My top tips on how to start redecorating your living room
Are you thinking of redecorating your living room but just have no idea where to start? A couple of weeks ago on Instagram stories, I asked if you had any questions on interiors advice. And this was one of them, so I’d thought I’d answer it in the form of a blog and give you all of my top tips for how to get started.
Redecorating your living room might sound like a fairly daunting task. Perhaps you aren’t sure where to start? A couple of weeks ago I did a Q&A on interiors advice and someone asked me exactly this question. Where might you start if redecorating a living room. Which is exactly why I thought I’d give you my top tips and tell you exactly what I would do.
First things first, you need to think of a budget. What are you willing to spend to redecorate your living room. Do you have just a couple of hundred pounds, or are you thinking of a total refresh and have saved up thousands. Once you know your budget, you will then know what you have to work with.
No matter how much you have to spend, whether it's pennies or thousands, the first thing you need to do when looking at redecorating your living room is to create a budget!
Laying down a budget
This doesn’t just mean seeing how much money you have to spend on pretty things. This budget needs to include everything. This is the maximum amount you are willing to spend. So once you know how much you’ve got in the pot, you can then begin to divvy it up.
It’s really important not to forget about labour costs here. You can’t just look at a wallpaper and work out how many rolls you need. You also need to think about the cost of the wallpaper paste and the labour costs to put it up. This might double the cost, so just beware of labour before settling on the final scheme.
Always look at the big items first. If you think you need a new sofa, then add this to the top of your budget and look at what’s on the market. You might find that the only sofas you like are £2,000 or upwards, in which case you need to immediately add this into your budget, because your total will be significantly reduced.
It’s really easy to start looking at the little pretty bits first, but budgeting is so important if you want to end up with a finished room rather than just a few bits and pieces.
Here is an example of a budget we use for our clients. You can really easily list out what you would like, and how much each individual item costs. If the total then exceeds your budget, you can see how much you need to reduce it by and cross of items you might not really need.
Think about what you really need
Why are you looking at redecorating your living room? Is it because it’s not your style anymore? Or is everything just really old? Is the wallpaper on the walls actually peeling and the place is just a wreck? The next thing to do is to thing about what you actually need vs. what you would like.
If the floor is stained or cracked then you might want to think about replacing this first. Because no matter how much brand spanking shiny new furniture you put on top of it, it will still look rubbish. Perhaps your curtains have holes in them and you really need a new pair. Think about all of the things you really need.
Once you’ve got this list nailed, you can then think of the things that you would like to add. Perhaps you’ve always lusted after a velvet accent chair. Maybe you saw a herringbone throw over on Instagram and haven’t been able to get it out of your head since. These items are crucial to making the design feel special and yours. You just need to make sure you’ve got those bits you really need first.
Not too sure what style you like? Get online and out to stores for inspiration and to see what you might like to add into your new living room. Really do your research.
Get online and get into stores
The best way of finding out what you like or what you might want to use when redecorating your living room is to get out there. Look online for inspiration. Visit stores for inspiration. Pick up an interiors magazine the next time you visit the supermarket to see what is available. I love Living Etc as it has some slightly more affordable, budget friendly pieces.
Just try not to fall down a Pinterest hole. You might not be able to completely recreate something you’ve seen on Pinterest. Your budget just might not stretch to it all, but don’t let that get you down. Look at the image again, and write down the three things that make that image for you. It might be the lamp on the side table. It may be the colour of paint on the wall.
Just by picking up these little things from the images, you will get some way to recreating ‘the look’ that you loved when you first saw it. By not completely copying it you can make your interior more personal too. As you will use the foundations of the design you saw, and then put your own spin on it.
Nothing is wrong
Remember that there is no right or wrong when it comes to redecorating your living room. Yes ok there are things that would ‘work’ better than others. But as long as you love the outcome, that’s all that matters really. Get as many free or inexpensive samples and testers as you can. Lay out a little mood board to check that everything on it looks good together, or that you like it together.
If you still aren’t too sure where to start, then why not look at our Pinterest Boards for a little more inspiration.
Disclaimer – We always endeavour to credit the correct and original source of every image that we use. If you think that this credit may be incorrect, then please contact us at info@houseofthree.co.uk