic frames the look of white distressed wood.  Using command strips I attached them to the wall.  A couple of these white weathered wood planks were used to frame out the top and bottom.  This was an easy, inexpensive way to create a large scale mirror.

It bounces the natural light back into the space reflecting the colorful sofa pillows.

I’ll be sharing the tutorial for this easy-to-build blanket ladder here on the blog tomorrow.

Design Takeaways

It’s hard to choose a favorite element of the Belling’s freshly made-over living room.  There are so many things I love about their new space from the wall color to the rug, furniture and accessories!

I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to work with Tom and Jenny to make their living room match their warm and welcoming personalities!

I’d have to say I think the design takeaways here are:

• Never underestimate the power of paint.  One $30 gallon can do wonders in a space!
• Always hang curtains as high and as wide as you can.
• Selecting a rug first is a great way to start any design plan.
• Think large in small spaces.  Rooms feel larger when the furniture in them is large.  A few big pieces go much further design wise than a lot of little pieces.

Sources

Click the tags in the photos to be taken directly to the item.

* Thanks very much to Lowe’s Home Improvement for sponsoring this post. And thank you Our Fifth House readers for making opportunities like this possible!