Even as I type this post, my living room renovation is well underway! The house is upside down and full of dust, but I know it will all be worth it as it’s already feeling like a completely different space. You can see the renovation from the beginning to where it is currently on my Instagram story highlights. Follow me on Instagram and watch my stories to keep abreast of the renovation as it happens.
Both Andy and I have been unhappy with our lounge for a LONG time, however, we’ve had to wait for the right time to address it due to the sheer extent of the work required. Namely, the dire decor, condensation and damp, drafty windows, poor layout, and heating problems.
Living Room Before
So let me start at the beginning. We moved into our home in 2013 and renovated the whole house in around a year. Here’s the estate agent’s photo of the living room from when we bought the house.
This is the one side of the room. It had been knocked through at some point in the past and went from the front to the back, making it a long narrow room. Here is how it looked after our initial renovation. Apologies for the poor quality photo.
I guess I was happy with it at the time, but if you’ve seen the print in my hallway ‘beige is a swear word’, then you’ll probably gather what my feelings are about it now.
The room has undergone a few small changes over the years and prior to starting our current renovation, looked decidedly tatty and unloved. This is the view from the garden end, showing the full length of the room.
Living Room Now
I wish I could say someone else designed it, but it was me. It’s definitely been my least favourite room in the house for what seems like forever. And not just because of the decor, but because of the awkward shape of the space, making it unsociable, with guests having to sit in a row at the other end of the room. I can honestly say I’ve spent the last 6 years trying to think of how to improve the layout and make it work.
So when Andy came up with the idea of knocking the kitchen through to the garden end of the living room to extend the kitchen diner and fit panoramic patio windows. And adding partition doors to zone off the living room, to create a more balanced shape and size, I was right there on board. It’s something that I have thought about in the past, but always dismissed due to the massive upheaval. But no pain, no gain eh?
We were then left with the reality of not being able to afford to carry out our plans any time soon. Thankfully, I came up with the idea during a sleepless night to make the lounge separate with a partition wall, and just tackle this room first. The other end of the living room would then be left shut off from the rest of the house until we are in a position to knock through. So that’s what we decided to do!
I’ve been putting together a living room mood board for a while which has evolved over time as our plans have changed. This is my vision for our brand new living room renovation and I can’t wait. It’s been a long time coming!
Mood Board & Plans
As you can see, I’ve continued with a similar colour palette to my other recent makeovers of my bathroom, porch, downstairs toilet and kitchen. Almost everything in the current room is going to be replaced with new furniture and accessories in order to inject some colour and texture into the room. I’ve also planned the room around the way we live in it, which is super important and sometimes overlooked during renovations.
As well as the decorative changes, we will be (and have already started some of it!) building a partition wall, building a false chimney breast, and replacing the coving and flooring. We’re also having a new window and installing shutters to replace the current curtains. If you’re a scroller, follow me on Instagram to see the renovation so far in my story highlights.
I’d love to hear what you think of my plans for our living room renovation in the comments below!
Don’t forget to join my e-mail list so you don’t miss the big reveal! You’ll also be one of the first to see the refresh of my kitchen, which I’m doing to tide it over until phase 2 of our renovation.
Interior design nut, self confessed neat freak, and budding yogi. On a mission to banish all of the white ceilings in my home.
