A Plain Living Room’s Makeover Creates a “Warm Glow” (Instantly!)

Sarah Everett
·3 min read
Empty white room living room with mantel before makeover
Empty white room (living room? bedroom?) with mantel with thin columns, wood flooring and gold chandelier.
Curved pink coffee table in front of gray couch in pale yellow living room.
Dog portrait on top of white mantel in pale yellow living room with pink curved coffee table.
View of pink living room with multiple patterned area rugs.
Gray couch and pink coffee table and ottoman sit atop multiple area rugs in living room with plant artwork hung on pink brown wall.
Gold velvet chair next to accept tulip table in corner of pink living room under artwork.
Gray sofa sits atop multiple area rugs in living room featuring art hung on pink brown walls.

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOME TYPE: Historic Home

PROJECT TYPE: Living Room

STYLE: Eclectic, Vintage

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: Yes

Some people are lucky enough to have one statement-making fireplace in their home. In Tricia Collins (@tricacollins_design) and her partner, Will’s, 120-year-old home “there’s a mantel in almost every room,” she says.

Here’s how she made the one in her living room a focal point — plus some other changes to give the room “a warm glow.”

Curved pink coffee table in front of gray couch in pale yellow living room.
Gray couch and pink coffee table and ottoman sit atop multiple area rugs in living room with plant artwork hung on pink brown wall.

The walls went from white to taupe.

Tricia and Will have lived in their home for almost four years, but they decided to paint the living room walls last year for a change of pace. The color they went with is a neutral pink: Backdrop’s Studio Hours.

“I really love the color with the rugs and the peel-and-stick tiles,” Tricia says. “It creates a warm glow effect during the day and feels extra cozy at night. Now I can’t imagine loving this room so much with white walls.”

Living room with white mantel, dog portrait, wood flooring, and pale yellow walls.
View of pink living room with multiple patterned area rugs.

Peel-and-stick tiles create a dramatic fireplace moment.

The aforementioned peel-and-stick tiles are from Mirth Studio, and Tricia says they’re what created the biggest transformation in the room; they make the mantel and fireplace a true focal point.

The dog painting above the mantel is by Tricia and Will’s friend, artist Thomas Sara (@two_moss), who completed the works above the sofa, too.

Gray sofa sits atop multiple area rugs in living room featuring art hung on pink brown walls.
Gold velvet chair next to accept tulip table in corner of pink living room under artwork.

The living room is full of thrifted finds.

The living room is a masterclass in layering rugs. Tricia says it took a while to figure out the exact placement, but once she did, the room felt complete. Some of the rugs in the room are over 100 years old.

Other thrift and vintage finds complete the room, like the coffee table which Tricia calls “the best Facebook Marketplace score of all time,” the side tables, the green club chair that she got for her very first apartment when she was 18, the lamps, rugs, tchotchkes, and more.

“The art and decorative objects feel really dialed in, and it’s always easy to tidy because everything has a designated place,” Tricia says — and it’s her favorite room in the house. “It’s our main living room where we spend the most time together, and it’s my favorite room I’ve ever designed. It is really maximal but for me it feels really calming to be in.”

Tricia says this room “was the easiest and quickest room to design” in her home. Check out the rest of her beautiful 1860s row home here.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.