3 Quick Tricks to Add Color to Your Living Room

If there’s anything you’re used to seeing around here, it’s home decorating changes. No matter what, I’m always getting inspired to mix up the color scheme, add elements for different seasons, or even just rearrange furniture for the heck of it.

I’ve gone on and on about how I love to rearrange furniture to make a room feel completely different and how easy it is to plan a layout, but today’s post is about adding items to give a room an entirely different feel. When I moved into my apartment last summer, I decided to keep with my modern aesthetic, but I wanted to add many glamorous touches. Velvet and fur pillows complimented tons of gold accent pieces to make the place feel very feminine. The fur was also a fun accent for the winter, making it cozy to curl up for a movie and a cup of tea. I shared my “final” modern glam apartment decor in this post back in September.

Fast forward 10 months and I’m looking for more color! I moved my sofa to face the window to allow more light in and make the room a little move divided between the kitchen and the living room, but in order to make a dent in the look of the place I focused on a few key elements.

1. Artwork

Details: Seascape Artwork – Urban Outfitters by Ingrid Beddoes | Geometric Art – DIY by Me | Girl Watercolor – Me, inspired by a piece from Society6 | Large Frame – Amazon.com | Small Frames – Michaels

Artwork is one of those things that you don’t want to force. Something that makes you smile, evokes a strong feeling, or brings you amazing memories is the best way to choose artwork, in my opinion. For me, that’s what happened with this aerial beach photograph from Ingrid Beddoes. I saw it on Instagram and immediately was drawn to the colors and movement in the water. I kept coming back to it over the year, and finally decided to make the plunge. It has great blue and pink tones in it that work great with the pink pillows I already had, and added that pop of color my very beige apartment needed.

Along with this piece, I knew I wanted to add variety and personality, so I looked around for a couple of other small pieces. I was inspired by the Nordic style of artwork that is based around shapes and simplicity, and I thought the hard lines would contrast well with the natural swirls of the waves. I made this geometric artwork in a post I shared last week!

The last piece I also made, but wholeheartedly cannot take credit for. I wanted something a little quirky and a little thought provoking, and this piece by Caroline Mills was just so fun. The size and shape just wasn’t what I was looking for, however, so I created my own inspired version in watercolor. She seems pretty judgmental, annoyed, or just confused, and I really like guessing which one depending on how the light is hitting her.

And don’t worry, growing up my parents always had more artwork than they actually had space for. They would swap pieces out as they grew tired of things, and then rediscover them later on. I decided to move the gold artwork I made into my bedroom, though it is still sitting on the floor waiting to be hung up…

2. Greenery

I might be kicking myself later when my green thumb fails me, but I added two new plant babies to my living room, and I love them! They are both from IKEA and cost $15 (majesty palm) and $2 (small dragon tree), so if I fail then at least they cost next to nothing. Fake plants are another option, but they just never look real to me, plus the real ones help to clean the air! These have been going strong for about a month, so say your prayers for me, folks.

Both of these plants take indirect sunlight and varying amounts of water. I will not proceed to tell you the best way to take care of them, but I can tell you that they make a huge difference in your space. The majesty palm is 5-6 feet tall and adds a pop of color and texture to the room that was really needed. A smaller plant is perfect next to the television or on a coffee table to draw your eye in, and I love the personality this dragon tree gives off.

When it comes to potting your plants, it’s important to not just leave them in their plastic containers which can end up looking cheap. I love a clean, white pot, or a beautiful straw basket like this $12 one from IKEA. It creates a global, bohemian vibe that is incredibly relaxed and coastal.

3. Pillows

How many times have I talked about pillows? Too many… but it’s true that they can really transform a space! I didn’t get any new pillows, but I did remove the gold and fur ones. They are great for other vibes and seasons, but my more relaxed vibe did not match with the glamorous feel of those textures and colors. By removing them, it makes the space more open and calming to match the zen feel of the ocean print and the palm tree. Who knows, the most perfect teal pillow may just pop out at me and I may have to buy it to carry the color scheme through the entire space. It’s always a work in progress!

It might just be summer, or it might be permanent, but I am in love with my “new” space! What do you think? Modern glam or Colorful Cali-zen? (Yes, I am making these decor terms up as I go…)