Ideas For An Easy Living Room Update

This is the time of the Summer where I start getting itchy to change things up just a little bit around here…but not take on a big project because let’s face it, there are only a few beautiful Summer weeks up here in New England!!

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I knew the perfect way for a quick living room update that only took me a little over an hour but made such a big impact…change the wall art! It was super easy too, I went on Poster Store and was immediately drawn to the In The Reeds poster. After I fell for that print, I built a small gallery wall around it with a few other nature & botanical posters.

living room before

There was a large abstract cloud/water canvas above my sectional when I started. I was ready for an update! I love the piece but I love to change things around in my small house to keep it fresh looking. Updating a space doesn’t need to mean changing everything (who can do that…and where would you store everything!!) Sometimes changing out one element of a space can really change the entire look and feel.

How To Put Up A Gallery Wall

When my posters arrived, the first thing I did was unpackage them to see if I did a good job coordinating the look…I’m happy to report that I did! They all complement each other so well.

My living room already has some artwork with oak frames so I wanted to keep a consistent look around the small living room.

For this gallery wall project, I’m using two 8×12 inch frames, one 12×16 inch, and two 20×28 inch oak frames.

When trying to figure out where and how you want to layout a gallery wall, my favorite tip is to make a template the size of each frame first.

To make the paper templates I grabbed an ugly old roll of Christmas wrap and the oak frames and did a quick outline onto the backside of the wrapping paper.

It only took a couple of different layouts before I settled on the right one for my gallery wall. ( Amazing, I know!)

Hanging A Gallery Wall

There are a few must-haves when hanging a gallery wall: laser level, measuring tape, pencil, and either decent nails or monkey hooks.

With the templates still up on the wall, I figured out exactly where the hooks needed to go and put them in before ripping off the paper templates.

Measuring and making sure the hooks are level is the hardest part- you need to take the time to make sure everything is level…even a quarter of an inch being off is easily noticed.

For the center portion of the gallery wall for my easy living room update, I hung the 2 smallest pieces vertically above the horizontally placed 12×16 frame.

Then I hung a large frame on either side.

finished gallery wall

The finished look is so fresh and modern looking! It instantly brightened up the space!!

Other Quick Living Room Updates

After I added the new Poster Store gallery wall I wanted to do a couple of other quick tweaks in the living room…without spending any money.

One of my best pieces of advice is to shop your own house before you ever step into a store to shop!!

SHop your house (My go to items)

5 THINGS TO GRAB FROM AROUND YOUR HOME FOR QUICK DECORATING

Vases
Baskets
Old Books
Plants
Interesting Objects

I added a few old books next to one of my money plants (they have such cool leaves!) and popped a little round basket behind them for a simple vignette.

Varying textures and colors make an interesting place for your eye to land.

coffee table update

I did a quick update on the living room table by using my go-to list for shopping your home.

I started with a large tray and then added a coffee table book. I grabbed my string of pearl plant from the kitchen ( I can’t tell you how proud I am for keeping it alive for 5 months!! Virtual high five!! )

My Monstera plant has been growing like crazy so I took a cutting and put it in a vase of water to root. Plant cuttings are a simple way to add green to a space on the cheap.

Then I finished up the quick update with a few large seashells, a candle, and a small vase I picked up at Magnolia last month.