Earlier this week I was invited to take part in a blogger challenge with Homeserve, all about giving our homes a warm and cosy look over the winter. Even with the heating on full blast, if the home is plain and bare it can still end up looking and feeling a little cold.
I immediately knew which section of our living area needed to have a bit of warmth added to it, as I had a very plain bare wall in the middle of our living room and I have been wanting to inject a bit more warmth and life into this for quite a while – in fact since we moved in two years ago, but with one thing or another it hasn’t been done!
Here is my wall before hand. I think you can agree, it looks very plain and bare and is not so warm and welcoming.
The sofa is very comfy, and it is a functional area with plenty of shelving and books, but it was just lacking personality and warmth in this section of the living room.
As a part of the challenge we were given a £50 gift card to B&Q so that we could buy some things to help us on our home warming mission. I straight away thought about getting something for the wall, as a splash of colour would definitely liven it up and add warmth. I also wondered about extra lighting but I think a standing floor lamp could be potentially a bit dangerous with 3 young boisterous boys rushing around in case they knocked into it. After browsing around a little I decided on this canvas which is the perfect colour scheme for the rest of the room and brings such warmth in as it has a sunset feel to it. I also added some cushions, and bought a small fibre optic lamp. This is a children’s Disney Planes lamp so it may not fit 100% with the decor but the colour lights are so vibrant and the boys love it. Their smiles and laughter are really the main thing which brings warmth to our home! My LED twinkling string lights also add a nice warm and cosy feel especially at this time of year.
It’s hard to capture the effect of the lights well on camera, but it looks so sparkly and welcoming. The overall effect is a massive change from the look of this space before!
Here to see the full effect, is my finished “made-over” corner on the left, and the full room on the right so you can see how it fits in.
What do you think? I’m really impressed with how much change I have been able to make on a small budget and I’m looking forward to curling up on the sofa with a mince pie later on to enjoy the new cosy feel of the room!
This is an entry to the Homeserve Winter Blogger challenge – See the website for further info and T&Cs
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
LED light is always great to light up a room!
Love the canvas and funky cushions. Our walls are all plain with nothing on them. I really need to fix that!
The room looks great, it’s amazing how a simple change can make a big difference. Popping over from #PoCoLo
lovely picture, looks great
looks super cosy 🙂 good luck with your entry! xx
Those cushions and canvas have really made the room look different and welcoming! Looks lovely!
Lovely! And it’s surprising how easily a room can be transformed without spending much x
Wow that’s a great transformation. Really inspiring to think you can do that on a small budget!
That looks great – so different and much more homely! Just shows you don’t need to spend a fortune to change a room.
Good luck for the competition, you did a great job.
You’ve made a wonderful change on a restricted budget. I love cosy rooms.
What a difference. It looks like you’ll be ready for a cosy Christmas snuggling on the sofa now!
Bare walls are no one’s friend! Those cushion covers are GORGEOUS btw….
It’s fab how much difference you have made with just the canvas and cushions, much more warm and welcoming
Thats really lovely. That canvas is great and definitely what I would have gone for 🙂 Thanks for supporting PoCoLo this year x
It looks so much more inviting – amazing what a few finishing touches can achieve
Great post
Looks great, would love to do something like this to ours. We’re in the same predicament really. Something else always needs our attention so the living room has never been touched.
Lovely living room Anna! 🙂
this really works!