A Colorful & Eclectic Living Room Makeover

It’s been one heck of a week, amiright? With everything coming to a screeching halt and so much worry about illness and incomes, I thought it’d be nice to share a very colorful and happy living room makeover I helped an awesome client accomplish recently. Maybe it’ll give you some inspiration for your own home, where you will likely be spending much more time than usual in the days to come!

living room makeover by the decorologist

My client bought a rambling ranch-style home in West Meade with a whole lotta potential. The previous owner had already opened up the space a bit and renovated the kitchen. The adjacent space was ripe for a living room makeover. My client has a love of color and eclectic antiques, which makes her one of my favorites! She’s easy to design for, as we have similar personal tastes. Let me show you where we started:

before

She had some interesting family pieces we wanted to use, but we had to determine whether to reupholster the existing sofa and chair or to simply replace them altogether. My client decided we should look for some new upholstered pieces, since a pair of chairs (which she didn’t have) would be ideal with a sofa. We chose a brilliant blue sofa with sloping arms, then added a pair of patterned club chairs.

blue sofa in living room with antique rug and green wallsafter

There are two focal points in this room: the fireplace and the front window – I wanted to make sure the conversation area centered on both.

green living room with fireplacebefore

I wanted to use the bold vintage oriental rug that my client owned, so we chose a more subtle pattern on the new chairs.

living room makeover by the decorologistafter

Rather than remove the outlets for the television,

before

we simply found a lovely piece of art to cover them up! And don’t you just love the gold metallic coffee table?

after

asian decor in green living room

One more before and after from another angle:

before

I love how this living room makeover turned out SO MUCH. So much charm and character, and a great mix or new and old. What ties it together? Symmetry and repeated black and gold finishes.

after

yellow floral

living room details

The new things we purchased for this living room makeover include the sofa, pair of chairs, drapery panels and rod, pillows, coffee table, art, mirrors, side table, and lampshades. Oh, and of course, paint! I love it when a client has interesting personal furnishings and decor that we can use as a jumping off point for a “new” design.

navy sofa and oriental rug in living room makeover

symmetrical living room design by the decorologist

I hope you like this colorful living room makeover as much as I do! What’s your favorite thing about this space?

If you’ve been considering taking my Psychological Color Expert™ course, this just right be the perfect time to go for it. It’s completely online, and you can work through it at your own pace in the comfort of your own home! It pays for itself in only 3 paint color consultations – and I’ll teach you exactly how to create transformative interior color palettes for any home. You can find out more about it here:

27 Comments

  1. Mary Lou

    What a beautiful room. It looks so light and airy now even with some big pieces in there! Their rug is gorgeous and CV olive the whimsy of those vases on the mantle. I’ve never seen anything like them before!

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Aren’t those vases the coolest? Definitely oriental in design – they were passed down from a family member!

      Reply
  2. Joanne

    This room is so gorgeous, Kristie! I love your client’s rug, and the pair of chairs is perfect!! The vases on the mantle are definitely a smile 😃. I also like the dark ceiling I see in one of the adjacent rooms.

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thank you, Joanne! The ceiling you see is in the dining room – I paired an emerald green with the new minty green walls. Those vases make me smile, too 🙂

      Reply
  3. Marla

    looking for a high quality upholstery shop in Metro Nashville. I have had a terrible time finding someone that does decent work. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Pam

      Me too. Would love a couple of upholstery suggestions!
      Thanks in advance.

      Reply
  4. Michelle Walker

    Those yellow tulip 🌷 holders! So fun & colorful. And tell me I can buy that sofa outside of Nashville. Swoon. And thank you for this delightful diversion.

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Michelle, the sofa was from a local retailer in Nashville called Bliss Home. I think there are two other locations in the south.

      Reply
  5. Cheri

    This is beautiful! I love colorful rooms! Putting the lamps in front of the mirrors is an interesting choice. It looks nice, but I’ve never seen that done before.

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thanks, Cheri! Mirrors behind lamps are a great way to reflect more light into the room. I do have to say: they should have been hung lower, about 4 inches from the dressers that sit below, but my client’s father hung them with some huge anchors before I was able to.

      Reply
  6. Sheri Bruneau

    Kristie, this is so beautiful! I’m not sure what is my favorite, but I think it’s the front wall window. The drapery is so fresh and light, and the two furniture pieces on either side of the window are truly gorgeous. Love it all!

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thank you, Sheri! We were able to do drapery panels and pillows in that pretty fabric. I have that same fabric in a different colorway for my bathroom shower curtain!

      Reply
  7. Katie

    This room makes me SO happy. It is a joy to work with you in making my house a happy home. Everyone that comes over loves your design in all the rooms and always has kind comments. Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Yay! So glad to hear that, Katie! When I was looking for something pretty and happy to post about, of course this room came to mind. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Jerry

    Very pretty. Curious, where did the tv end up?

    Reply
  9. Jenny B.

    Love it! The dressers flanking the window is my favorite part. Well, also the blue sofa. I can’t say no to a blue sofa! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Wendy Morrison

    Fresh and Fabulous! Would you mind sharing that wall color?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thank you, Wendy! This wall color is from Benjamin Moore’s Historic Collection. I’ll message you.

      Reply
  11. Karina Aguon

    Oh my goodness! I love everything about this room!! It’s amazing what a change in wall color can do! It is such a happy room. I love the interesting decor on the mantle with the tulips.

    Reply
  12. Jamie

    Just fabulous.

    Reply
  13. Scarlet

    The rug makes it feel very home. I also really love that tulip stem coffee table so it doesn’t take up too much room or block things off.

    Reply
  14. usvintagewood

    Woah! Very simple makeover but it’s stunning. Thanks for sharing this. I’m looking for design ideas in internet and I found this treasure gem here. This will be my guide to my home makeovers. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  15. Susanne

    One of things I find very interesting about your design work is how you integrate both old and new. I think this creates so much interesting detail in your spaces; every space is different and has an element of freshness. You don’t have a “formula“ approach that can make spaces look a lot alike. This is a welcoming and lovely living room. Also, I like it when you tell us some of your strategies in designing. A little gem in this article: “What ties it together? Symmetry and repeated black and gold finishes.”

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thank you, Susanne! Two things I love are creating a very personalized design for every client and educating others as to how to make their houses more like home. My favorite projects are those where my client has a love for old homes and decor with history!

      Reply
  16. Laura

    Hi Kristie,
    I’ve missed your emails! Hope everything is back to normal soon. I am helping my daughter decorate a room with a similar wood floor and indigo blue couch. Can you share the paint color and trim color? They look so crisp and fresh together! The room you designed is so lovely. It makes me happy just looking at it!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

paint color training course

Staging Certification

paint color training course

Color Certification

paint color training course

My Staging Book

paint color training course
Psychological_Styling_Accessorizing_Video_Pic
web-just-the-right-furniture-arrangment-product-image

Small Wall

paint color training course
Loading...