living room inspiration

Thanks to Olympic and The Motherhood for partnering with me on today’s post. Compensation has been provided. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Back in April I did a little internet exploring and started to think about a dramatic dining room makeover that would add a pop of color. Check out my post (and get inspired!) if you haven’t already seen it.

And I really was inspired by that exploration. The more thought that I gave to the matter, though, the more I realized that much of what I needed in our living room/dining room combo area was not only more pops of color, but also, more light! After visiting Sanibel Island with my family a few weeks ago, I felt a strong pull toward some of the colors of the beach, and I came up with this mood board to help me give our main dwelling area a big refresh.

living room olympic mood board delicate white

(Like the inspirations? Here’s where you can find the pillow, art, bowl and curtains).

Olympic Paint’s Delicate White reminds me so much of that gorgeous Gulf Coast sand that my family enjoyed being around for hours on end. I’ve never liked the tan color on my walls, and can you see why? These photos are so dark but I decided not to re-shoot them because honestly, this is the problem! For so much of the day the area my family hangs out in and the area I work in looks harsh and dark and artificial. A breath of fresh air by way of a new coat of paint has been long overdue!

olympic paint makeover before
Friends, a coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to bring about a rather dramatic change to a room, and yet so many people don’t do it! We’ve lived with these awful tan walls for 4 years and the people who owned the house before us likely did the same thing (it looks like the color that contractors put up…who else would choose something so drab?). So I headed to Lowe’s, the exclusive home of Olympic Paints and Stains, and purchased 2 gallons of awesome.

olympic paint makeover 1

I was nervous about the color, but it took just a few rolls of the brush for me to know that something truly wonderful was about to happen in my home.

olympic paint makeover 2

Another thing that’s wonderful about painting a space in your home is that it can help you feel comfortable pulling the room together with the right decor elements. For example, in this space of ours, we have two windows. One set of windows had some sad beige sheers on them (leftovers from a previous home of ours) and the other window? It has been curtain-less since we moved in. I know! But I never felt like getting window treatments because it felt a little like putting lipstick on a pig. But with that beautiful Delicate White on the walls, I finally wanted to pull the room together and put a little effort into it.

Now our space looks like this:

I absolutely LOVE this part of my home, now! It feels light, airy, and best of all, intentional. I want to love on this space by decorating it a bit. I want to keep it (reasonably) clean. And I want to have people over to visit because the living and dining room area feels inviting and not crowded and dull and dark.

olympic paint makeover centerpiece

The space also reflects the people who live here and the things we say we want to prioritize, like making memories together around the dinner table, or enjoying each other’s company on movie night. We’ve created a place that encourages our family to sit and stay for a while rather than to just pass through the room.

how to store electronics basket idea

I think one of my favorite changes was tucking away the DVD player and Wii, which were just on the floor (I know! SOOO college apartment-like!) and now they are tucked away in a basket, discreetly hidden underneath a blanket. I didn’t want to invest in a piece of furniture that would take up precious space just to hold those items, so I thought outside the box and went for a basket. It works!

olympic paint makeover workbook section

I also found something to hold the activity books the girls are using this summer to avoid that dreaded summer slide. It might seem like an odd thing to put in the living room, but it reflects the fact that this is their home just as much as it is ours, and their items have a place here. Bonus points for the fact that this system cleared up a mountain of clutter. 🙂

And do you notice in the picture above where the new paint color stops and the old one starts back up again (heading toward the stairs)? I may have gone from one neutral color to another, but what a difference, right?!

If you are curious what a fresh coat of Olympic paint could do for a room in your house, there’s a really easy way to find out. Check out the Paint Visualizer. You can upload a photo of your own space and then virtually try out different Olympic paints to see how they would look. You can also head to Lowe’s to pick up some affordable Olympic paint samples if you want to put a few different colors on the wall side-by-side before you commit.

I hope I gave you a little inspiration. Take it from someone who lived for so long in a room that just wasn’t right; it’s a much easier fix than you realize, and it’s well worth the few hours it will take to paint. Now I love being in this space and my only regret is that I didn’t do this years ago. No day like today to get started on your room refresh, friend!