There’s something so satisfying about giving a room a little refresh without completely renovating it. Our lounge has always been one of my favourite spaces in the house, but recently I felt like it needed brightening up. The soft furnishings and decorative details were beginning to feel tired and with so many grey tones throughout the room, it had started to feel a little colder than I’d have liked. My goal was simple: create a space that felt warmer, cosier and a little more elevated, without replacing all of the larger furniture.
So here is the before photo:
…and here is the after:
The first thing to go was our old rug. We’d had a dark grey shaggy rug for years and whilst it looked ok, it blended into all the other grey tones in the room and made the whole space feel darker.After plenty of searching, we settled on this super plush cream faux fur rug from Dunelm, and I honestly don’t think I could love it more. At just under £300, it feels far more luxurious than its price tag suggests. It’s incredibly soft underfoot and instantly brightened the entire room. It’s amazing how something as simple as changing a rug can completely transform the atmosphere of a space.
For years we’d used a large pouffe as our coffee table, but I was ready for something that made the lounge feel a little more grown up and a little less like a man cave! This beautiful travertine-effect coffee table from Dunelm for only £179 turned out to be exactly what I had in mind. The creamy stone finish complements the new rug perfectly and adds such an elegant focal point to the room. My favourite coffee table books and a cute basket tray with candles are the chicest finishing touch to complete the look.
With the oversized pouffe gone, we still wanted somewhere comfortable to put our feet up in the evenings, so I found the perfect solution in a soft cord pouffe from Dunelm in this gorgeous olive green shade. At only £45, it’s practical, lightweight and easy to move around depending on where we’re sitting. It also introduces another subtle pop of colour that ties in beautifully with the rest of the room.
One thing I’d really wanted to update was our cushions as the ones we’d had for years were definitely beginning to show their age. Amongst the endless cushion displays at Home Sense, I found these beautifully plush cream faux fur cushions that complement the rug perfectly. I love the subtle textured pattern which adds interest without competing with the patterned cushions we already owned. To finish the look, I went on the hunt for a cosy throw and eventually found this ribbed cream blanket on Amazon. It matches the textured base of the coffee table so well and is ideal for curling up under during cosy evenings at home.
Inspired by the boho chic aesthetic of interiors in Bali, I’ve always wanted to get a large wicker lampshade for the lounge and found the perfect match from (you guessed it!) Dunelm for only £49. Again, this adds a warmth to the room which was lacking before with those grey lampshades and the pattern it makes on the ceiling when turned on at night is stunning.
I’m still on the lookout for a new floor lamp for the corner of the sofa, but in the meantime I found this gorgeous rechargeable lamp from Amazon that looks so chic and elegant on our side table. It gives off such a warm glow in the evenings and adds another cosy layer of lighting to the room. The final thing I’d like to change in here is the wall artwork as well. Having now deviated from the blue tones we had before, we need something featuring some touches of greens and golds to complement the new colour palette.
Sometimes it’s the smallest changes that make the biggest difference. Simply updating the rug, coffee table, lampshade, cushions and accessories has completely transformed the feel of our lounge without the need for a full renovation. The overall palette now feels much softer, with neutral creams and warm greys layered alongside touches of jungle green and gold for a cosy yet timeless aesthetic.
It’s brighter, more inviting and finally feels like the relaxing, grown up living space we’d always envisioned for our living room ❤
Dani Aneka 