EXTREME LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER || LIVING ROOM DECORATING IDEAS || DECORATING ON A BUDGET

Hey everyone, it's Jenna. Welcome or welcome back to my channel. In today's video, I'm finally going to be revealing our upstairs living space. This is a room that we've been working on for the past six months. So I'm so excited to finally be sharing it with you all. And I wanted this space to be very multifunctional. I wanted it to be a great place to gather and play games. I wanted a designated work area, and I just wanted it to be a comfortable place to crash if we needed to have an overflow guest room if we had multiple guests. So the overall inspiration for this room was just a very rustic, organic, down to earth space with lots of neutrals and very muted pops of color. So I wanted it to have that overall very earthy feel with just little touches of coastal for that casual relaxed vibe. I think we really achieved that. And I'm so excited to share the final result with you all and how we got there step-by-step. Before we get started, make sure that you like this video and subscribe because I put out new home decor content every single week. So make sure you don't miss any more of that. And without further ado, let's get into the makeover. All right. So this is our upstairs loft area and what we're starting with. And this is just really all of our old furniture from our first apartment shoved in a room. And over here, I wanted this to be the designated active game space. We're going to be getting rid of this ping pong table because it's way too big for the space. And I want to replace it with a shuffleboard table along this wall. This space over here is going to be the cozy lounge area where people can hang and watch TV. And I want to make sure the two spaces feel separate, but also talk to each other at the same time. And over here on this wall is where I want to integrate our designated work area with a built-in that has a desk shelves and storage. So we first started by clearing out the space and donating our sofas to our local thrift store. It was weirdly sad to see them go since they were so comfy and it was the first piece of furniture that we ever owned together, but it was definitely time for a change. So the first thing I wanted to do was add curtains to this window. Since this is our only window and natural light source in this space, I wanted to make it appear much larger than it actually is. And using curtains is a great way to do that. So we hung the curtain rod as high as we possibly could. And we framed the window with curtains on both sides. And this just creates the illusion of taller ceilings as well as a wider window. So the curtains that I ended up choosing were the Matilda curtains from Ikea, who has some of the most affordable curtains around. And I loved the light organic feel and texture that they had. I figured that these were perfect for dressing up the wall, but still keeping the overall feel very light and casual. Okay, so we have the curtains hung. As you guys can see, it just really frames the window better and kind of makes the window appear larger versus just having these two little smaller windows on this wall. It kind of makes it, you know, more of an anchor. I think this looks really good. In our next matter of business, we are going to put together part of our couch. We don't have our rug yet. That's coming in later. But I figured I just could put one part of the sectional together so we could kind of see how it looks. It came in a bunch of boxes. It's from Target. It's super affordable. So we're kind of excited to see it. Right, Mike? You actually are excited. You sound right. Yeah, I honestly didn't listen to what you said. Oh, I said we're putting together the sofa. Aren't you excited to see what it's like? Oh, that goes without saying, yeah. I'm excited because a little popcorn kernel in the microwave. Okay, so this is just one corner. So you order this couch in pieces. So we ordered five pieces total. I'm just curious to see what the fabric looks like and how big it is and how comfy it is. I definitely took a risk buying it online. You know, hopefully it's comfy. The reviews were good and it looked really nice. So we will see. So let's get to setting this baby up. I feel like I would come over here and be like, oh, like it's very uncomfortable. I think if this was just a little longer, it would be okay. But it's like this is like kind of like a springboard. When you look at it, it looks really nice and comfy, but then you sit on it and it's kind of you want a nice sofa, you got to invest in it. So luckily Target had a great return policy and we returned that sofa and we decided to try our luck at the outlets, which was where we got our downstairs living room sofa for an amazing deal. So we checked out the pottery barn outlet, which is where you're able to get a great deal if you buy one of the mismatched sofa pieces. And these are always super discounted and only a couple hundred dollars when they would usually be thousands. And the only downside to this is you have to order the other section full price and then wait for it to come in. We did this with our Navy sofa downstairs and ended up paying $2,500 for a $6,000 sofa, but we did have to wait six months for the other piece to come in. And we didn't really have the time for that this time. So we didn't see much we liked either and everything was really light and bright or not the right configuration. So we decided to wander on over to the Crate and Barrel outlet and see if we could find anything that worked over there. We originally set out looking for a sectional, but it kind of became clear that a sectional wasn't going to be very budget friendly. And at this point it was slim picking. So with the sofa, I decided to be like Ross Geller with a sofa and pivot my perspective and to be, you know, open-minded to the thought of one smaller sofa, just accented with some comfy lounge chairs. So then I saw this Magritte sofa and it was only a thousand dollars. And it really reminded me of the Portola sofa from Lulu in Georgia, which is almost $4,000. So this did have a little stain on the side of the arm, which kind of scared me, but I figured I could get it out when we got home. So I just decided to go for it and see how it looked in the space, which was a little risky since this was final sale, but I just really loved the couch and I figured we could make it work. So I just went over the stain with our vacuum and was able to get it out. No problem. It was probably just a scuff mark from the warehouse or transporting it or whatever. And I ended up loving this sofa in the space. It's still really spacious and deep, so it could serve as an overflow guest sleeping area if need be. And I just love the overall look of it. Okay. So I really like the rug. I think it's the perfect amount of detail. It's got kind of that like slate gray in there, which I really like. And I really love the pattern. Oh my gosh. I'm breathless from putting it out, but I just want to put a couple of pieces of furniture on it to see what everything looks like. So I'm going to take you guys through that. And I think this is a really good size. When in doubt over a rug size, I always, always size up just because I feel like you can always hide it under more furniture, but you can never make the rug bigger. So yeah, I really love this. I love the pattern. I cannot believe how cheap it was. It's very soft. I think it's going to hide dirt really well. It's a hundred percent propylene and it was made in Turkey. So I think it's going to be a good one. Um, so I will have it linked for you guys, but yeah, we are going to put some furniture on here and see how everything looks. So I just decided to reuse our coffee table for now because I really just liked the look of it. And when I was at home goods one day, I found these faux leather swivel chairs for only $250 each, which was a steal. So I scooped them up and I love how the cognac color contrast against the blue gray tone of our rug and how they swivel. So they allow people to be part of the living space, or you can kind of turn around to be part of the game space behind it. So not only are they pretty, but I love that they bring function to this space as well. And I just love decorating with leather or faux leather accents because it really helps to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. So on the other side of the swivel chairs, Mike started assembling our shuffleboard, which was our Christmas present to each other. We loved playing this game at bars and thought it'd be so cool to have one of our own. And the two of us do really play it all the time. So we bought this on Amazon. It was not cheap and it also was not light. It was such a task getting this thing up the stairs. And we actually had to call Mike's dad over to help us get it into place just because it was that heavy, but we really enjoyed this thing. And I love the aesthetic of it. I think it was one of the prettiest shuffleboards I had seen, at least in the price range we were looking at. So we're very happy with it. And the next thing on the agenda was tackling our built-in and this wall was just really looking bare. We had our old TV just propped up on an old coffee table and this wall just really needed some height and visual interest. So I figured it was time for a facelift. So the first thing I did was Mark out the space where I wanted the built-in to be with a level. And we didn't have a ton of space for the built-in just because our little attic access door down on the right-hand side took up a good portion of the wall, but I was still able to make it work. So I just gave the wall a coat of primer because we are actually going to be lime washing this wall. Since I was planning on making the built-in a classic white, I wanted to add some visual interest and earthy texture to the back wall so that it stood out a little bit. So I just got this lime wash from the Home Depot and diluted it with water. I used a brush specifically meant for applying lime wash paint and I just started applying it to the wall. So with lime wash, you want to work in sections or clouds as they are more commonly referred to. You just apply the lime wash on the wall and then spread it as far as it will naturally go. I also crisscrossed my strokes for an added textural look and I just went about working in small sections and connecting all of the clouds together. I also have a more in-depth tutorial that I can link below for you all on the lime wash technique. We actually did it on our fireplace as well and I just love how it's a simple and easy way to add some texture to a wall, but it's also just as easy to paint over if in the future you get tired of it or you just want to change it up. So next it was time to stop by Lowe's to get the base cabinets for our built-in and we just needed to keep the whole thing pretty narrow. So we just went with these single drawer cabinets that were 130 bucks each and like I said earlier, we just decided to go with a crisp classic white. So I had a can already of the Valspar cabinet and furniture paint in shade Swiss coffee already on hand, so I just decided to use that to save some money. This shade of white was also a really close match to our existing doors and trim in that room, so it just kind of worked out well. So one day when my dad was in town to visit, he was kind enough to help Mike and I build the shelves that were going to sit on top of the cabinets and we just used three quarter inch plywood for the frame and then some MDF that was ripped into one and a quarter inch strips for the decorative faces so that the shelves had an overall thicker appearance. And because this is a smaller room with lower ceilings, I like how this built-in design doesn't feel too blocky or heavy. It's still very functional but just feels very light and decorative. So then I just gave it a coat of that same Swiss coffee cabinet paint while Mike attached the cabinets to the walls. We hoisted it up and into place and then we just added a decorative trim piece up along the top and installed a desk surface in between the two cabinets. The desk was constructed out of two sheets of three quarter inch plywood with a one and three quarter inch decorative trim piece along the edge that we just brad nailed into place. Me and my pink leggings gave it a coat of paint and then we made sure to cut a half circle near our outlet for all of our cords. So for hardware, I found these gorgeous honey bronze poles on Wayfair. I love the traditional look of them and how they almost resembled a foot rail in an old pub or bar or something. They were reasonably priced considering what other similar vintage inspired poles can cost. So we just installed them and I love the subtle traditional touch that they give to our built-in. So once that was done, it was time to style this thing and make it all pretty. I wanted something to hide our cords in the corner so I just popped this antique vase with some faux greenery from Hobby Lobby in the corner and then I coupled it with an antique brass standing magnifying glass that would add some height and tie in with our vintage brass poles. So styling these shelves was really an opportunity to make an aesthetic statement and I wanted to keep the feeling very earthy and organic. So when styling the shelves, I just stuck to light taupe colors with dark brown accents and then mixed up lots of different natural textures. Things like seagrass, wood, stone, and I'm planning on doing a more in-depth tutorial on shelf styling so definitely make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss that upcoming video. So you can see how keeping a cohesive theme throughout the shelves just really helps give off a visually pleasing organic calming feel. And just to tie in with some of the seagrass details I used on the shelves, I added these woven chairs that I had bought years ago at HomeGoods. I scored them for only $25 each and I figured this was a perfect place to use them just to tie in that casual relaxed vibe. Alright so this is one of the pieces that I was the most excited to add to this space. This is just a simple digital download that I bought off of Etsy for a couple of dollars. If it is still available, I will link it below. I'm not sure if it is but if it's not, I'll link similar ones. I'll also link everything in this room that is linkable so definitely check the description if you have questions about something. But I love the calming look of this image. I love that it has a little bit of a coastal feel while still feeling very muted, very earthy, and almost vintage-y. I love the dark browns and greens and clay colors in the earth here. I feel like that's really going to help pull some of the colors that I'm planning to use in this space and just keep an overall very organic tone while still adding a little pop of color. So I just cropped the digital download into three separate sections and then I got each one printed on small woods. This is the 22 by 44 size I believe and I got it in the dark wood to match our shuffleboard and some of the darker wood tones that we have in this space to provide a little bit of contrast and visual interest while still keeping things very neutral and earthy. So we're going to hang these over the sofa and watch them really tie the room together. So next it was time to tackle this empty corner and the plus side of not getting a sectional sofa is that I can kind of zhuzh this corner up a bit and just add some functional and aesthetic pieces to help enhance the overall design of the room. So I found this cute little side table at a Target salvage warehouse and I loved the rustic look that it had. And then next I just layered in this statement table lamp and I really liked the vintage aged look of it with the little handle detail and how it just picked up the clay and earthy beige tones in the painting. And this is just super practical to have right next to the sofa for a convenient light source within arm's reach. Next I wanted to add some height to this corner and I wanted to incorporate some greenery so I just decided to prop this faux tree from Target up on a little vintage stool that I had bought from an antique shop and I love how this almost takes it to the ceiling which really gives it that added height that I was looking for. I liked that this tree already came in a decorative pot and that it gave off an overall rustic feel. I've been looking for trees that have a rustic vibe but aren't olive trees since I already have so many of those in my home but I was really happy with this one and how realistic it looked. And then just to finish off this corner I popped our wedding album on the table for an aesthetic and sentimental decor piece. So one day while out thrifting I spotted this accent table for only $50 and this thing was solid wood and was super heavy. I thought it would be a really unique piece and I figured it would be a great way to incorporate some darker accents throughout this space so I brought it home with me and used it to anchor the area underneath the window. Next it was time to find some cozy accent chairs so I just kept my eye out for a while at Home Goods and then one day I came across these chairs that were actually dupes for the poly accent chair for Crate and Barrel but these were almost half of the price so I really liked the look of them and how comfy they were. I also figured the gray color of the fabric would tie in perfectly with our rug and then the dark wood would match the stain on the artwork frames and our shuffleboard so I just figured I'd go for it and even though it was a little bit more money than I wanted to spend I think they really round out the room nicely and the cost of these two chairs along with the sofa was roughly the same price as the original sectional that we returned. So next it was time to add some accent pillows and I wanted something muted and natural looking but I also wanted a pop of contrast something a bit more vibrant to pull those orangey tones out of the painting and I found these really pretty genuine leather pillows from Home Goods. They were $40 each and then I just added this orange vase that I had thrifted to help accentuate that sandy burnt orange accent color. I really love the subtle texture that these pillows give off. They smell amazing and I like how they coordinate with the vase to help create a statement with our accent color. So for the bigger sofa I just added this fringe checkered throw blanket that I found at Home Goods. It was under $20. I also added a square size leather pillow also from Home Goods. This is the same as the ones on the accent chairs just a different size and I love all the warmth and texture that these bring to the sofa styling and then I accented that with a lineny black and white ticking stripe pillow that I found at Hobby Lobby. I love that these simple textiles help warm up the space and also keep it feeling really earthy and casual at the same time. And just to add some softness to the coffee table I used this black tray that I got from TJ Maxx to tie in some more black accents just to relate back to that black side table that I got and then I topped that with some aesthetic practical pieces. Next I wanted to tackle this little awkward space right near the stairway and I figured this would be a great opportunity to add in some extra storage and have another surface that I could serve food or drinks on. So after carefully measuring the spot I found the perfect piece that I love the overall design of and it was a great price. This is the Palmdale woven console from Target and my husband was super awesome and put the whole thing together himself. We moved it into place and it was perfect because we still had a little bit of space on the left-hand side to use our outlet but it perfectly took up the rest of the space while still giving enough room for an easy traffic flow around it. I love the woven detail of the doors and this is a perfect spot to store all of our games. I also really like that the cabinet doors are cushion clothes which just makes it feel a little bit more fancy and high-end. And as far as styling goes I just wanted to keep it pretty simple because I wanted to have majority of the surface available to set drinks and entertaining platters on things like that but I just popped this vase on there that I found at HomeGoods and a candle next to it for some height variation and I just love this vase because it ties in those black accents but also has touches of those clay and terracotta tones that we have going on throughout the room now. I also wanted to layer in a floor lamp to this corner for some height and I found this lamp at Ross for $40. I also have a very similar one downstairs and I just love the look of them. And lastly I added a little rustic stool as an accent and popped a vase with some greenery on top just to complete the styling in here for an added homey feel with a functional spot to set a book or a drink. And that is really it. That is how we took this room from being another boring living space and added some much needed versatility and functionality and just created an earthy organic and homey atmosphere. I love how the use of earthy materials and rustic accents gave the space a casual lived-in feel and how the colors all related back to one another but still contrasted against each other. And I love the functionality of the swivel chairs and that they provided a seating area for both the living space and the game space and I also loved that so much inspiration was taken from our statement artwork and then related back to the rest of the design. All together we have a cozy functional and inviting space perfect for entertaining or just kicking back and relaxing in. All right everyone that about wraps up this video. I hope that you enjoyed it. I know for me personally this has been one of my favorite transformations of our entire home so I hope you all enjoyed it as well and I just want to say a big thank you to all of you who show me kindness and support on a daily basis. I truly would not be here without you all and I just want you to know that I am so grateful for each and every one of you and I want to thank you all for watching this video and I will see you in my next one. Bye!