I have big dreams for the living room, but many spaces in our home are a higher priority to fix up. We have a closet that needs to be built, a bathroom that needs new tile, and the list goes on and on. So chances are we won’t be undergoing a major overhaul of the living room for a few years. Therefore, to make the room feel more put together in the meantime, I decided to do a quick and relatively budget-friendly makeover.
THE MAIN FEATURE: THE RUG
We already had the furniture – couches, a coffee table, side tables, and an Ikea Kallax shelf. So the main thing missing was a large rug to make the room feel bigger and cozier.
I can’t stress the importance of what a rug can do to a room. Too small of a rug can make your room feel smaller, and since our living room is fairly large, I wanted to keep it feeling that way. That’s why I decided to get a rug that would fill most of the space in the room. That means I looked for rugs that were 13’-14’ by 9’-10’. I also wanted the room to feel nice and cozy, so I looked for a soft rug with a high pile. This, coupled with the rug size, made my options very limited. To complicate things further, I also wanted a rug with a little personality, meaning it had to be more than just a solid color.
Finally, I settled on the Kali Shaggy Diamond Tassel Rug in rust/ivory. This rug was the best fit I could find for the above criteria. Plus, the brown in the rug played well with the dark coffee table/side tables and lamps that we already owned.
In order to make it more comfortable and give it some extra cushion, I also purchased a 3/8″ thick rug pad to go underneath it.
THE DETAILS: PILLOWS & THROWS
I then went to work purchasing a few pillow covers and throw blankets to help bring the color out of the rug and onto the couches. I only bought pillow covers for pillows that already existed in the living room, so I didn’t have to purchase any pillow inserts.
DARK BROWN FAUX LEATHER PILLOW COVERS – This pillow cover is the “coffee” color and is 20” x 20” in size. I bought two of these covers.
LIGHT BROWN FAUX LEATHER PILLOW COVERS – These pillow covers come in a pack of two. I purchased the 16” x 16” size, and they are the “brown” color. They are a lovely warm, cognac color in person.
WHITE LINEN WITH BROWN PATCH AND STRIPES PILLOW COVERS – These pillow covers come in a pack of two. I purchased the 18” x 18” size, and they are half white linen and half the “gray” stripe color. In the center is a brown faux leather stripe, that plays nicely with the colors in the carpet.
BROWN THROW BLANKET – This throw blanket is the “coffee” color, although it’s much lighter in person than that name would suggest. I purchased the 60” x 80” size. I like my throw blankets to be a little larger than the “throw” size tends to be because I enjoy actually using them while watching TV or hanging out in the room.
THE QUICK DIY PROJECT: TV STAND
The last thing to tackle was getting a TV cabinet that actually fit our TV. For too long the edges of my husband’s 55” TV hung over the edges of the TV stand in the room. To fix this, I decided to work with what I already had. I created a TV stand out of the Ikea Kallax shelf already in the room. I turned the shelf on its side and added a stained plywood top, front, and shelf. Then I purchased, stained, and attached some wooden furniture legs.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although I would love to give this room a massive overhaul complete with new furniture, decorations, paint, and possibly even a fireplace addition, I think it’s a VAST improvement over how it looked before this quick little makeover. It feels so much cozier now, and I love that I managed to do it on a reasonable budget with things I already owned.
I’ve only had the living room completed for a couple of months, but it all seems to be holding up well. I’m pleased with how well the pillow covers and rug go together. So if you’re looking for a rug or some brown accents for your home, I recommend everything listed above.
If lighter colors, whites, blues, and coastal decor are more your vibe, check out the following post: MY AMAZON DECOR FINDS FOR OUR COASTAL-INSPIRED FAMILY ROOM.
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