Our living room has gone through a lot of different versions over the years.
We moved the TV around more than once, had a faux fireplace for a while, built a cabinet-style box that could completely hide the TV behind doors, and kept trying different things to make the room work better.
Eventually, I got tired of randomly changing one thing at a time and decided I wanted the room to finally feel intentional.
This living room makeover became the version that finally brought everything together.
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Our Living Room Before the Makeover
Before this version of the room, we had already tried several different TV setups and furniture arrangements.
At one point, we had a faux fireplace. We used that for a while, but eventually took it out because we needed more seating.
.jpeg "Living Room Before Makeover")
One of the earlier versions of our living room before this makeover.
Later, I had my husband build a wall-mounted box around the TV with doors that could close completely over it. When the doors were shut, the TV disappeared. When we wanted to watch it, we opened them back up.
It was a clever idea, but after trying several arrangements over the years, I finally wanted to do something that looked finished instead of continuing to move things around.
.jpeg "Living Room Before and During Makeover")
Looking back at the different versions makes it easier to see why this room took us a while to figure out. We weren't starting from scratch — we were figuring out what worked and what didn't as we lived with the space.
.jpeg "Living Room Before Final Makeover")
Living Room Makeover Before and After
This is the point where the room finally started feeling like it had a real plan.
Watch the living room transformation ↓
The room after the fireplace wall, rug, curtains and smaller decor changes came together.
The biggest change was definitely the fireplace TV wall, but the rest of the room came together around it.
What We Changed
- Built a shiplap fireplace TV wall
- Recessed and framed the television
- Added an electric fireplace
- Added a living room ceiling fan
- Hung new curtains
- Added a large living room rug
- Changed the pillow covers
- Mixed thrifted and newer decor throughout the room
Building a Shiplap Fireplace TV Wall
The feature wall became the starting point for the rest of the makeover.
We built the fireplace wall out so the TV could sit farther back into the wall instead of simply looking like it was hanging on top of it.
The wall is finished with shiplap, which I especially like because we also used shiplap behind the table in our dining room makeover. Repeating the same material helps the two spaces feel connected.
The electric fireplace sits underneath the TV and gives us the look and atmosphere of a real fireplace without adding a traditional wood-burning one.
We can use it for the flame effect alone or turn on the heat when we actually want to warm the room.
If you want to see how my husband and son built the wall, I shared the whole project in our fireplace TV wall makeover.
.jpeg "Living Room Fireplace TV Wall")
Making the TV Look More Like Artwork
One thing I really wanted was for the television to stop looking like a big black rectangle hanging over the fireplace.
We added a frame around the TV so it looks more like a piece of artwork.
Using the background options on Roku, we can put a picture on the screen when we aren't watching television. With the frame around it, the TV blends into the room much better.
After all the different ways we've tried to hide or move the television over the years, this is probably my favorite solution so far.
Changing the Living Room Colors
Once the fireplace wall was finished, I wanted to soften the rest of the room and change the overall look a little.
We went with curtains that brought warmer, softer color into the space and helped move the room away from feeling too neutral.
I also added pillow covers that worked with those tones instead of replacing all of the throw pillows.
Those relatively small changes helped tie the seating area together without replacing all of our furniture.
Finally Adding a Living Room Rug
One of the biggest changes for me was finally being able to add a large living room rug.
For years, having a rug wasn't very practical because of our dog. Between the fur and him coming in dirty, I knew a large rug would have been difficult to keep clean.
After he passed away, that was one of the things I finally felt like I could add to the room without constantly worrying about it getting covered in fur or dirt.
The rug made a huge difference visually. It helped define the seating area and made the whole living room feel softer and more finished.
.jpeg "Living Room Rug and Decor Makeover")
Updating the Ceiling Fan
We also added a ceiling fan that works better with the updated look of the room.
A ceiling fan isn't necessarily the first thing you notice in a makeover, but in a room this size it's both practical and part of what you see every day.
Once the rest of the room started coming together, having the lighting and ceiling fixtures fit the same overall direction helped the space feel more finished.
Mixing Thrifted Decor With Newer Pieces
Not everything in the living room makeover was bought new.
Our plant and several of the decorative pieces around the room were thrifted. I like mixing those finds in with newer pieces because it keeps the room from feeling like everything came from the same store or was purchased all at once.
If you like the look of greenery but don't come across the right thrifted plant, there are also similar decorative plants available online.
Mixing old and new makes the room feel more like us, which is a big part of why I like decorating this way.
.jpeg "Living Room Decor After Makeover")
One thing I didn't want to do:
Replace everything just because we were updating the room. A lot of this makeover was about changing the pieces that made the biggest difference and working with what we already had.
Why This Version Finally Feels Right
I think what makes this makeover different from the other versions of our living room is that this time we weren't just solving one little problem.
We weren't simply moving the TV, hiding it, or adding one temporary feature.
We finally created a focal wall, tied it into the dining room with the shiplap, made the TV feel like part of the design, added softer colors, brought in a rug, and mixed thrifted decor with newer pieces.
For the first time, the room feels like all of the pieces were meant to work together.
A Living Room That Evolved Over Time
This room definitely didn't happen all at once.
We tried different ideas, changed things that stopped working for us, and eventually figured out what we actually wanted the room to look like.
That's probably how most of our projects happen. We live with something for a while, decide what we like and don't like, and keep changing it until it finally feels right.
This living room makeover is the version I'm happiest with so far.
What Would You Change Next?
If this were your living room, is there anything else you would add or change?
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