9 Neutral Living Room Decor Ideas | Before & After Makeover

1. Create a paneled accent wall

I really want to add some more character to this space, so the first project I’ll be tackling is creating a paneled accent wall. I plan to add the TV to this paneled wall once it’s done, instead of keeping it over the fireplace where it is now. Once that’s done, I will also add some sconces around it as well.

The sconces I bought to hang up today only came with large hooks and no holes to screw into. Since I don’t want to ruin the wall I just paneled, I plan to return these ones and find some sconces that will work better.

2. Put on a fresh coat of paint

One of the key things that will transform this room is a fresh coat of paint. I have been so scared of going from white walls to moody, brown walls, but honestly, I'm so happy I decided to do just that.

Here is the final result. As you can see, It’s much nicer to be in this room now. Plus, it feels extra cozy this way. I went with the color Foothills by Sherwin-Williams, and you can see just how much it transformed this space from before.

3. Relocating the TV

I’m having our handyman come and move the TV to the newly paneled wall so it is out of the way and no longer serves as the focal point of the room.

Now that it’s hanging in the new space, you can see how it blends into the room better instead of drawing your eyes right to it, as it did over the fireplace.

4. Make a faux oil painting

I went to CVS and picked up a print I really like, and I’ll be using Mod Podge to transform it from a boring mass-produced print to a faux oil painting.

She is beautiful, isn’t she? She's Italian but she's giving a little bit of a Spanish vibe which fits me and my culture well. I love her so much that she had to be the focal point here, and I think it goes so well with this space.

All you have to do for this DIY faux oil painting project is to brush a thin layer of Mod Podge over the entire surface of the print, let it dry well, and then frame it.

Here is the finished project in all its glory. This is the most beautiful transformation that I've seen, but maybe I’m a little biased because I did it myself. To make it stand out even more, I added two of my vintage black pots on either side of it.

5. Style the sectional

Next, I’m going to style my Chita Living sectional. I started by fluffing everything and just fixing it up so that it looked nice and pretty for all my pillows. Then, I went ahead and added these throw pillows.

I also draped a blanket over the ottoman so that when I come to sit down, I can literally scoop my legs under it and then pull it up.

For the other side of the sectional, I went ahead and added this beautiful little Kilim Turkish pillow that I purchased on Etsy and this small lumbar pillow. This one is from an older collection at Target.

6. Decorate the accent chairs

These are my accent chairs. They are from the Vivian Park collection from Target. They are my favorite swivel chairs because they are so comfortable and they match the sofa that's in my formal living room.

7. Stage the coffee table

For my coffee table, I simply added a few neutral living room decor pieces I already owned.

8. Place decor on the built-in bookshelves

Moving on to my built-ins, I wanted to keep it pretty simple so I added some books and a vase to one of the sides and a bowl with some beaded garland that I purchased from Target on the other side.

Then, right under that, I added this pretty tiled tray that I purchased from HomeGoods a while back. I feel like I have a lot of decor already, so I wanted to make sure that I could use as much as I already had without spending more money.

Moving on to the very top, I decided to add a bookend and a couple of books. I wanted it to sit kind of in the middle instead of what I typically do, which is lean it against the wall, and then I added a second bookend to the other side just to keep it together.

9. Bring the outdoors in

Last, but not least, I decided to go outside to my backyard, climb my wall, and cut a tree branch down for decor purposes. I think it looks really beautiful in its new space.