Living Room Makeover on a Budget
It’s about time I revamped my living room space. I’m dreaming about it for over a year and it got stronger last year when I was stuck in my home due to Covid restrictions. I shopped for cutlery, furniture, décor, etc. for the house but it’s the living room I’m more interested in at the moment. It’s partly because of my bestie moving into her apartment in Melbourne and partly because of the gorgeous living room from Ginny & Georgia, a show on Netflix. The urge got stronger over the last few weeks, so much that I spent days browsing through different websites for my needs.
THE PROJECT: BEFORE
The building I stay in is pretty old. There are talks regarding its redevelopment but nobody has an idea when it’s really happening. Because of the whole redevelopment plan, both my parents are rejecting the idea of paint and new furniture. The paint in the living room is excellent, as it is washable and velvety. So even if it’s been years we haven’t painted the house, the living room walls still look pretty. The furniture is old: the tables have a dark brown laminate sheet, which I dislike. I wish I could just throw all of it or paint them or do something which will bring a better look to the space.
The sofa is fine. I love the pistachio coloured sofa covers but the cushion covers are horrible (I don’t know why I would get those; they look tacky!). The frames are a mix of religious and traditional art, again something which I would love to change. (Though my parents are against me taking off the Ganesha frame.)
The living room space has no plants. We transferred them to our Pune house since the gardener can water them in our absence. There are a few décor pieces, which I love, and most of those would stay back.
THE PROJECT: AFTER
Cushion covers
Firstly, I’m going to change the cushion covers. I bumped into this amazing site called Fabcurate.com from where I purchased fabrics. I wanted unique cushion covers so I got a fabric instead of buying cushion covers. For the tiny cushions (which are 12x12 inches), I got a cute peach and green hand block printed fabric that would go perfect with my pistachio green sofa. I’ve given them to my friend’s mom for stitching.
Hand Block is considered as one of the most pioneering and intricate techniques of block-printing that finds its existence in Rajasthan. Extremely talented artisans carve overly complex designs on the wooden blocks repeatedly, which are later used for printing fabrics. It takes immense effort, time, and dedication and that's why Hand Block represents the top-notch craftsmanship of printing fabric.
I’ve purchased another set of cushion covers for the bed-cum-diwan and three more decorative covers apart from the peach and green hand block fabric.
Plants & décor
I’m buying three sets of frames for different walls of the room. I’m also thinking of getting some décor pieces though I already have many (more the merrier!). I’m getting a bunch of indoor plants. I’ve already filled a glass bottle with a money plant to add to the greens.
I’m also planning of getting an area rug but it’s going slightly above my budget so I’m hunting for cheaper options. (Currently due to e-commerce restrictions in Maharashtra, I'm unable to place orders.)
Paint (?)
Last but not the least, I’m planning of repainting my tea table and other furniture. Painting laminated furniture is a task so I might skip that. But I’m definitely planning to paint the dark brown legs of my tea table to white (or black or lavender). For the same, I’ll need a sandpaper, paint (spray?), roller and roller pad. I’m nervous for this activity but it might be fun.
I’ll be sharing pictures of the living room on my blog soon. So stay tuned. It’s not a complete revamp as we’re not painting the walls but I’m glad to come across some really amazing sites such as Fabcurate.com for my online fabric store needs. I also need curtains as we had to take them off due to air-conditioner fitting. But I wonder whether it is even possible to fit a rod there.
Stay tuned for my updates on Instagram and check out Fabcurate.com for gorgeous fabrics from cotton to velvet to raw silk.
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