In most homes, the Living room is the centre of attention. It’s where we sit down to converse with friends, spend time with family and have late night movie marathons with loved ones. It’s where we display our favorite memories, proudest acquisitions and greatest achievements.

It would therefore make sense to ensure that your living room feels, well, alive. You don’t need to purchase the most expensive leather lounge suite or the largest flat screen to pull this off. If anything, most entries on this list require little more than some DIY.

A few small changes will go a long way in improving both the look and functionality of your living room. The right additions will give it a personal touch that makes it truly feel like your own.

1. Bookshelf

Very few homes stand for long without one – and for good reason. When done right, a bookshelf lined with your favorite reads is as functional as it is pleasing to look at. If you’re not a bookworm, there’s no shame in picking up a few “dummy books” to fill the gaps.

Depending on the theme of your living room, opt for books that either blend in or stand out from the space surrounding them. If you prefer making it clear to your guests what you’ve paged through, pick up a shelf that stands out on your wall and finish it off with a few of your favorite objects.  

A clean floating shelf topped with a handful of conservatively designed, monochrome book covers will match more minimal spaces quite well. Either way, you’ll be adding depth to your living room, as well as giving yourself something to reach for whenever you’re sitting on the sofa waiting for the electricity to come back on!

2. An Attractive Entrance

Depending on how your home is laid out, you can play this one of two ways. If there isn’t a doorway leading to your living room, there’s not too much you can do apart from adding a carpet or some photos on the wall. However, if there is a doorway, make the most of it and install a great looking internal door.

A provider that has flexible payment options and next day deliver is ideal. Savoy Timber offer those services and have a range of cheap oak internal doors that are pre-finished and come in a variety of unique styles to suit any home. You can also find a range of kits and accessories that help. Opt for a shade of wood that blends in well with its surroundings. It will help bring all the elements together.

3. Flora

This should come as no surprise, but incorporating a few plants is arguably the most effective way to add life into any room. If you’re pressed for time, opt for smaller, low-maintenance pot plants that aren’t too thirsty or quick to grow. Even a petite cactus on your television stand adds a ton of much-needed character to otherwise empty spaces.

If you want to take it to the next level, pick up a few larger pot plants for your floor. Add a hanging plant or two to your newly acquired bookshelf and you’re set. Some great, low-maintenance indoor plants to consider include the stag-horn fern, weeping fig, English ivy, spider plant, asparagus fern and the paddle plant.

4. Fireplace

Okay, we’ll admit it, installing a fireplace is about as big and costly as a interior design project can get. But have you ever considered a faux fireplace? While you can’t exactly burn anything in its wooden construction, it does add a ton of depth and character to your living room. It also creates a shelf up top for you to store more of your favorite things.

A faux fireplace is a fairly simple project that involves creating a T-shaped wooden structure and topping it off with a flat shelving unit. Fill the space in the middle with some firewood and you’re set. A Beautiful Mess has a helpful guide on getting it done.

5. DIY Pillowcases

Buying a new sofa is costly and often far from necessary. Instead, upgrade your current suite with some custom pillowcases. You don’t have to be great at sewing to pull these off. Pick a fabric that you think will go well with your sofa.

Brighter, bolder designs stand out against the often-muted tones of most sofas, giving your living room a lively look. All you need to do is sew your fabric of choice as shown here and you’re set. The envelope closure design looks super clean on both sides and is easy to work with.

These simple additions will go a long way in making your favorite space feel like it’s truly your own. It won’t cost you a fortune and won’t take weeks to prepare, allowing you to spend more quality time in your living room doing what you really want to relax.

Photo by Kirill Zakharov