Tired Living Room Makeover

Spring is on its way and daylight is lingering longer — only to reveal what we didn’t want to face in the twilight of candles and mulled cider: The living room looks tired. The cozy space you inhabited during the dark months now seems cramped and cluttered. Upholstery is sagging, fabrics are faded. The rug? Well it’s seen better days. Bringing a breath of spring air into your rooms may require more than just a good spring cleaning. The good news, however, is that the options for giving your living room a makeover can range from inexpensive touches —such as adding some new pillows, recycling decorative items, or just rearranging the furniture — to more involved and bigger ticket projects such as reupholstering a chair or couch, painting, or reconfiguring the floor plan to help to give a room a new lease on life.

The options are endless, but here are some suggestions to get you thinking:

Lighten Up: Maybe this is the year to remove walls or cabinets so that you can open up the living room and let it flow into the kitchen. Imagine having light stream into the room from two or three directions so you can enjoy both morning and evening sun in both rooms.

Shape Up: Staying in shape over time is tough for humans – and furniture, too. So it might be time to consider investing in new furniture. But if you like what you have and your pieces are of good quality, consider re-upholstering them. Re-upholstery is more than a facelift – it gets your furniture back into shape with re-tied seat springs and new padding, while new fabric will instantly enhance and update a cherished piece. This is also a good move if you have allergies. If your wood furnishings are dry and showing their age, consider refinishing them to remove water rings and scratches and restore their rich luster.

Spruce Up: Even if you don’t reupholster, you can still give your pieces a fresh look with new decorative pillows from sources such as www.westelm.com, www.pillowdecor.com, and shop.dwell.com/. And don’t forget the power of a fresh coat of paint and floor refinishing to remove scuff marks and help give your rooms a whole new look.

Clean Up: While you’re dusting, vacuuming and airing things out, take the time to put all your knick- knacks and accessories away – preferably into a big box, not to be opened until you are done with all the other things. You may find the bare look that follows to be shocking at first, but a fresh start needs open space. When you open that box of knick-knacks again, you will look at your decorative pieces with fresh eyes.

Don’t forget the sunscreen: If your windows are of good quality and you have no need to replace them, adding a sun protection film to the window panes that filters out the damaging UVA+B rays will not only protect your new fabrics, but will also keep your living room cooler during the summer months. If you are considering replacing old single-paned windows, the UV protection is now standard on most brands and could gain you an energy tax credit as well. Ask your accountant.

These kinds of changes can involve a lot of work and a fair amount of upheaval, but if you find yourself thinking you don’t have the time or energy for it, remember that with a little advance planning (see the article “When and Where to Spend”) you might be surprised at how easy it is. If you are savvy, and have the time, you can find your own colors, fabrics, and tradesmen to do the work. If you are planning major renovations, it is wise to contact the people who will replace windows, refinish floors, paint and re- upholster now. Even though you may want to do the work in the summer when you are outside more, now is a good time to contact design consultants and contractors, so your plans can be complete on paper before spring is over.

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