It took a few months to complete my living room make-over, but it is finally ready for sharing:
Click above to see a larger image.
My living room was previously styled in turquoise (my favorite color) but I decided a change was needed. This makeover was primarily accomplished by updating existing accessories and furniture. Come take a look at how I turned my living room/home office into a peaceful yet enjoyable place with a neutral color scheme.
During my recent vacation, I planned to finally paint my wooden tanker desk. Problem was, I couldn’t figure out what color to paint it. I’ve been updating my living room from turquoise and red to a neutral color scheme of black and white.
I wavered between painting it in gray/white or turquoise/teal (my favorite color). While a neutral shade would’ve been practical, I thought “what the hey” and decided to go with color. I even went a step further and chose a different color than turquoise: green. I bought “Garden View,” in the Behr Premium Plus Ultra line; I wanted to eliminate extra work with a paint that included primer. This line of paint seems to have worked well so far.
Unfortunately, this color appeared much brighter when I started painting. Thankfully, I began this project with the desk drawers. I knew I wouldn’t be happy with seeing that color close up, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Plan B: new color. To save money, I used some leftover paint and only bought an additional quart of a color I’d previously used when I created some Moroccan-influenced wall art. It’s called “Pacific Sea Teal” and is in the same line of Behr paint that includes primer:
I like that it’s one of those colors that looks different in light. In the daylight it appears bluer but at night in artificial light, it’s more like a true teal/green-blue. Here’s some shots of my revamped pride & joy:
(click to see a larger image)
Painting my desk is something I’ve considered for a while now. After the furniture-painting spree of 2011, I was burnt out. It truly is a lot of work!
But, I have this beautiful wood tanker desk that I’ve finally decided needs a make-over. I have some vacation time coming up soon, so that will make the task much easier. In typical Libran fashion, I’m going back and forth on how to re-do it.
I’ve recently made over my living room with a neutral color scheme of black, white, gray, and silver. I like color but will accessorize with pops of it… so far, that color is turquoise. The decor style is a combination of vintage, modern, & Moroccan. It’s a pretty hefty desk, so I want a color that will really complement the room.
Here’s the options:
*White
*Black
*Silver (Rub N Buff)
*Light gray… such as:
*Turquoise/teal… probably this color, since I have leftover paint:
It has to a color I can work with everyday for 8 hours a day, since I work at home. What do you think?
People who accomplish large tasks know it’s best to tackle them one step at a time. I’ve been learning to embrace this philosophy as I redecorate my living room.
My new decor scheme is neutral with bits of color. The main colors are black and white, with some gray, silver, and teal/turquoise. I’m really digging the simplicity of this scheme and it helps create the mood I wanted: spacious, clean, serene, and modern.
Here’s a before & after shot of my home office:
And this is the before & after of my art workspace:
Because I work and paint from home, my redecorating plan also entails these workspaces. Along the way, I’ve tried different approaches to fit these spaces into my living room. Here are some tips I’ve found work best, especially in a small home.
I love most DIY projects, but I have a special fondness for those that are very simple and cheap. Another bonus with this project is you can recruit the kiddos and get them to use their brains for something creative!
The following steps are to craft your own magnets and recreate the magnetic bulletin boards from my newly decorated home office area.
I’ve been a lazy blogger lately. Part of that is due to slacking and the other part is due to working on a project: once again, I’m redecorating my living room. (Newsflash of the year, LOL). And of course, I’ve rearranged the room as I always do when the season changes.
I finally decided to make over my living room with a neutral color scheme. A neutral scheme allows me to easily update the colors with small changes like accessories whenever I decided a change was needed. I still love the turquoise & teal but they now serve as accent colors. Here’s a sneak peek into some of the changes I’ve already implemented…
Even though the wooden room divider/screen was a bust, I used the leftover pieces to paint large wall decor. I also sewed new pillow covers and am working on more. (They’ve got to be the EASIEST way to change up your decor, I swear.) Here’s a tease of the new sitting area:
I am proud to say part of the redecoration of my living room is complete: my home office. I replaced a few decorations and added some new ones. I got rid of the previous bulletin board made from an old painting & cork, repotted a houseplant, made a dry-erase board, & added some office items to the desktop to organize. I also moved my folding table I use for arts & crafts into another area of the living room. Behold:
BEFORE: Home Office
I don’t know whom to credit for this idea, but this may be the simplest DIY project I’ve done so far! Instead of purchasing a dry erase board, you can make one with a frame, in which you write on the glass with a dry erase marker. If you like jotting down reminders or to-do lists, this is a great way to practice green living and save money. You will need:
Directions:
Tips:
The transformation of redecorating my living room in turquoise is progressing, slowly but surely. I’m also incorporating some aqua, robin’s egg blue and teal in the plans, plus some red accents.
For many years now, I’ve had a purple living room. Even though this was achieved with white walls due to a no-painting-in-apartments rule, I was able to incorporate this color with accessories: curtains, batik wall hangings, planters, paintings, placemats, pillows, etc. I loved my unique color scheme and that few people shared it, even though it was challenging to find items in this color.
Current and soon to be former living room colors.
Just recently I decided though, that it was time to move on. We’ve had a great romance, but there’s another color I’ve always loved who’s come back into my life: turquoise. Turquoise has slowly crept into my heart recently and I even tried having a relationship with both colors, the result being my current color scheme in the living room. It’s just time for a change, though. Nothing personal, purple. You will always have a special place in my heart.
I weighed this decision over the past week and finally decided to go with my heart. I will be pairing various shades of turquoise with red and black. It will flow nicely with a retro/modern design. This weekend I purchased some new fabric to make curtains and some beads for tiebacks. I already have some turquoise accents, since I’d previously coordinated it with purple. Here are some images and items I’m using and also referencing for inspiration:
