When I have worked w/ friends by going into their homes and helping them take what they have and use it to redo the room there are several decorating mistakes or missed opportunities that I commonly see. Just by tweaking, a room can be given a facelift that costs very little, if anything.
1. De clutter you space! Take everything off the walls and all small objects and books off of shelves. Remove all toys, magazines, pillows etc. Pile them in the middle of the room if you have to. Then decided what goes back into the space. Only put back in the space what you truely use, like and enjoy. If you have too many books (my constant problem) go through and see what you can part with and what might be able to be stored in labeled boxes in a closet (old textbooks you haven't looked at in five years, double copies of your favorite classics, paperbacks you read but now years later know you're not likely to reread). If toys are taking over you living space allow only what will fit neatly into a nice basket or two to be in the living space and store the rest in bedrooms (more on toys later!). Store these out of plain view so the room can become a grown up space in the evenings. Of course, if you have a new baby there will probably be a swing or jumper/play center somewhere in the room for the first 8 months or so, but try not to store too much baby paraphernalia in plain sight. A basket for diapers, wipes and toys tucked to the side of a couch looks much better than having things stacked on a coffee table. It's really not about how things look so much as the emotions you experience when entering an uncluttered, visually pleasing room versus a cluttered, unappealing one.
2. If painting is an option, it gives the most bang for you buck. A gallon of low VOC paint is about 30.00 and the average living/family room should take about two gallons if you are not dramatically changing colors. If you've never painted before there are online tutorials. Painting is not difficult but does need to be dome with care and precision.
3. With all pictures off your walls rethink how you have them hung. The rule of thumb is that the middle of the picture or print should be at the average persons eye height which can range from about 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches (remember it's eye height not head height). Over a couch you can place prints or painting where the bottom of the frame is about a foot from the frame of the couch - unless the couch is very low ( sit on the couch and check head clearance). The top of the frame/s should still be about eye height or a bit above. Many people hang picture way too high on their walls so they look disconnected to the furniture. Arrange the pieces on the floor to get a sense of how a grouping will look or take the time to cut newspaper or brown wrapping paper into the size and shape of your pieces and play with their placement on the wall w/ tape to play with arrangements.
4. Play with furniture placement and also evaluate whether you have too much furniture stuffed in a space or too little for your needs.
5. Look around the rest of the house to bring in new elements. Swap pictures around, re purpose a small table or chest. Switch out lamps, etc.
6. Use new pillows and throws for a pop of new color at a reasonable price.
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