An Organic Modern Living Room Makeover
In this living room makeover, we transformed a slightly awkward, cold space into a warm, organic, modern room.
November 18, 2024
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I am passionate about creating spaces in which people feel at home. What makes a space truly a home? Is it really buying a bunch of generic stuff from your local superstore? Filling your home up with more things we think are updated? Or is it finding contentment in what you have and what you love, finding creative solutions to your space’s problems and needs, repurposing things once loved by you and others?
Here are just a few examples of how I can help you reclaim your space, and turn it into a home you love.
In this living room makeover, we transformed a slightly awkward, cold space into a warm, organic, modern room.
My clients hired me with two different goals in mind. Part of the family wanted a room full of comfort to watch movies, have naps,
We transformed an unfinished Family room into a beautiful and functional space.
This living room makeover is transformed even though we had to keep the main pieces of furniture. By tweaking the layout and adding in a few new key pieces this living room is brighter, cozier and feels refreshed
A blank white box transforms into a gorgeous,moody, cozy, and incredibly functional bonus room for a young family
Tween girl bedroom makeover- Come and see how we transformed this room for under $500.00.
A bonus room that didn’t serve a purpose is transformed with a design plan that gives it function and beauty. We created a music room that not only functions for this family but is a beautiful view from the front entryway.
A tradtional bedroom Makeover, using a mix of new and old pieces to update a tired bedroom.
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law have recently finished their main floor renovation. The changes to their home have been massive, but one of the most beautiful
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law have a lovely home in a wonderful neighbourhood in my home town. Think tree-lined streets, neighbour kids that play together, and
My client was moving her office from a commercial building to a small room in her basement. She wanted it to be as bright as
Come and see how we transformed this awkward small basement room into a multi functional space with big style.
Where we started Almost two years ago my friends Scott and Anna-Lisa moved out of the city onto an acreage. They moved for lots of
Where this project started Good friends of mine started an adventure almost two years ago when they sold their house in the city and moved
Happy Announcement! I am happy to announce a new add-on for Reclaim A Room! Introducing: Calming the Chaos. I am offering this extra service with
This main living room/dining room project was a big one and included a complete transformation. We changed out flooring and light fixtures, added wall treatments,
My sister turned 40 this year, and I wanted to do something special for her to celebrate. For her 30th, her husband and I threw a
To get the look you want for a fraction of the cost of buying it new, try using the power of paint to transform a Kijiji or Marketplace purchase into something truly stunning and unique.
To do a simple update that involves an easy DIY, consider adding moulding, trim, or paneling with fresh paint. The results are high impact and only beginner DIY skills are necessary!
“Make a room better by removing items that don’t work in the space (this is called editing in the design world)”
Let in as much light as you possibly can into every room in your home.
When staging your home, the goal is to make every room look as clean and neutral as possible so people can imagine themselves in your space. Doing an extreme edit (removing as many of your belongings as possible) is a way to achieve this goal without spending any money.
To get a new look for your space without spending any money, restyle your shelves and surfaces with items you already own taken from other rooms.
When you are trying to sell your home, styled bookshelves with room to breathe have a big impact on buyers.
Adding twinkle lights is always a good idea! Light in the darkness makes a space cozy, magical, and welcoming. A string of cafe or twinkle lights is an easy, low-cost finishing touch that never disappoints!
Let’s talk about the convenience and functionality of the hooks instead of the rack for towels.
“Since we all change our styles and preferences over the years, it is so good to remember that rather than all new things every time this happens, we can look for small tweaks to existing furniture we already own to make these changes for almost no money.”
Adding wood tones can bring a feeling of warmth and texture to a space.
An area rug that complements your chosen colour scheme is an easy way to ground a space and give a sense of a truly finished room. Make sure your rug is big enough for the area it will be covering (most people go too small!), and choose a fabric and texture that works for your lifestyle.
Make full use of vertical storage units to maximize your storage and display space! Displaying pretty or little-used items on the very top of your bookshelf is a way to keep your space organized and beautiful.
One of the joys of using what you already own and thrifting when possible is that then you can afford to splurge when it’s something really important to you. Because we bought a secondhand bed and used so many finishing touch items that were already in my stash, I could purchase Farrow and Ball paint without going over my budget!
Don’t be afraid to use paint! I used a bold mustard coloured paint to transform a standard console table and tray into unique and eye-catching pieces that complemented the rest of this room’s decor beautifully, and you can do the same!
Small spaces can still be functional and beautiful! Make proper use of niches, cut outs, and funny awkward corners to get the most out of the space you have available. By using minimal furniture and the niche on one end of this tiny little room, we were able to fit both a piano and a desk area in a natural and useful way.
Sometimes it’s really about what we take OUT of a room that matters more than what we add IN. By seriously editing my sister’s living room, we were able to completely transform the space by spending almost zero money.
Necessity is the mother of invention! Try challenging yourself to redesign or restyle your space without spending a single dollar by just looking around at the things you already own and trying to see them in a different way. My pandemic virtual styling sessions are evidence that you CAN create a new space without leaving your house to visit a store.
Greenery is such a nice touch in any room, and brings life and colour without a lot of effort. Potted plants, foraged greenery, or even faux stems or plants will add a beautiful effect to your space.
Updating the fireplace can make such a dramatic change to any cozy family room space! Whether you choose to paint or whitewash old stone or brick, choosing a light colour (white is always my go-to) will make your space feel more open and modern.
Don’t be afraid to paint things! New paint is such an easy way to transform existing items without spending very much at all. In this room, we were able to spray paint both a light fixture and a toilet paper holder to make sure our colour scheme was modern and cohesive instead of purchasing brand new items in our colour of choice.
Don’t be afraid to go big when decorating a kid’s bedroom. By focusing most of our efforts on this gorgeous mountain feature wall, we could afford to do very little else except a few simple accessories and themed bedding to complete the look we wanted.
One way to make sure the artwork in your space is interesting and personal is to avoid buying generic prints at a home furnishing store. Etsy is a wonderful resource for custom creations such as quotes, and vendors often send downloadable files that you can have printed at Staples in whatever size you want. IKEA frames are an affordable finishing touch.
Use baskets or other storage containers to instantly take a space from messy and cluttered to clean and tidy! All sorts of things that float around without a home can be placed in a basket, bin, or box sitting on a shelf where they are still easily accessible but also out of sight.
This Christmas season Reclaiming Home Decorating is offering a unique gift opportunity: a gift certificate for an in-home consultation with a full Design Plan, or
Make sure you spend your redecorating budget where it makes the most impact to the space. By reusing and reimagining what you already own and spending money only when it really solves a problem, you will be happier with the end result. In this piano room, we recognized the problem to be solved was storage, so we happily spent the money to get the things we needed for papers and books, and finished the rest of the transformation with simple rearranging.
If you are unhappy with your space, stop and think before you buy all new things. What do you see in the room that you don’t need or don’t like? Remove it. What do you see that you know you love? Find a way to put it front and centre. The chances are that by elevating the things you love and removing those you don’t, you will be well on your way to loving the space you live in.
Remember that the only person whose opinion matters in regards to style decisions in your space is you! Lean into what really makes you happy and your space will feel really comfortable for you. Lisa knew she wanted the TV to be more prominent than the fireplace, and as a result she has a space that really reflects her family’s needs and habits.
One dramatic change you can affect in a room without spending a single cent is rearranging your furniture. Look for ways to open up floor space and make a grander entrance into a room. The simple act of moving one sofa made such a difference in this living room!
Combining different styles together gave a rustic yet warm and cozy feel to this primary bedroom makeover.
There is no reason a small space can’t be cozy and functional! No space for a big reading chair? Use a comfortable upholstered headboard so the bed can be used to read in. No formal entryway? Peg rails on one wall add so much storage space for coats and clothes. You get the idea! Be creative in your solutions and you will always find a way.
Sometimes there are things about our houses that we can’t change no matter how much we would like to. If you can’t change or remove something, hide it! By choosing a simple white fixture against a white ceiling, we were able to draw attention away from the awkward placement of the lighting in this nursery. This principle works almost anywhere, and I have also painted ugly cold air return grates in the middle of hallways the same colour as the wall and watched them fade into the background.
One of the simplest and most dramatic changes you can make in any space is changing the paint colours! White or other similarly bright colours will freshen up your room and makes it appear more modern and open.
When decorating a small bedroom, think about how to maximize space by making furniture do double duty. We were able to use two medium sized dressers that doubled as nightstands instead of two small nightstands and a large dresser, which actually ended up providing MORE storage and putting LESS furniture in the room!
When making over a small space, make a list of your must-haves and see if there is a way to combine two or more requirements into one space. By raising the bed and putting drawers underneath it instead of putting a separate dresser in for this small bedroom makeover, we saved SO much room and made this space feel wide open and happy.
Just because you have a limited budget and aren’t a professional renovator doesn’t mean you can’t still make beautiful improvements to your space! These stairs are a perfect example. A little bit of paint and creativity turned this eyesore stairway into a thing of imperfect beauty. If you are able to turn a space into something you loved more than you did before, even if it isn’t perfect you have succeeded!
Be creative in how you save inches in a small room. By changing the closet doors from outward swing to sliding and choosing a bed with a recessed base, we were able to make a small space feel much bigger!
A very small change that makes a big impact in any bathroom is switching out towel bars for towel hooks. Especially if your bathroom is used by several people, hooks instead of a bar will mean far fewer towels ending up on the floor, plus they just look nicer, tidier, and more modern.
People often think that creating art is only for proper artists, but this just isn’t so! Canvases can be purchased new for very little at the dollar store or found at garage sales (or in the piles of your kids’ discarded crafting supplies). Paint used canvases white again and get to work! You can stencil or freehand a favourite quote or copy a piece of abstract art that you really admire. This is a very affordable way to get something meaningful to hang on your walls!
I cannot stress enough the value of looking through the free section of Kijiji or taking a stroll through your neighborhood garage sales when you have the time. I have found so many treasures that either worked great the way came or just required a bit of love to make them perfect for my or my clients’ space. Ask yourself “what would this look like if I painted it white?” before you dismiss that dated $5.00 chandelier completely.
When decorating for big events on a budget, the answer is almost always twinkle lights. I was able to decorate an entire hall for a wedding reception for less than $200 by making twinkle lights the main attraction! They add warmth, ambience, and make everything feel exciting and special for very little money. The same goes for your church event, backyard barbecue, or any other event you can think of!