7 Ways Designers Add Color to a Living Room Without Actually Painting It

If you're craving a bit more color in your living room but are renting your home or are not looking to make any major, permanent changes, by no means is all hope lost.

Adnan Anwar, the founder of Adnan Anwar Design, understands the want to add new colors to a space without any permanent commitments of buying colored furniture or painting the walls.

"This may especially be true if you are a renter or you are still experimenting to find your personal style," Anwar says.

Luckily, there are so many simple, clever ways to brighten up your living space that are still easily reversible should you end your lease or wish to switch up your color scheme down the line. We asked interior designers to share their top tricks below.

Cover a Sofa With a Textile

Not everyone is able to or interested in investing in a reupholstery project, but this budget-friendly hack—draping a textile over a sofa—is an excellent way to infuse new hues into your living room in no time.

Grab a large piece of fabric, a blanket, or a scarf, and place it over the back of your sofa for an instant refresh. Anwar adds that such textiles can later be repurposed into tablecloths, art, bedspreads and the like should your design scheme change.

Paint Your Furniture

Rather than painting your walls, consider painting your furniture. Of course, not every piece is necessarily fair game.

"I only recommend doing this if you don't like your piece in its current form, it's not valuable as an antique, or it's in bad condition," Anwar says.

Swap in a New Rug

Don't underestimate the power of a simple area rug when it comes to adding character and charm to your living room.

"Changing out just the rug for something colorful in a neutral room can totally change the soul and vibe," Anwar says. He's partial to patterned rugs in particular and gravitates toward global designs, geometrics, and abstract styles.

If a full-sized patterned rug isn't in the budget, don't fear. Anwar recommends layering a smaller patterned piece overtop a neutral jute for a similar effect.

When choosing a patterned rug for your space, it's important to keep scale top of mind.

"Make sure it isn't too big for your room and furniture arrangement," Anwar says. "You want to be able to see the pattern even if your furniture is covering the majority."

Try New Lamp Shades

Say goodbye to plain lampshades that aren't serving your space and weave in colorful picks instead. You can even spray paint an existing shade to create your own custom piece, Anwar suggests.

Install Wallpaper

Wallpaper, even if it's peel-and-stick, can go a long way in changing the feel of a living room. If you wish, you can even take things a step further.

"I love adding trim or molding to the wallpaper to really give it a custom feel," Madelaine Mayer, the founder of AD:ROIT Architecture & Interior Design, says.

In this space, she added trim all the way around an accent wall at regular intervals to create the appearance of a vintage screen. "As a bonus, the trim covered the seams in the mural," Mayer says.

Pick One Bold Piece

Not every furniture item in your living room needs to be bright and bold; purchasing one accent piece will make a major impact. The sofa is an excellent place to start.

"When I have a solid colored sofa in a fun color, I love to find a few coordinating patterns for the other furniture in the room," Taylor Johnson, the founder of Taylor Johnson Interiors, says.

Johnson loves how it brings personality and a punch of color to the room without a paintbrush.

Don't Forget to Accessorize

Don't underestimate the power of small accessories in bringing vibrance into a living room.

Adorn open shelving with colorful glassware or vases, Taylor Fusco, the founder of Tay Fusco Design, suggests.

"They will stand the test of time yet still add that whimsy pop we always love to bring to our clients' spaces," Fusco says.

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Read the original article on The Spruce.