Living Room Makeover: 4 Versions And Counting!

by Jinny
(UK)

I live in a one-bedroom flat with my three dogs, two of which are toy-sized. I myself am not very tall - about 5'2! So sitting on regular sofas has always been rather uncomfortable for me as my feet never reach the floor!

With the way my living room is designed, I am very limited in the way in which I can play around in placing the furniture:

The room is 17ft by 10ft - oblong, with 2 doors and a fireplace all alongside each other on one of the main walls. There are two windows at opposite sides of the room, and the large window has the main radiator below it!

When I first moved in, I had a 3-seater sofa along with 2 single seaters, but could never place them in a position I felt comfortable with because of the double doors & placing of the radiator in the room!

So I opted for a corner unit, and even though I don't use it I wanted a small dining table too!

But as nice as the corner unit was - I still was not comfortable with it & felt it overpowered the room (even though they say corner units are supposed to be good for smaller spaces!)

I've always loved warm rich colours & my favourite colour is RED if you hadn't guessed! LOL!

I already had a warm rich orange on the walls along with lots of red accessories - which I knew I didn't want to get rid of.

Some of the things I wanted in my living room were;

* An Indian feel to the room with low seating & an almost mystical feel - without it looking O.T.T.!!!

* A feel of more space but still have plenty of seating in the room to sit or lounge around

* A divider in the room - a dining area & a seating area, to give me the feeling of an extra room/space.

* Seating that was comfortable but also practical i.e. for the dogs & for my feet to touch the ground when I was sat!!

* To still keep the rich warm colours in the room without it looking dark & even smaller!

* A different colour on the walls around the dining area to section it off

* A room that was easy to keep clean (because of the dogs) - not just dog hair but toys toys toys!

* Also plenty of space for the dogs to play in the room!

* A room that still felt spacious, with lots of seating, inviting, relaxing & peaceful

So as you can see I wasn't asking for much LOL!

The first thing I did was to remove the carpet & opted for a light wooden floor - immediately giving the illusion of more space & easy to maintain & keep clean.

Then (after much searching for the kind of low level seating I had in mind & NO luck or crazy prices that were well out of my budget - I'm talking thousands of £'s) I finally came across a company on the net, that delivered cut-to-size foam.

So I ordered two sets of foam (at 5ft length, 2& half ft width and 1ft height) to place in an "L"-shape.

I also found a dark wood bench on which I had the legs cut off - to give it a low seating effect. And I placed a thick-cut foam cushion on the bench to make it more comfy to sit on.

I also got given some old sofa foam cushions, which I could use stacked up or as scatter cushions.

I had lots of fun trying out different covers on the foams & also managed to get some gorgeous bright silk cushions from ASDA - bargain!

As for the dining area I placed some see-through curtains across the room where I wanted the divide. This created the illusion of a separate space & gave me that 'mystical' feel I was after!

I painted the dining area in pink (really wasn't sure about this colour going with orange!) But to my amazement and delight it looked & still looks amazing! I also painted the cupboards in that area in pink - which has helped blend them in!

I have a small 2-seater dining table out (but also have a 6 seater folding table & enough room to bring that out & use when I need to!!)

As much as I loved my living room now I still wasn't quite happy yet! I wanted some back rest for the foams, & yes I tried out bolster cushions and other cushions but STILL was not happy!

Then one day I came across a new range of sofas at john Lewis - a 'value' range, & saw EXACTLY what I'd had in mind right at the start!!

Low-level, compact, spacious, comfy, neutral colours, fantastic price, AND a sofa bed - ideal for me if I have guests stopping!

That's as far as I've got so far but have managed to create most of what I wanted on my wish list! And not paid through the roof for my makeover either! Still have a few finishing touches to add, like a coffee table & a few more show pieces (maybe a small water fountain or something!)

Renate's Reply: Thank you for your story, Jinny! Wow, what an amazing transformation you have accomplished in your living room. Great photos, too - they really give us a sense of what you've done! Thanks for sharing all those ideas, and do keep us updated on your next steps!