HomeHome Updates: Tips & IdeasDecorating Ideas and How To'sHow to Redecorate Your Living Room WITHOUT Spending Any Money

How to Redecorate Your Living Room WITHOUT Spending Any Money

Posted on March 22, 2020 by KylieMawdsley

5 Steps to Redecorate Your Living Room for Zero Dollars

If you’re anything like me and enjoy spending time at home, you likely spend a LOT of this time looking at the same things. And like me, you’ve probably sat there thinking ‘…maybe I’ll deep clean, maybe I’ll redecorate, maybe I’ll declutter, maybe I’ll drink some wine’. And guess what? You can do ALL OF THOSE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME if you’re a great multi-tasker like me (wink wink).

Open layout, livingroom, tall ceiling, vaulted, Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray best greige and White Dove. Sherwin Urbane Bronze painted stair railing and open staircase. DIY Decorating and Design ideas

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Seriously, there’s SO MUCH you can do to a room without spending any money (assuming you have wine on hand). If you want to spend money, you can fill your lil boots – a little retail therapy can be good. HOWEVER, I’m here with the most BUDGET of budget-friendly ideas to help you feel a bit more at home in your home.

But before you get started, be warned that this is an EPIC read, so you better grab your wine bottle reading glasses.

Don’t be afraid to do only one or two steps a day!

How to redecorate or design your space on a budget with no money. Living room home decor ideas. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, diy paint colour consulting and advice blog

STEP 1    DECLUTTER & CLEAN

You can’t do ANYTHING decoratively until you clean your room (flashback to teenage years). And I don’t just want you to clean it, I want you to declutter it too, creating a relatively blank slate to work with. I’ve covered the guts n’ glory of cleaning/decluttering in the first chapter of my E-Book, ‘The 5 Room Fix, Love The Home You Love In‘ and this section alone would be a MASSIVE blog post, so I’m just going to hit the key points here…

Before you declutter/clean…

  • Choose a place where you can put all of the miscellaneous items that will be leaving the room (some temporarily, some permanently).
  • Have a garbage bag, box(es), marker and tape ready so you can pack up things that need to go in storage/donation/recycling/garbage. This is assuming your room is full of stuff. There are those of you who won’t need ALL of that, but I’m going to assume that not all of you are as OCD as me.
  • Get your cleaning supplies ready: windex, wipes, paper towel, vacuum/broom, duster and anything else that you include in your regular cleaning routine

Painted white kitchen cabinets, black granite countertop, beige taupe backsplash tile, Sherwin Williams Alabaster cabinets, Kylie M and Jenna Christian

Sherwin Williams Alabaster / How to Update Granite Countertops

Next, handle one surface at a time…

Start with one surface, ie. your mantel or coffee table. Remove ALL of the items on it – every single thing.

As you take each item away, decide what you’re doing with it and put it in a ‘pile’, for example:

    • donation
    • love it, but don’t want to look at it anymore (pack it away)
    • will be going back in the room somewhere
    • garbage/recycling
    • sell

And you’ll want to do this for every surface in the room, including bookcases, side tables, sofas (blankets and toss cushions will be removed too!) as well as ANY item on your floor. When you’re done, ALL that should be left are your main furniture pieces (sofa/chairs/tables/bookcases/tv). I EVEN want you to take your artwork down – for reals. We’re going down to bare bones people!

Best dark gray charcoal paint colour with undertones. Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, virtual online paint colour consulting and diy decor blog

Once you’re down to the basics, it’s going to be MUCH easier to clean and redecorate your room. I know cleaning isn’t fun, but it’s THERAPEUTIC and so friggin’ satisfying (says me, keeping in mind that my standards are slightly skewed towards the anal side). However, to fully expel my demons, I’m going to give you a checklist to do…I am a wicked task-master, but you’ll thank me later (or pin a photo of me to a dartboard).

Starting at the TOP of your room/walls…

  • Clean light shades and fan blades. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.
  • Dust the tops of window and door frames.
  • Clean the windows, even going so far as to get bleach/q-tips and clean out those grungy old tracks.
  • Wipe down the tops of baseboards, be sure to get in those nitty-gritty corners!
  • Look at your walls from FIVE FEET down, these are the areas that take a beating. Wipe up any scuffs carefully. Remember, Magic Eraser can mar a surface and is packed full of chemicals. I prefer using a soft cloth with a wee wink of soap on it, which I then carefully wipe off once I’m done cleaning the area. Don’t use so much water that it drips down the wall, but don’t leave the cloth abrasive on the wall either. If THIS doesn’t take off what’s on your wall, you might just need a fresh coat of paint.
  • Wipe or dust any surfaces like mantels, bookcases and tables. Consider the legs of tables as well if you have crazy kids or animals running around.
  • Take a wine water break.
  • Vacuum your furniture pieces. Tops and backs of sofas and chairs and then underneath the cushions.
  • If your furniture has marks or stains, try scrubbing them out.
  • Vacuum your floor. If you have an area rug, vacuum it first and then remove it from the area. Vacuum all visible floor areas. Move main furniture pieces and vacuum underneath them as much as you can.
  • If you have a fireplace, dust the grills and clean the glass. If you have a TV, dust ALL the way around it, it’s amazing the dust that hides in those nooks and crannies!

Phew. Doesn’t that feel good? Are you breaking out in a Richard Simmons-style sweat? I SURE HOPE SO!

Review of Sherwin Williams Roycroft Pewter, dark gray paint colour. Fireplace with shiplap stone, round chandelier in living room. Kylie M Interiors Edesign (3)

Now that the grunt work is done, I want you to sit down, appreciate your hard work and have a glass of whatever floats your boat (wine/coffee/water/beer).

STEP 2    FIND YOUR FOCAL POINT

You might be thinking, ‘what the heck is a focal point?’ A focal point is the main feature of a room, the thing your eye is most drawn to when you walk into your space.

And a focal point doesn’t need to be any screamin’ glory, it can be as simple as a TV or as grand as an expansive ocean view. Here are some examples of focal points…

  • TV (on the wall or on a stand)
  • fireplace
  • view
  • gallery wall or key artwork
  • bookcase, wall unit or sofa table with decor/artwork

How to redecorate or design your space on a budget. Living room home decor ideas. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, diy paint colour consulting and advice blog

You can also have TWO focal points, in which case, one is the primary focal point and one is the secondary focal point. You’ll want to give priority to the primary one.

Open concept kitchen and living room, Stonington Gray, stone fireplace K2. Kylie M INteriors Edesign. Vaulted ceiling

Once you have your focal point in mind, you can then arrange your furniture accordingly.

And please remember, these are GUIDELINES, not rules. No spankin’ with wet noodles if you can’t check off every box, these are just ideas to help you see your room in a new way and MAYBE make a few adjustments to make it even better!

STEP 3    REPOSITION YOUR FURNITURE

This is a tough one. There are SO many room layouts and SO many different furniture pieces/sizes, that it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to cover them all in one shot, but I do have some great general guidelines for you to consider. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do ALL of these, you can just pick and choose the ones that best suit your furniture/layout/personal preferences.

TIP 1   CENTER YOUR MAIN PIECE OF FURNITURE ON YOUR FOCAL POINT

If your main piece of furniture is off-centre, your room will feel off-balance. I’m always amazed at how shoving a sofa 2-3 feet to the left or right can make a MASSIVE DIFFERENCE in the flow and energy of a room. If you CAN’T centre your main piece (ie: you have a corner fireplace), it’s okay, I forgive you.

Now, of course, that can change depending on the layout you choose. In this next photo, we COULD have put the sofa opposite/parallel to the fireplace with the chairs on either side (which would’ve created a cosier, more intimate layout), but with having kids, my sis-in-law wanted a more open approach.

How to redecorate your living room and home decor with no money. Kylie M Interiors edesign and edecor

Yes, that one pouf does need to be moved in front of the one chair

For a practice in BALANCE, which we’ll be chatting about in Step 3, I want you to draw an invisible line down the middle of the above room, right through the TV and fireplace. Notice that although different pieces were used, each SIDE of the room/focal point is balanced, so that one side doesn’t visually weigh more than the other.

A few things to notice in the above display…

  • the two chairs with cushions/side table visually balance the sofa on the other side
  • the small gallery wall/lamp balance some of the visual weight of the windows (windows can be a tricky one to accommodate)
  • the home decor on the built-ins are different from each other, but visually, carry the same weight
  • the green accent colour is spread throughout in at least three places (plants/cushions) as is the blue (cushions/rug/built-ins/gallery wall)
  • there aren’t knick-knacks on the coffee table. I know, everyone loves to see a well-dressed table, but in the real world full of a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, it’s function over fashion!

TIP 2   PLACE YOUR MAIN FURNITURE PIECE (USUALLY A SOFA) ALONG THE LONGEST WALL OR AIR SPACE

If you have a sofa and loveseat (or two chairs instead of a loveseat), your sofa should be on the longest wall space. If that doesn’t work, then the longest open space. As for sectionals, they’re a bit trickier and often have only ONE ideal placement.

Open layout living room, kitchen, gray sectional, Stonington Gray paint colour, rustic wood furniture, navy blue accents. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint colour, design expert

Diy decorating and design ideas and home staging ebook. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online virtual paint colour consulting and advice blog

Click HERE or on the above image to see my E-Books!

TIP 3   KEEP PASSAGEWAYS IN MIND

A secondary passageway should be a minimum of 3′ wide, whereas the MAIN passageway should ideally be 4’+. If you can’t make it happen, don’t worry, it’s just a general guideline to consider.

TIP 4   CENTER YOUR MAIN AND SECONDARY FURNITURE PIECES ON SOMETHING

It’s important to CENTER your main pieces based on what they’re facing or what they’re against. For example:

  • If a piece of furniture is facing the fireplace/tv, it should be perfectly centred on it.
  • If the furniture is against a window (below), it should be PERFECTLY centred on the window. This also applies to wall spaces, as long as the wall space doesn’t extend ridiculously far or into another space

Living room with gold drapes makes a room feel cozier. Comfy style with built-ins Kylie M Interiors Edesign

Read more: Furniture Layout and Decorating Ideas: Balanced and Symmetry

In this next example, the sofa is centred BETWEEN the two windows with a balanced, eclectic wall gallery…

Benjamin Moore Ballet White in living room with white trim and greige sofa. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint color consulting

BTW, the blog post links will be SUPER HELPFUL to read and I’ll include a summary of them at the end for you to refer to so you don’t have to bounce around too much. 

TIP 5   DON’T OVERLAP EDGES

This is a HARD one to explain. You know how humans have bubbles, that space around us that we don’t want intruded on (unless it’s Ryan Gosling, he can burst my bubble any day)? Well, the main pieces in a room AND the focal point have bubbles too and they need their own air space. When the edges of furniture pieces overlap each other, a room looks crowded and not well laid out. And sometimes, even a few inches one way or another can make it or break it (that’s what she said).

In this next photo, look at the right-hand corner of the hearth and how it relates to the sectional (the end closest to the fireplace).

How to decorate or redesign a living room spending no money. Budget friendly ideas and tips. Kylie M Interiors edesign, online paint colour consulting

You can see how the sectional doesn’t OVERLAP the fireplace’s ‘zone’. If the sectional were 6″+ forward (closer to the coffee table), it would overlap the fireplace’s bubble. In fact, let’s just look at that…

Living room furniture layout, sectional, square wood coffee table, brown leather accent chair, white oak flooring. stone fireplace. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, online paint color

In a large room, there’s more forgiveness for this, but in a smaller room (where it’s harder to accommodate), there is LESS allowance for that overlap. Some people simply have TOO much furniture or the wrong size pieces for their space.

And I’ll admit, the fact that the coffee table isn’t centred on the fireplace gives me NO shortage of grief (first-world problem, I know). However, if you were to view the room, on the large scale, you’d see how this is a necessary feature to keep the flow and general balance.

A few other things to notice…

  • The 3-foot passageway behind the long part of the sectional.
  • There’s approx 2 feet behind the shorter side of the sectional, as we don’t walk back there, it’s more to give the sofa table some breathing space. If we were to push the sofa FORWARD by one foot, this would become a valid passageway but would crowd the fireplace’s bubble.
  • The repetition of key toss cushions in the corners balances the sectional out.
  • The pieces on the left and right sides of the fireplace are visually balanced with each other and help to balance out the visual weight of the sectional. If ONE of those corners were empty, the room would feel off-balance.

How to Mix & Match Fabric Patterns in 4 Easy Steps

In this next photo, see how the two chairs give the fireplace its breathing room, based on the front of the chairs and the far left of the fireplace surround. If they were moved forward one foot, they’d be taking up the fireplace’s air space – they would BURST the bubble!

Kylie M Interiors, online paint colour consultant. Living room with shiplap and fake white brick fireplace and tv. Pure White walls and trim, built in cabinet in Cyberspace

And there are ALWAYS exceptions, so don’t get your knickers in a knot if you can’t get it right. But I encourage you to just TRY giving your furniture pieces a BIT more room to breathe and see how it feels!

TIP 6   PLACE YOUR RUG THE RIGHT WAY

If you have an area rug, the LONGEST side of it should run with the LONGEST piece of furniture, this keeps things proportional. As for size, if your rug is the RIGHT size, it should sit under ATLEAST the first 1/3 of your main furniture piece or more (ideally it would be that far under TWO main pieces, but I’ll take what I can get). If your rug isn’t big enough to sit underneath your furniture comfortably, it’s too small. Living rooms need at least an 8 x 10 rug, if not bigger and in fact, MOST living rooms nicely accommodate a 9 x 11.

This next photo shows the MINIMUM the rug should be under one or more key pieces of furniture…

Modern country or farmhouse style open concept dining room and living room with gray and warm gold and yellow accents. Couch, rug and paint color all coordinate

And while you can’t SEE it, the rug is also equal distance under the side chair and the length of the rug runs with the length of the sofa, with the sofa CENTERED on it.

This next room is a GREAT example of an exception – because there are ALWAYS exceptions. Because the room was narrow and due to the furniture layout, it ONLY made sense to have the rug running the other way. The key is that they used a LARGE enough rug that there is a good 12″ on either side of the sofa.

Home staging in living room with balance, navy blue accents. Similar to Sherwin Williams Sandbar. Kylie M E-design

TIP 7   COFFEE & SIDE TABLE SPACING

There should be approx. 18″ between the front of your main furniture piece and your coffee table or ottoman. Your side tables should be within EASY reaching distance of their assigned seats, so approx 6 inches.

Kylie M Interiors, edesign, online paint colour consultant. Living room with gray accent chairs, Pure White walls and trim, gallery wall and navy blue builtins

Read more: How to Decorate With TRENDS and SAVE MONEY TOO!

STEP 4    START ADDING DECOR BACK TO YOUR ROOM

This is where you have to be careful. Start with the most IMPORTANT pieces first, the pieces that above all else, must find their happy place. Again, this could be a MASSIVE BLOG POST, and although I love NOTHING more than to hear myself talk (type), I’m going to touch on the basics here and refer to some helpful blog posts along the way.

If you need a QUICK brush-up on the 3 main decorative terms, check this out: The 3 Main Rules for Decorating and Accessorizing

TIP 1  DECIDE IF YOU WANT BALANCE OR SYMMETRY

If you’re doing a mantel, bookcase or shelf, decide whether you want balance or symmetry. This will help you decide how to layer and stagger your pieces, which you can learn more about here: 4 Easy Steps to Accessorize a Mantel

As you bring things back into the room, consider whether they really deserve to go back in the room, or if they need to find a new home (like in a box). Put items back that you want to look at every day, that add visual and/or emotional value to your room and get rid of the fillers.

Benjamin Moore Grant Beige, living room, photo gallery wall, crown molding. Kylie M E-design, online paint color expert. Before image

I love the above photo for its eclectic look, there’s something so homey and authentic about it. The only improvement I would suggest would be to adjust the artwork slightly to accommodate a lamp in place of the Eiffel Tower. This would add some energy, life, and a much-needed key piece to this surface, which we’ll talk about next.

Accessorizing Tips and Ideas: The Vignette

TIP 2   FIND YOUR KEY PIECE(S)

If you have a display that includes something hanging on the wall (ie: art above a mantel or sofa table), that will be your main key piece, but you’ll also need a key piece(s) for the horizontal surface that you’re decorating. Start with these pieces when you’re adding items back to each surface and work out from there. Remember, less is OFTEN more (except anything related to wine or Doritos).

The less THEMED your key piece is, the more flexibility you’ll have for decor (ie: a beach-themed piece of artwork would limit your decorating options).

Let’s look at some examples that will show you key pieces, as well as symmetry and balance.

Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray. farmhouse style, buffetclock with dark trim beams. Kylie M

  • KEY WALL PIECE: clock
  • KEY DECOR PIECE: vase with branches
  • SECONDARY KEY PIECE: creamy scroll
  • I might actually move the cow art to the right (leaning against the wall, behind the floor container). This would give more visual weight to this side, balancing out the visual weight of the other side.
  • I would ALSO consider adding a lamp in place of the creamy scroll and pare that spot down a bit

Next up is another nice display of balance…

Ideas for how to warm up a gray paint colour in a room. Shown with Benjamin Moore Steel Wool, gray buffet and home decor

  • KEY DECOR PIECE: gold vase
  • SECONDARY KEY PIECE: a stack of plates with apple
  • Also, notice the bit of sheen from the candle holders. Sheen is VITAL to any well laid-out display!
  • I might move the floor basket to the OTHER side of the cabinet, as the colours/size actually adds a bit too much visual weight to the left side

BTW, you can share this blog post with a friend and you might end up with some extra decor pieces to play with from each other’s homes! Just make sure you choose a friend who has good style (wink wink).

Sherwin Williams Creamy in a living room with stone fireplace, tv and large tv stand and art gallery

  • KEY WALL PIECE: The mirror serves as a unisex key piece above the mantel and even the TV acts as a key foundation piece for the cabinet (and let’s all tip our cup to the now deceased, Henry Bacon…).
  • The decor on the tv stand helps to balance out the visual weight of the TV and offers a distraction.

And now for a bit of symmetry…

Kylie M Interiors Edesign online paint color consulting. Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray, best greige paint colour in living room family room with stone fireplace

  • KEY WALL PIECE: gallery
  • KEY DECORATIVE: a simple display of three

And back to balance (as I obviously don’t have many decorative examples of symmetry…)

Ideas for how to redecorate or design a room for no money. Budget friendly and affordable tips. Living room with gray sectional. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint color expert

  • the large artwork is not only a key piece but a secondary focal point (to the fireplace)
  • the lamps are the foundation and add symmetry, while the decor adds a balanced, but more eclectic vibe

How to decorate and accessorize with home decor to create a vignette. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint colour consulting and

If you want to learn more about decorating a surface like this, I’ve got tons of blog posts, including this one: 4 Steps and Ideas: How to Accessorize a Mantel

This next example belongs to one of my FAVE long-time E-Design clients…

Benjamin Moore Lenox Tan, north facing living room. Pine flooring, furniture and fireplace mantel, Tv and fall decor. Kylie M E-design and online paint colour consulting

  • KEY PIECE: TV
  • SECONDARY KEY PIECES (not overly dominant): candleholders
  • Notice that the two tall candleholders add SYMMETRY, while the decor offers a more balanced approach
  • The great thing about this display is that it’s EASY to change seasonally! And if you’re anything like me and like to change things up based on the weather or your time of the month, you might find this handy.

5 Easy and Affordable Ideas to Update Your Fireplace 

TIP 3   LOOK AT EACH PIECE OF ARTWORK CAREFULLY

Art says SO much about a room. It doesn’t just hold the colour palette and style of a space, but can be an insight into the owner’s tastes and preferences. Sometimes, it’s better to have NOTHING than the WRONG thing, so don’t be afraid to have a bare wall space for a while. You can also hop onto Wayfair or Amazon if you want to find a new piece that strikes your fancy or wait until you stumble across something in your future travels.

Hallway with board and batten, painted interior doors and stair railing. West coast art by Ronei. Greige, gray palette. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint colour consultant and diy blog

Original painting by Ronei (prints available)

When you hang your art, don’t just stick it back on the nail it was on before. Read these important tips first: The Right Height to Hang Artwork and Mirrors

TIP 4   STAGGER, STACK, LAYER & CREATE DECORATIVE TRIANGLES

Again, if I got into this one, it would be a shocking amount of info, and already, I’m sure I’ve crossed the line.

Check out the decorative triangles in this next photo. Each section of each arrangement should create a triangle if you were to map out the basic perimeter of each item.

decorative triangle, mantel decorating ideas. Kylie M Interiors

In this next example, we’ll look at stacking and layering (and there’s a whole WHACK of triangles in there as well)…

How to accessorize with home decor using decorative triangles for a shelf, bookcase or mantel. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online diy paint color blog

A few things to notice…

  • groups of three arranged in a triangle pattern (stacks of books as well as the three art/framed pieces)
  • the framed/art pieces serve as a backdrop to the smaller decor in front, creating a triangle and/or layering
  • there are SEVERAL foundation pieces or pieces that anchor the unit and give it bulk (plant/art/decorative box)
  • notice the taller items are at the back with smaller items in front – each small arrangement also makes a triangle of sorts

How to Accessorize a Bookshelf – Tips & More

TIP 5   USE THE RULE OF THREE & ODD NUMBERS…SOMETIMES

When it comes to the rule of three, I’m pretty flexible. Sometimes it works, but other times, you can create a SUPER dynamic display with two of the right items.

In this next photo, you’ll see an AWESOME decor display using single items, groups of two AND groups of three – it’s all about balance!

AND, mad props to my E-Design clients who send in their after photos – you make my crazy lil world go round!

Dining room in Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, traditional style wood table and china cabinet with decor. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online best paint color expert

How to Decorate Using the Rule of Three & Odd Numbers

The amount of stacking, staggering and layering in the above photo makes me ALLLL kinds of happy. And there are groups of TWO and THREE and triangles coming out of the wazoo!

TIP 6   CARRY YOUR ACCENT COLOURS THROUGHOUT YOUR ROOM

This is VITAL. To get flow within a room, you’ll want your main accent colour(s) repeated at least three times and in varying spots (ideally creating a triangle if you were to draw a line between the pieces). The same goes for decorating a bookcase, stagger those accent colours!

The STRONGER your accent colour is, the less of it you need – although you can do as much as you like. In this next room, I’d just give that shelf a little love and add a SMALL bit of orange on it, to pull that colour through the space and create a triangle.

Best cream paint colour, Benjamin Moore Navajo White with beige tile and lime green and orange accents. Kylie M Edesign, online paint color advice

Next up, while it isn’t a living room, the layering of blue is awesome from the art to the bench to the rug. Accent colours don’t have to be OBVIOUS statements, they can be as subtle as a colour mixed into an area rug.

Entryway, Kylie M E-design, online color consultant. Benjamin Moore Steel Wool, Creamy, black interior front door, red and navy accents

See the before and after photos of this entryway HERE

In this next photo, the colour connections are so clear and well-layered. The display is also FULL of pieces with history and sentimental value, which always help to create a home with heart…

Ideas to update a room on a budget. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, black painted buffet and hutch with home decor

TIP 7   STEAL FROM OTHER ROOMS (OR YOUR MOM)

Don’t be afraid to scrounge around other rooms (or homes) for artwork, home decor, toss cushions and more. You might be surprised at how one item that lived in a certain room for years looks AMAZING in another!

Metal and wood bookcase with home decor. Sherwin Williams Collonade Gray paint colour. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online consultant

So, there you have it. If you’re looking for more, my E-Book re: The 5 Room Fix: Loving the Home You Have ALSO includes a FREE accent colour booklet, so if you’re not sure where to go from here, I’ve got some great solutions!

I have SO much more I could add, but at some point, we’re both going to be exhausted, so that’s it for now and stay healthy!

READ MORE

Decorating Tips & Ideas for Your Living Room

How to Decorate With TRENDS and SAVE MONEY TOO!

How to Mix & Match Fabrics in 4 Easy Steps

Furniture Layout and Decorating Ideas: Balance and Symmetry

Need Help?

Check out my E-Design Books and Online Colour Consulting services

Online paint colour consultant Benjamin Moore Sherwin Williams, Vancouver Island, USA, UK. Interior, exterior, edesign colors. Kylie M Interiors, blogger marketing DIY Decorating and design ideas

Chat soon,

Kylie M Interiors, decorating blog, e-design, online colour consulting expert. signature

 



Comments

  1. Great post! Thank you 🙂 Since you asked for what other topics we would like to read about – corner fireplaces! Especially in open concept spaces. I find furniture placement to be such a pain. Thank you!

    1. Post
      Author

      Oh you are good, I’d LOVE to write about that. Now the hard part is that I don’t have many photos of clients with corner fireplaces, so while I’ve got ideas galore, I don’t have the images to back it up! Argh. I’m going to safely assume you have a corner fireplace – maybe you should send me photos and MAYBE I could even figure out how to incorporate it in a blog post as in “how to decorate it” using yours as an example! Just an idea :).

      1. I also loved this post…and the corner fireplace idea! What about if you use photos other than your own (giving credit ) to show what you would do for your clients. I know using your own photos is what you have always done, but by using other photos you can write about any subject you want. Everyone is doing the best they can.
        Stay safe and healthy!!

        1. Post
          Author

          Ughhh, I know, I struggle with this SO much. I take so much pride in the fact that the photos are all mine and there is a SUPER FINELINE with copyright and often, even just giving credit under the photo isn’t enough to satisfy some and the threat of getting sued is a decent risk. I wonder though, if for the odd post, I could write the person and ask for express permission, that would make me feel more comfortable.
          And hey, if you want to send me photos of your corner fireplace and then if a few other people do, I can do a REALLY good blog post where I break things down with your fireplace(s) as examples and advise what to do!
          If that appeals to you, send them along! kylie@kylieminteriors.ca (don’t forget the m in the middle, a lot of people do 😉 In the subject line write, ‘Photos for blog post idea’, this way the photos don’t get misplaced amongst my E-design clients!

    2. Post
      Author

      And btw, if you want to send photos, send them to kylie@kylieminteriors.ca and in the subject line write, ‘Photos for blog post idea’, this way the photos don’t get misplaced amongst my E-design clients! I have another reader asking about a corner fireplace and I just might be able to make a good blog post from it!

    1. Post
      Author
  2. Love your work Kylie! Our house is a similar layout with the second level open to the living room. What do you do to prevent noise when your kids are sleeping? We find the noise carries up into the bedrooms. I’ve bought a few rugs to try and help block the sound but it hasnt done much so far.

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Victoria! Well, we chose to have carpet in the girls bedrooms, which helped a lot as the noise gets blocked right from where the door closes. Our older daughter sleeps with her door shut and the younger leaves it ajar. We just kind of said, ‘get used it…’ this way as they grow-up they can really fall asleep easy anywhere, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone! Sometimes, my older daughter sleeps with a fan on for a bit of white noise, but we rarely get any complaints from them. We’re kind of like ‘well, it’s bedtime, you’ll fall asleep…” 😉

  3. Hello,

    I enjoy your blog…always such great information. I had purchased your color consultation awhile back and it was very helpful. Here is my dilemma ….decorating a blank wall with baseboard heating. I have searched the internet but to no avail. Any guidance would be so appreciated. Thank you. Stay healthy.

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Laura! That is always a tough one. You know, why don’t you send me a photo. If I can figure out a plan, MAYBE I can integrate it into a blog post! In the email line say, ‘photos for blog post idea’ so that they don’t get mixed up with E-design photos 😉
      ~Kylie

  4. Thanks for all that helpful info! I do have a question about your living room as it is a lot like my home and I bought a sectional and am struggling with it in my living room…could you be so kind and give me the feet from your photo accent wall to the fireplace, on the opposite wall? I have a feeling your space is a bit larger than mine..I am wondering if I could arrange my sectional like yours. Also. in your sister in laws living room, what color paint is on the walls? Its beautiful.
    My living room is like yours but no fireplace..there is about 5 feet between the 2 windows, and then the other wall..where your couch is against the wall…I have also..my sectional is facing that wall with an entertainment center on it….my question is… if you did not have a fireplace would you still place the entertainment center on that wall? Thanks in advance, stay well.

  5. Hi, thank you this was really helpful. I am trying to figure this all out in my family room right now (which is kind of hard since everything is closed for the time being). Curious if you could share where you purchased your sectional? I like the simple look of it. Thanks for your post.

    1. Post
      Author

      Thank you Laura! Our sectional is awesome, it’s from a Canadian company called Urban Barn and its in the Bronx collection, so you can pick any fabric and make ANY size you want – that bad boy is 9′ x 11′ and we LOVE it!

  6. Topics I’d love to learn: How to choose an interior/trim door color and the best neutral trim colors. How to create a whole house palette and know where to use the different colors. How to do a color palette with paint in an open concept room. How to choose an accent wall and good colors for accent walls. A good palette for aesthetic white (this is my whole house color so I’m selfishly throwing this in there!). 🙂 Thanks for all you do!

    1. Post
      Author

      Nice! Okay, so I do have a pretty good blog post re: door/trim colour here: https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/4-steps-pick-the-right-white-for-your-trim-cabinets-or-walls/ I bet you’ll find it helpful!

      Now re: how to make a colour palette for an open concept, or EVEN a whole home – love it, awesome.

      Accent walls, I’ve got that for you here! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/where-should-i-do-a-feature-wall-and-what-colour-should-it-be/

      And Aesthetic White, I LOVE THIS COLOUR. Now re: a good palette for it, do you mean other paint colours to go with it for other rooms or ACCENT colours to go with it. If its accent colours, that would be more about the other finishes/furnishings in your home and less about Aesthetic. If you send me some photos I can look at your spaces and come up with some quick ideas for you! Actually, I don’t have enough photos of this colour in action on my site and maybe a few of your photos could work if they’re light/bright/not blurry! But regardless, send me some photos ;).

      And thank you for your input, this is JUST what I need!
      ~Kylie

  7. I just want to thank you so much for your post today. Perfectly timed. I needed a distraction 🙂 and also need to change over from winter to spring decor (we live rurally a little higher in elevation than most places and still have a fair bit of snow).
    I’ll definitely be using lots of your advice and am Looking forward to future blog posts on other rooms!

    1. Post
      Author
  8. Hi Kylie! Thank you for posting this awesome blog! Inspired me to put “clean my white trim” at the top of my list for tomorrow. I just hired you to help me with paint colors for my dining room with tray ceiling. I thought “ways to paint a tray ceiling” would be a fun idea for a future blog. So many tray ceilings seem to turn out too layered or “stripe-y”. I would love to see other ways to paint them. I’ve got another tray ceiling in my bedroom to tackle so I’m on the hunt for ideas!

    1. Post
      Author
  9. Love your post! I read and study them as if preparing for an exam!
    I’d love to see a color review on dark colors for accent walls or built in cabinets in west facing rooms that go with BM White Dove.
    Examples:
    BM Fairview Taupe/Kingsport Gray
    SW Iron Ore/Thunder Gray/Peppercorn/Black Fox/Urban Bronze
    You get my drift here, dark.
    Thank you for sharing you knowledge with us all!

  10. Hi there! Hope you and yours are happy and healthy.

    You mentioned that if we have any topics we want to learn about, there is something on my list I’ve been wanting to do for a looong time. Especially now with thinking even more about family health and safety, and times together – past, present and future. And some time to start doing something about that!

    We have a U Shaped staircase with walls on all 3 sides. On the 2 side walls I want to put photos of both sides family history (e.g. great grandma’s, parents when they were young, our parents’ wedding photos, etc). Then, on the larger middle wall, I want photos of our family vacations over the years. Soooo… single frames? Combined frames? Matching colour frames on all 3 walls? What colour(s)? Matte/no matte/how to mix up? And as we enjoy new vacations how do I add new frames/photos over the years?

    Well, how’s that for thinking of something to accomplish during these interesting times?

    If this is something that catches your interest, and that others would be interested in, would be great to learn from your beautiful & talented skills and ideas!

    Take care!

  11. I would love to see a post about window treatments. It looks like your sister has cellular shades in her home and pulls them off beautifully. They don’t get much love these days so wondering if she went that route for the kid stage (which we are hardcore in). Thank you for all of your content.

    1. Post
      Author
  12. Thanks for all that helpful info! I do have a question about your living room as it is a lot like my home and I bought a sectional and am struggling with it in my living room…could you be so kind and give me the feet from your photo accent wall to the fireplace, on the opposite wall? My living room is alot like yours, and I have a sectional..and I am struggling a little bit…
    My other question is… if you did not have a fireplace would you still place the entertainment center on that wall?
    Thanks in advance,.
    Also. in your sister in laws living room, what color paint is on the walls? Its beautiful.

  13. This has been a wonderful post to help me focus! Unfortunately, being home so much has increased my stressing over what color to paint my bedroom. I am assuming I should focus on my cherry wood furniture since I don’t have a favorite color (I like to change my comforter and curtains seasonally but I come home with both cool and warm colors and hate it when they look awful in the room). The carpet is a golden beige and the window faces east with just a drive way separating me and my neighbor, so not much light. Any blog recommendations?
    I admire your talent, and humor. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Kelly, thank you! I know, as you spend more time at home it’s a lot easier to look closer at the things that are bothering you! Now, without seeing the room, any could I suggest is a TOTAL guess, but based on your warm cherry toned furniture and beige carpet, I’d be inclined to balance with a cooler approach with a touch of colour in to balance out that eastern light, maybe along the lines of BM Gray Wisp perhaps? A pretty blue-green-gray blend. I hope that helps! I have a great blog post on those colours too! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/8-most-popular-blue-green-paint-colours-mix-sherwin-williams-and-benjamin-moore/
      ~Kylie

  14. You are fantastic!!! This gives me something to do on Saturday. I will do deeper dive on post after I am off the clock. You have definitely brightened my day while I’m Working from home.
    Please take care and be well.

    1. Post
      Author

      Oh Katherine, I LOVE to hear that, thank YOU! I’ve got another one coming up in the next week or so that has more ideas for ‘Decorating Using What You Have’, which could be fun! Hope you’re keeping well in these crazy times…
      Ky

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More Posts

Meet Kylie

Thank you for visiting!  I'm so glad you're here!  Come on in to learn a little more about me!

Categories