Room makeovers don’t require a big budget! (You might recall our Budget Bedroom Makeover.)  We’ve got some great living room ideas that are no cost or low cost and will give your room an amazing transformation, using much of what you already own!  So grab a pencil and paper and make some notes. The ideas below should get your inspiration flowing.  You’ll be on your way to room makeover in no time.

We have four keys that we follow when doing a room makeover on a budget. Paint is number one on the list! (Especially spray paint.) As you’ll see below, we transformed old items we’ve had for years into what looks like brand new decor with simply a coat of paint.

The next is use what you have. I always go through what I have in storage to see what would work for the room update. You can also visit thrift stores and yard sales and find the most unique items that again, you can paint! Finally, think outside the box. Did you ever imagine you could paint carpet? Well we did and you can see the result below!

COMING SOON: THE FULL LIVING ROOM REVEAL!
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The Ideas

We’ll show you how we made over our living room using mostly things we had, some thrift store items  and a LOT of paint.  Make sure to click on the links of items that you like as many have detailed tutorials!

Walls

Paint your walls if needed. As ours were a light orange we opted for a more neutral color.  A gallon of paint will cover most medium sized rooms. Get it with primer included, and one coat might be all that’s needed.

Outlets

Outlet covers are super cheap to buy. If the one’s you have don’t match, replace them. You can also Save Time and Money by Painting Outlets Rather Than Replacing Them.

 

“New” Coffee Table

We found this nicely built coffee table at a thrift store. A couple of coats of white paint and a new handle did wonders!

Painting Larger Items

We’ve had two of these small wood tables for 10 years. They also got painted! PS That wood box you see on the right is over 20 years old and I redid it for our Buff Your Stuff series.

You might remember these dressers from our Whimsical Living Room series. They were small inexpensive ones we pulled out of storage for another living room makeover a few years back. Well, they now needed another new makeover. A coat of paint and new crystal handles that were very inexpensive!

This is another decor item I’ve owned for years. It holds photos of our three grandkids from birth up through the years.

Wall Decor

These large JOY letters were also used in a past living room makeover and painted burgundy. For the new living room “Gold” was the color of choice.

I’ve had vinyl trees on my walls for years and this new living room was no different. We opted for white aspens. These cost anywhere from $35 to $50  and you can see all the details of these and our other trees  Awesome Tree Decals.

I own a Silhouette Cutter (one of my best purchases ever) and make my own small wall decals but you can buy them at many places, including on Amazon. This one is above our front door and we cut an arrow out of wood to go with it.

Ceiling Fan to Chandelier

We replaced an old ceiling fan with a chandelier makeover we found at a thrift store and painted silver. Not only was it beautiful, it filled our room with bright light!

Not wanting to toss the  glass covers from the fan we removed, I upcycled them into some beautiful illuminated decor items.

Fire Place Makeover

We transformed our fireplace by repainting the mantel and hanging a wall mirror sideways. We then repainted some candle sticks we had and added  a few other items.

Because the fireplace itself was black it detracted from the room so we made a Picket Fence Fireplace Cover! Click the link for full details!

The Floor

We were lucky enough to have nice wood type floors. I, however, had an old brown rug that was fairly plain and didn’t match well. Did you know you can paint carpet? Because you totally can. You can learn about it in our article How to Stencil & Paint Carpet.

Extra Goodies

I had a green cigar type box I was using to hold my remotes and a few other items on the small end table. I bought this unfinished  box at Hobby Lobby for $3, painted it silver  and I now have a matching  Handy Remote Holder.

As a centerpiece for my coffee table, I bought a wood tray for $5 at Hobby Lobby, painted it green and added my upcycled fan light cover plus a  couple other items I had. I used round place mats across the top of the table.

I painted two lamps found at a yard sale.

I’ve had this little cast iron peeing Scottie Dog Doorstop  for over 20 years.   I decided it was time to brighten him up a little.

These photos of my daughter with a wild bird always hang in my living room. They just needed a coat of white paint to match the new makeover. The story behind the photos is pretty amazing.  A Bird in the Hand. A Story of Love and Trust.

I already had this item.  The room divider is very old.  I pulled it out of storage to create a Twinkle Light Room Divider a few years back.  The green foliage I recently found at a thrift store.

Almost everything shown on the shelf I already owned.  The large R was painted.

Because even adults like building with Lego at our house I transformed an old wood TV tray into a Portable DIY Lego Table!