Breathe New Life into Every Room in the House: Part 2 – The Living Room

There’s no need to spend a fortune or hire an expert just to breathe a little life into your much-loved home. It’s easy enough to do yourself with a little imagination and just a few pounds. We’re not talking about a full home makeover here; just a couple of small touches to add a little something new into each room.

Most of us spend a lot of our time in the living room, particularly in the evenings when the kids are in bed and the wine is out of the fridge! This is a room we need to be able to relax in so looking around you and being happy with what you see is important. Our brains adjust rather quickly to new things, and we may find ourselves a little bored, so it doesn’t hurt to change things up now and again, does it?

• Add some fairy lights above the mantle, across a shelf, or wherever they’ll best work for you. There’s something innately cosy about the delicate glow of fairy lights, and they’ll instantly lift the look and feel of a room. Get battery-operated ones so that you don’t have to worry about finding an extra plug socket. And, of course, be aware of fire safety!

• Invest in some battery-operated candles. Candles never fail to feel warm and cosy and in a living room of an evening, lighting is everything. There are some lovely pillar candles out there that will match most décor schemes and it’s hard to tell they’re not the ‘real’ thing!

• Swap out some of your photos. We all have some favourite photos that we can’t bear to change out, but for all the others, you might find that swapping them for some new – or just different – ones makes all the difference to your living room.

• Change your cushion covers and add a throw. Who needs a new couch when you can accessorise it so easily? Find yourself an inexpensive throw or blanket for the back of the sofa and add some new cushions to the mix too.