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Quick Room Makeover

While we talked earlier this week about creating ambience through adding affordable architectural detail, did you know you can also create an inviting environment simply by the way you arrange your furniture? That means you don’t have to spend a dime.

Emily of Remodeling this Life contacted me awhile back and said she felt like her living room was ready for a new look. She is a busy mom with two little kids and has done a fabulous job at remodeling her home. We decided to take the quick makeover approach (this was just for a fun, mind you, not an official consultation) for her living room to jump start her project. By re-arranging some of her furniture, she could create an inviting room in a matter of minutes.

Here is the living room before.

Quick Room Makeover

The first thing we decided to do is to have her move the furniture away from the walls and bring it closer to the middle of the room. Emily pulled up a chair to create a more natural conversation area, gathering all the furniture around her coffee table. This new arrangement allowed for better traffic flow through the room, a much cozier conversation area as well as made it more practical for family movie nights as you can now watch the TV without injuring your neck!

Emily also brought in a couple of lamps to make the mood more inviting. She has more to work on but this gave her a great start.

Cost for this makeover? FREE.

Here are the after shots (after moving some of the furniture, that is.)

Quick Room Makeover

Quick Room Makeover

Quick Room Makeover

Quick Room Makeover

In addition to rearranging her furniture, she painted her coffee table and end table a nice chocolately brown as a weekend project!I It pulled together her room and freshened up the old tables. I love how cozy her furniture arrangement is — it just makes you want to sit down and have a chat!

So, go right now and look at your living room or family room to see if you have a comfortable conversation area!

  • Is your furniture so spread out that you have to shout to carry on a conversation?
  • Is there a comfortable chair near your sofa for a guest to sit?
  • Do people have to walk through your conversation area to get to another room?
  • Do you have a coffee table and/or end tables near your seating to set down a drink?
  • Do you have enough lamps in the room to be able to read as well as avoid using harsh overhead lighting?

If your room needs a quick makeover, a better furniture arrangement can transform a room and how you live in it!

What have you been doing lately to create a more beautiful home?

Nesting Place is hosting 10 minute makeover Mr. Linky at her place tomorrow, feel free to check out all the great ideas from readers!

And, don’t forget, every Friday here at The Inspired Room you can link up your weekly post on how you are creating a beautiful life! Whether you rearrange the accessories on your coffee table, hang up those prints that have been sitting on your floor since you moved in, or bought yourself a bouquet of flowers to put yourself in the mood for spring, or celebrated Valentine’s Day with your hubby,  it is all a part of motivating ourselves to dwell on what we CAN do in life, by creating beauty with what we have!

I hope you’ll join in on Fridays to make something beautiful a part of every week.

Quick Room Makeover

Thanks, Emily, for letting your living room be the example of a furniture rearranging makeover!

Photos: Remodeling This Life

50 Comments

  1. Kristen

    I love the wall color and that big piece of art. Thanks for showing a quick, inexpensive way to make a room look fabulous. I could use that these days!

    Kristens inspiring blog post..The Grandest Opening of All

    Reply
  2. Jennifer

    Great ideas! I love the repainted table…I’ve been looking to paint some furniture!

    Jennifers inspiring blog post..We Win!

    Reply
  3. Kim

    Thanks for those great ideas!! I loved what you did in your old home, especially with your kitchen. Can’t wait to see what you do with your new home!! So, please bring on some pictures and give us a glimpse into your new place.

    Kims inspiring blog post..Love is in the Air

    Reply
  4. Emily

    Aww! What a surprise to see this this morning! Thank you for your help on this project, Melissa. It’s really made the biggest difference in our living space.

    Emily@remodelingthislifes inspiring blog post..Link Love: Baby, It’s Cold Outside Edition

    Reply
  5. suzanne

    I LOVE rearranging furntiture for a new look and for adding ambiance! Great post, and thanks for the visual!!!

    Suzanne

    suzannes inspiring blog post..Sharing the Carrot cake love……

    Reply
  6. Suzann

    Wow! Can you come to my house?

    Suzanns inspiring blog post..

    Reply
  7. BlueCastle

    This looks great! The coffee table is amazing! The room looks so inviting and cozy.

    BlueCastles inspiring blog post..Just Call Us Tightwads

    Reply
  8. Diana

    Great tips! Such a simple fix – so simple I think it just wouldn’t have occurred to me!

    Dianas inspiring blog post..A Different Perspective

    Reply
  9. Lindsay

    Emily’s room looks so great! I really, really need to pull my furniture away from the walls. I keep finding the excuses of we need another chair or need a better coffee table. We definitely need to do something. I’ll think about it. LOL

    Lindsays inspiring blog post..Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!

    Reply
  10. teresa

    Melissa-
    Thanks for sharing that make- over. It is amazing what moving furniture around can do for a room. I have a room that I’m constantly moving the furniture- I hope to someday figure it out. Every wall in the room has a door or window! {What was I thinking when we built this house?} I just need to you move in next door then I could hire you to come and help :}
    Have a great day-

    Reply
  11. Gina

    Thanks so much for sharing a great way to change to a room. I grew up with a mom who changed the furniture almost monthly and now try to do the same at our home. Our only problem is that we have a sectional-I’m always stumped by what to do differently!

    Ginas inspiring blog post..An Undivided Heart: Motivate Me Monday

    Reply
  12. Jen

    We just redid our living room. Made things cosier by adding floor to ceiling bookcases and pulling the furniture out from the walls. We also added an area rug and wallpaper. The difference is astounding.

    Jens inspiring blog post..Living Room Reno Teaser #2

    Reply
  13. Rosie's Whimsy

    I’m always moving things around to make new seating arrangements. I’m luckt to have a room where quite a few really work well. Son just stated Saturday that every time he comes home things are in a different place. HA!

    Rosie’s Whimsys inspiring blog post..A family gathering

    Reply
  14. Nicol

    Moving this around is a great way to change a room. My living room is super tiny and I feel can’t be changed. You have such wonderful posts on home decorating. I moved into my house 2 months ago and have been trying to decorate it. (I’m a regular reader and a horrible commentor).

    I am giving you a blog award. Please come on over to get it!

    Nicols inspiring blog post..To love a pear

    Reply
  15. Pat

    I did this recently and love it. It’s a great way to “renew” a space!

    This is a beautiful room!

    Pats inspiring blog post..~The Island Project~

    Reply
  16. Kathy  :)

    So cozy nice job…I move things around ALL the time, my family knows enough to put a light on before entering a room..:)

    It makes such a HUGE difference moving things around, I bought those little slippers to put under the pieces and my furniture moves like butter now….

    Kathy :)

    Reply
  17. Pretty Organizer

    Oh how I’ve missed you my friend! Great post. I rearranged my furniture again after Nesters living room post. I’ll be linking up tomorrow.

    My mother was queen of arranging furniture. The woman had an obsession. Well, rather, she had 6 kids and no money to spend on decorating, thought he pieces she had were beautiful. I can remember coming home from school and thinking, “Does mom arrange furniture all day long?” We could never have had a blind child. Things were always different… that’s how mom kept her sanity. She’d mix things up regularly and pretend she had a new house… and she still does it. When we go visit I always hear my kids say, “Grandma, you moved the couch and where’s that chair that was here?” Hooray for free pick-me ups! Super post and EARLY… SMART BLOGGER. I need to make some smart efficient blogger award… you think there’s one out there?

    Love ya!
    Pretty Organizer

    Pretty Organizers inspiring blog post..A Laundry Routine

    Reply
  18. Lazy Mom Leslie

    That was great, FREE!, makeover. The ones you get done with items you already own are always the most rewarding!

    Lazy Mom Leslies inspiring blog post..Guest Post by Patti

    Reply
  19. The Nester

    Love what you highlighted in the bullet points. Why is it that we forget to think about basic things like “where’m I gonna set this drink?”.

    Well done. And I love Emily’s dresser!

    The Nesters inspiring blog post..Make Your Home Beautiful to You :: A Guest Post

    Reply
  20. Becky

    I love rearranging furniture–I got it from my mom. my family thinks I am crazy, but it sure helps to freshen up a room without spending any money.

    Beckys inspiring blog post..Bittersweet

    Reply
  21. Deb

    You’re a miracle worker. Why do you have to live clear on the other coast??

    Debs inspiring blog post..Hot Mocha Mola

    Reply
  22. laurie

    What a great new look she got! laurie

    Reply
  23. Melissa Lewis - Off The Wall

    This is a great post Melissa. You are really full of great decorating tips. Emily’s room looks so much better. You can really tell that it “feels” better too. More inviting! Superb!

    Reply
  24. Karol

    Wow. You are amazing. You did a great job. So very, very informational and mostly….inspiring!

    In the famous words of Mr. Rogers….Oh, won’t you be my neighbor?!

    Karol :0)

    Karols inspiring blog post..10 Minutes To My Bathroom That I Love (Now)

    Reply
  25. Jessica Washburn

    What a difference that made. Great job.

    Reply
  26. June

    The room looks great! I love to see how rearranging furniture makes a big difference in a room.

    Junes inspiring blog post..10 Minutes To A Room You Will Love

    Reply
  27. Emily

    Thanks everyone for your comments and compliments on our little living room! And thank you the most to Melissa for helping me make it the cozy and comfortable spot my family now loves being in.

    Emily@remodelingthislifes inspiring blog post..Link Love: Baby, It’s Cold Outside Edition

    Reply
  28. Tricia Anne

    These are great tips! Thanks so much for sharing them! :o)
    Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne

    Reply
  29. Amanda

    Wow – what a difference just rearranging makes! It looks so cozy and home-y. Thanks for some great ideas!

    Amandas inspiring blog post..Bathroom Re-Do ***UPDATED***

    Reply
  30. Goldie

    What do you paint the furniture with and can you use it in oak cabinets?

    Reply
  31. Leila

    Good job pulling the furniture away from the walls. Now it’s a cozy room that invites you in!

    Leilas inspiring blog post..Thrift store finds.

    Reply
  32. Sherri S

    I so want to rearrange my living room! It’s an odd shape though and one HUGE Entertainment Center that has one ‘workable’ spot. Love this makeover and painting the table!

    Sherri Ss inspiring blog post..10 minute makeovers

    Reply
  33. Carrie

    I am forever moving furniture around… I love your new set-up.

    Carries inspiring blog post..Bitten

    Reply
  34. Wendy

    Ohhhh, Ahhhhhh… nice changes!! My living room is so small, and I have such a hard time moving it around. I’ll take some lessons from this, though.

    Wendy @Sun-Kissed Savagess inspiring blog post..Ballet Workshop

    Reply
  35. Gwen

    I love this! I have been trying to figure out how to make our living room a little more cozier with conversation areas too, but haven’t figured out the best way. Do you help others too?? I could use it!

    Reply
  36. L

    OK, I’m dying to know about the plants growing by the windows. What do you have growing there? Are those French Doors or sliding glass doors, or windows? How do you have the shelves suspended there? If those are doors, how are you able to open them with the plant shelves there? How did you make that???? :)

    Reply
  37. Emily

    L – It’s technically a french door with 4 panels – 3 are just windows and one is a door – just the one on the right that is open. The shelf was built by hubby to go there and those are coffee trees – really baby ones :) The shelf is a pretty neat design – I will try to do a post sometime on how he made it.

    Emily@remodelingthislifes inspiring blog post..Living Room Makeover

    Reply
  38. Angela

    Rearranging furniture has always been one of my favorite ways to “redecorate”. Hubby jokes about being afraid to sit down without the lights on for fear that the furniture has been moved…again! Great job on the quick room redo.

    Angelas inspiring blog post..Be strong and courageous!

    Reply
  39. margo

    I love the coffee table! I have to ask where I can find a solid one just like that? My husband wants something sturdy and rough so that he won’t feel like he’s braking it:) And I want something that still looks great!
    Thanks so much for inspiring a great way to make your house beautiful without expense!

    Reply
  40. Priscilla

    I too love pulling furniture away from the walls. But here in Texas most of our homes are on concrete slabs, without basements. So, unless the floor was wired with outlets from the beginning, getting away from the walls is challenging. It’s not safe to run electrical cords under rugs or carpet. Covering the cords with tape or those utilitarian cord covers makes them safe, but not pretty. I’ve been able to angle one end of a sofa or loveseat away from the wall in some houses. I know that battery-powered lamps are available now, but they can get pricey.

    Reply

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