Before and After: 3 Dramatic Living Room Makeovers
See how designers, including one found on Houzz, transformed living spaces with fresh decor and architectural tweaks
Whether you hang out and watch TV in your living room or use it mainly for entertaining guests, you want its design to look and feel intentional and inviting — a recipe that, admittedly, is hard to get right. Below, see three living room makeovers whose designers, including one found on Houzz, mastered the mix by considering the homes’ architectures and the clients’ lifestyles, then adjusting the rooms’ colors, furnishings and architectural features to taste.
After: Kandler and the homeowner said adios to Spanish Colonial style and hello to cottage charm. They started by painting the walls and ceiling beams a warm shade of white (Whisper by Dunn-Edwards) and installing new wide-plank white oak floors that run throughout the house. Citrus green wallpaper (Fiorentina by Quadrille) between the ceiling beams draws the eye upward and adds some whimsy to the space.
A new, more conversational furniture layout with two sofas and a vibrant turquoise settee provides plenty of seating options for entertaining friends or grandkids. There’s still a television, but instead of a black rectangle it’s The Frame from Samsung, which has a mode that makes it resemble a piece of fine art.
Off-white slipcovers that can be removed for cleaning help the sofas withstand heavy traffic. Pink and purple throw pillows that complement the colors of the vintage area rug deliver yet more color.
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A new, more conversational furniture layout with two sofas and a vibrant turquoise settee provides plenty of seating options for entertaining friends or grandkids. There’s still a television, but instead of a black rectangle it’s The Frame from Samsung, which has a mode that makes it resemble a piece of fine art.
Off-white slipcovers that can be removed for cleaning help the sofas withstand heavy traffic. Pink and purple throw pillows that complement the colors of the vintage area rug deliver yet more color.
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The backs of two custom built-in bookcases are painted in Love Letter by Dunn-Edwards. Task sconces illuminate the hot pink kisses at night.
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Photos by Matthew Niemann Photography
2. From Run-Down Flop to Mid-Mod Flip
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their dog
Location: Alamo Heights area of San Antonio, Texas
Architect, builder and designer: Haven Design & Construction
Before: This mid-renovation living room snapshot shows what interior designer Jana Valdez and her homebuilder husband, Armando, owners of Haven Design & Construction, faced when they purchased a neglected home in San Antonio, Texas. Built in 1959, the house had good midcentury bones, but it had been chopped up during a bad remodel and addition in the 1980s, and roof issues had caused part of the ceiling to sag.
They did a gut remodel, which included removing part of the entrance wall on the left of this photo and the entire wall on the right, which divided the living room from the kitchen.
2. From Run-Down Flop to Mid-Mod Flip
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their dog
Location: Alamo Heights area of San Antonio, Texas
Architect, builder and designer: Haven Design & Construction
Before: This mid-renovation living room snapshot shows what interior designer Jana Valdez and her homebuilder husband, Armando, owners of Haven Design & Construction, faced when they purchased a neglected home in San Antonio, Texas. Built in 1959, the house had good midcentury bones, but it had been chopped up during a bad remodel and addition in the 1980s, and roof issues had caused part of the ceiling to sag.
They did a gut remodel, which included removing part of the entrance wall on the left of this photo and the entire wall on the right, which divided the living room from the kitchen.
After: The team had to install a 30-foot-long, 2-foot-tall LVL (laminated veneer lumber) beam to support the roof after the wall between the kitchen and living area was removed. But it paid off: The new open-plan living room, which is painted in Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore and has new recessed ceiling lights, is brighter and airier — and not just because the lighting is better in this photo.
The couple had purchased the house with an investor with the intention of selling it, so they were looking to appeal to a wide range of people. Valdez looked to the home’s midcentury architecture for color and design inspiration (wood and peacock blue touches, for example) but made updates to fit modern lifestyles and preferences.
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The couple had purchased the house with an investor with the intention of selling it, so they were looking to appeal to a wide range of people. Valdez looked to the home’s midcentury architecture for color and design inspiration (wood and peacock blue touches, for example) but made updates to fit modern lifestyles and preferences.
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Here’s a closer look at the custom wood partition peeking out in the previous photo. Valdez designed it to separate the entryway and kitchen without blocking light. But it did even more than that.
Did you notice the faceted lamps and the hexagonal coffee table in the previous photo? Without Valdez even being aware of it, the partition’s geometric shapes ended up being echoed in many of her design choices.
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Did you notice the faceted lamps and the hexagonal coffee table in the previous photo? Without Valdez even being aware of it, the partition’s geometric shapes ended up being echoed in many of her design choices.
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“After” photos by JB of Dreamside Design
3. From So Low to High and Bright
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A graphic designer, a kindergarten teacher and their three young children
Location: Lafayette, California
Designers: Alan Ohashi, Julia Arria and Philip Liang of ODS Architecture (architecture and landscape architecture)
Before: This living room is in a midcentury modern home in Lafayette, California. Perhaps the home’s greatest asset is its beautiful wooded setting, but its 8-foot ceilings, which you can see in this photo, limited the potential for expansive views. So when the owners hired ODS Architecture to refresh and expand the home, that included changing the roofline to accommodate higher ceilings and installing new windows and doors.
3. From So Low to High and Bright
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A graphic designer, a kindergarten teacher and their three young children
Location: Lafayette, California
Designers: Alan Ohashi, Julia Arria and Philip Liang of ODS Architecture (architecture and landscape architecture)
Before: This living room is in a midcentury modern home in Lafayette, California. Perhaps the home’s greatest asset is its beautiful wooded setting, but its 8-foot ceilings, which you can see in this photo, limited the potential for expansive views. So when the owners hired ODS Architecture to refresh and expand the home, that included changing the roofline to accommodate higher ceilings and installing new windows and doors.
After: Now 10-foot ceilings and expansive windows let in more sunshine and offer the sense of sitting amid the trees. And whereas the existing living room felt heavy and crowded because of the huge sectional couch, this one feels brighter and more open thanks to slimmer-profile midcentury furniture (including a Saarinen Womb chair), all of which the clients already had or chose to purchase themselves.
The architects also replaced the gas units in the home’s two fireplaces and redesigned the surrounds. In the living room, the tiles are from local company Fireclay. A black steel ledge continues from the top of the fireplace tiles around the corner and runs along the adjacent wall, giving the homeowners a place to display artwork. And a smoky glass chandelier complements the tile.
The architects also replaced the gas units in the home’s two fireplaces and redesigned the surrounds. In the living room, the tiles are from local company Fireclay. A black steel ledge continues from the top of the fireplace tiles around the corner and runs along the adjacent wall, giving the homeowners a place to display artwork. And a smoky glass chandelier complements the tile.
Here’s a view of the living room from the dining room, which was also designed with adults in mind. As sophisticated as the furnishings are, the room’s windows and simple black, white and light wood palette let the greenery outside steal the show.
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1. From Neutral to Knockout
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman with young grandchildren
Location: Los Angeles
Designer: Alison Kandler Interior Design
Before: This Los Angeles living room was very attractive, with crisp white walls and dark wood floors, beams and accents that fit the home’s Spanish Colonial architecture. It just didn’t suit the homeowner, who loves color and pattern.
So she reached out to designer Alison Kandler, whom she had found on Houzz several years earlier. The two have similar taste, so they saw eye to eye when it came to giving this neutral room a lot more oomph.
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