The short days and cold weather can make the winter months feel very dreary, and the living room decor that you used to love might have started to look a little tired.

However, the thought of doing an entire living room renovation right now might be an exhausting one, and you may not be able to justify that sort of expense right after Christmas either. So you may be wondering how to make your living room look bigger, brighter, and refreshed without totally overhauling it…

If you don’t have the time, budget, or energy to completely change your living room decor right now, here are seven simple ways to update Your living room decor with a fresh look!

7 Easy Ways to Update Your Living Room Decor:

• Declutter and rearrange
• Refinish and restore your wood flooring
• Brighten your room with mirrors
• Create an accent wall
• Use a piece of statement furniture
• Change your living room lighting
• Bring the outdoors indoors

This is one of the simplest room makeover ideas and certainly the cheapest!

It’s easy for your lounge to accumulate clutter so go through and clear out anything that shouldn’t be in there. Anything with sentimental value can be stored away, and the rest can be sent to charity shops or recycling centres, or even sold to cover the costs of your lounge makeover.

Just doing this simple task can make a living room look more spacious – but don’t stop there!

Once your room is clear of clutter, you’ll be able to see more clearly how the furniture can be rearranged. Move as many of the smaller pieces of furniture as possible out of the room as well, as this will allow you to see the options for repositioning furniture more easily.

Changing the flooring in the living room might not be within your budget right now. But if you already have engineered flooring or a solid floor, it can be easy to refinish the floor to freshen up the way it looks.

Oiling hardwood floors keeps them looking beautiful and regular applications of protective oil can also provide added protection from spills and marks. If you have a lacquered hardwood floor, you may be able to remove and reapply the lacquer to give your floor a whole new lease of life.

Sanding your solid hardwood floor and reapplying the oil or lacquer will help to remove any deeper marks and make it look good as new. And this may also be possible if you have an engineered hardwood floor, depending on how thick the wear layer is.

Of course, if your budget allows, installing a new wooden floor is a great way to refresh your living room decor. Why not take a look at our free sample service to help you choose the perfect hardwood flooring for your lounge?

You can instantly increase the amount of the light in your living room by installing mirrors. Living room walls which face North can be quite dark for much of the day so this is a really useful tip for making your living room look brighter. A tall mirror will draw the eye upward and make the ceiling appear higher while creating a wall of mirrors in a living room can make it feel more spacious.

All of the major homeware stores stock mirrors in a variety of styles, but it’s also worth checking out antique auctions, shops and fairs. You may be able to pick up a more distinctive mirror or even a period piece that adds interest to your living room as well as light.

You might not feel like re-decorating your entire living room but if you can tackle one wall, it can update the whole atmosphere of the room.

Choosing a dark shade that complements your main colour scheme can help to elongate a room. And adding an accent wall in a bright colour will energise a room that doesn’t get much natural light. Why not take a look at our round up of 2022 decor trends for some inspiration?

But don’t feel that you have to be limited to painting your accent wall. There are many beautiful and luxurious wallpapers on the market that are easy to hang and really add interest to your room.

Whether you choose to use paint or wallpaper, feature walls are an easy and beautiful way to add a focal point to your living room while keeping the cost down!

If you’re generally happy with your living room decor and furniture, why not add an extra flourish to your room with a statement piece of furniture like an accent chair?

Living rooms that are decorated in subtle neutral tones can be enhanced by the addition of a gorgeous velvet covered armchair in a rich jewel shade. This will really draw the eye and become the room’s focal point.

Furniture in one particular style can also be combined with a single piece of furniture in a different style to keep the overall look of the room fresh. It’s worth scouring the online shopping sites, auction houses and antique fairs to find something really special.

As well as the furniture and colour scheme, the light in your lounge really makes a difference to the look and feel of the room. Of course, adding mirrors can help to increase the natural light levels in a dark living room, but you can also make changes easily by moving or adding new lights around your room.

Try layering light by adding ambient lamps at different heights around the room. Table lamps and floor lamps can help to focus light in specific areas of the room, and you can use task lighting like a flexible reading lamp for reading or crafts. And a dramatic statement piece such as an arc lamp or chandelier lamp will add instant glamour to your room.

Even something as simple as changing the bulbs in your lights can make a difference. A cooler blue-toned bulb will make a dark room look brighter while a warmer yellow-toned light makes your living room feel more cosy.

While we’ve all been spending more time at home, people have become much more aware of the relaxing effect of nature. But if you don’t have access to a garden or outdoor space, you can still benefit from this by bringing a sense of the outdoors into your home.

Accessories made from materials like wood, wicker, and rattan can help to bring a natural feel to your living room decor, and you can also use natural fabrics like wool and silk to continue the theme. House plants and flowers will give your living room a natural feel, whether you choose a few large dramatic specimens or dot smaller plants around the space.

Do a little research before you go shopping to make sure that you pick plants that will thrive in your living room, especially if your lounge faces North or if your living room doesn’t get much natural light. And take extra care if you have pets to make sure you choose non-toxic varieties or place your plants well out of reach.

Pick one or more of these tips and you’ll soon be falling in love with your living room decor once more!

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