Living Room Renovation: Before & After

Our living room before and after….. well, more like living room progress because I never like to say I’m completely “finished” with a design.  I will forever be tweaking our home as my style evolves, and there are always those ‘bonus’ projects that we brainstormed with the original renovation plans that we will get to eventually…but more on that topic later!

Left and Level Living Room Renovation

For now, I want to start off the year by showing you how our little fixer upper looked last Spring when we purchased it and just how far we’ve come.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking:

Left and Level Living - Before and After

Seeing these two photos together is a little shocking even for me!  When we walked into this house for the first time and snapped the photo on the left, I honestly thought, “not bad, not bad.” Sure, there was brown brick, dark wood paneling, original carpet and popcorn ceilings in every room, but I could still see us making our home here.  I instantly envisioned how we could move walls, update, and brighten this house that still had most of it’s original 1980’s finishes.

I’d also like to note that both of the photos above were taken in the same season around the same time of day – it’s amazing what a crisp, white wall color can do to a space.  And can we just take a moment to appreciate the destruction that ensued on those half walls and spindles? 😉

During the renovation, were there things we could have done differently? Perhaps.  Were there any surprises?  OH yea.  But the transformation of this sunny room far exceeded our expectations.

Left and Level Living Room Renovation

So now that you’ve had a taste of our living room makeover, what’s next?  Let’s get nitty gritty.  I’ll be breaking down our living room renovation process to show you exactly how we re-designed this wood clad cave into a bright, airy family room… and sharing all the dirty details we encountered along the way.

Want to see more in the meantime?  Check out our modern sofa guide here and favorite coffee table selections here!

16 Comments

  1. Reply

    Rebecca

    02.06.2017

    Your side table is gorgeous! Where is it from?

    • Reply

      K

      02.07.2017

      Thanks, Rebecca! Our side table is from Target. I’ve seen it on sale lately so you might be able to find it for a steal 😉

  2. Reply

    Jessica

    02.08.2017

    Looks great! Where is the rug from?

    • Reply

      K

      02.12.2017

      Hi Jessica,
      Thank you! We purchased our Loloi rug at a local brick and mortar store, but if you google “Loloi Emory Rug” you can find online retailers. I’ve also linked an online source at the end of this post.
      Thanks for following along!
      Kelsey

  3. Reply

    Mrs. A

    02.09.2017

    Gorgeous room. Where did you purchase your area rug?

    • Reply

      K

      02.12.2017

      Hi Mrs. A,
      Thanks so much! We purchased our Loloi rug at a local brick and mortar store, but if you google “Loloi Emory Rug” you can find online retailers. I’ve also linked an online source at the end of this post. Thank you for dropping in!
      Kelsey

  4. Reply

    Jessica

    10.04.2017

    Great looking room! Is the fiddle leaf fig tree real? If it is artificial – where did you purchase it from? Thanks!

    • Reply

      K

      10.12.2017

      Thank you, Jessica! The fiddle leaf is real and from a local nursery. I’ve noticed Home Depot and Lowe’s carrying similar sized fiddle leaf trees so that might be a good source you can check!

  5. Reply

    Bekki

    10.07.2017

    I have a mid-century living room that I’m always tweaking as well 🙂 The couch pillows are the perfect blue and pattern for my design. Where did you get them? Thanks!

    • Reply

      K

      10.12.2017

      How fun, Bekki! I love working with our mid-century style! Both of the indigo pillows are from Pottery Barn (search “shibori pillow”) at PB. Throughout the year they rotate and bring back different shibori pillows, so if these aren’t available at the moment keep an eye out (especially as the weather warms up again)! You can also find some great vintage indigo pillows on Etsy!

  6. Reply

    Kelly

    10.18.2017

    This room is so refreshing! Would you mind sharing where you got the leather chair? Thanks!

  7. Reply

    Bryanna

    01.30.2019

    Saw this pinned on Pinterest and took me to forever to find who’s living it actually was! I need to know where you got the “tv stand/dresser thing (I’m new to decorating so have no idea what to call that), Also those baskets you put your plants in! Thanks!

    • Reply

      Kelsey

      02.01.2019

      Hi Bryanna, so glad you found me! Here’s the link to our TV console (it’s on sale right now!): https://rstyle.me/cz-n/c4xakib93if . The plant basket was a HomeGoods find! I’ve seen the same basket set there for years now. Good luck with your space!

  8. Reply

    Ailie

    08.23.2019

    LOVE this! Can I ask where your cough is from? Thanks!

    • Reply

      Kelsey

      09.25.2019

      Hi Allie! It’s the Osaka sofa from Bo Concept!

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Hi, I'm Kelsey - Sharing design inspiration and renovation projects as we make our house into a home we love

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