This Living Makeover is the Inspo You Need to Make Your Space More Colorful!

Cool, blue-green walls tie the whole space together.

This Living Makeover is the Inspo You Need to Make Your Space More Colorful!

Photo by @langthomasinteriors

When designer Gretchen Rose first moved into her home, she painted every space in a creamy shade of white. “I wasn’t ready to commit to color until we’d lived in the house for a few months and learned how we wanted to utilize each space,” she tells us.

Before

Before making the living room more colorful, this space was an all-white dining room.

But after deciding on how she wanted the layout to flow (what’s now her living room was originally the dining area), white walls didn’t feel quite right. “The room felt void of character and personality,” Gretchen says. “This room doubles as our entry and I wanted it to be an inviting space that represents my style.” The next step was clear: to make her living room more colorful!

After

Photo by @langthomasinteriors

By choosing Make Waves, a green-ish blue paint color that plays beautifully with natural light, and mixing in both vintage and contemporary pieces, Gretchen created the happy, welcoming vibe she was looking for. Read on to get all the details about how it came together.

Find Color Inspiration in Unexpected Places

When dreaming up how to add more personality to her living room, Gretchen turned to some of her happiest family memories. “My Gramme (who just turned 98!) has a formal living room with blue carpet, floral sofas and a marble surround fireplace,” Gretchen says. “So many family photos have been taken in that room over the years. I definitely feel like it influenced my design.” While blue carpet wasn’t in the cards, choosing blue-green Make Waves on the walls makes a lovely homage.

Mix Vintage With New


Photo by @langthomasinteriors

Gretchen describes her style as “traditional with a twist,” so she’s all about creating an old-school-meets-new vibe. To bring it to life, she opted for a vintage rug in a fresh color palette, a traditional rolled-arm sofa in a vibrant, pink-ish orange hue, an antique coffee table and plenty of thrifted artwork. She even installed picture frame molding on the walls to add more character, a project she calls “a major proud moment.”

Enjoy the End Result

While redesigning a room from scratch can feel overwhelming, living in a space you truly love makes it all worth it. Gretchen’s goal with this refresh was “to feel happy and inspired by [her] surroundings,” and it sounds like she nailed it. “My new favorite seat in the house is on the couch across from the window, enjoying the warm sunshine streaming in while snuggled up with a cup of coffee and my pups,” she says.

Looking for more colorful living rooms? Right this way!

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