There are times when a quick living room refresh is called for. Sometimes all it takes is a simple lick of paint – such a budget-friendly way of revitalising your home decor!

If you’ve taken the trouble to load up on some handy cans of paint and brushes and have donned those overalls, placed the protective sheets into place, AND taken time off …Well, let’s make the best use of your time and effort.
Here’s a quick checklist of all the little (and big) paint jobs you can do to get the most out of your living room makeover session!
Need An Excuse To Refresh That Living Room?
Yes, it’s hard to ignore those run-down bits and scraggy corners in the living room when:

• You’ve just survived a whole 2 months of summer holidays entertaining kids and multiple playdates at home, especially during a rainy summer. Chances are, your living room took quite a beating
• When you’re bracing for the party season into Autumn and Winter, there will be book club meetings, the return to dinner parties, Halloween and most of all, the visitors and parties that come every Christmas time and New Year
•  When you’ve got guests coming and staying over soon. Time to make those living quarters a little bit more inhabitable! This could be particularly important if you’re about to do a house swap or Air BnB the place

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a quick list of living room refresh jobs using a few simple paint cans.
But first things first …

Assess Your Living Room For Paint Refresh Opportunities

Before you start, holding a family conference and pulling in your wish list for paint-related touch-ups and makeover jobs in the living room is best.
Start with a quick tour around the room with the gang to evaluate the current state of your living room.

It is helpful when you’ve got more than one pair of eyes to help you identify areas that need a paint refresh.

Once identified, measure out the relevant surface areas and use this to calculate the paint quantities required.

Choosing The Perfect Paint Colour

The family will also come in handy when agreeing on the colours you need or choosing from the colours on offer.

You may want to explore trendy paint colour options if you’re thinking of creating a feature wall or accented area with flashes of brighter, bolder and more beautiful hues. For a more general background area, go for trendy serene neutrals, earthy and natural tones and timeless classics

Head to your local Homevalue and ask our team for colour swatches and some for smaller paint samples in smaller cans.

Prepare Your Living Room For That Fresh Lick Of Paint

• Start by doing a decent dusting and hoovering
• Clear out all ornamental and lightweight incidental furniture. Protecting Larger furniture and fixtures with drop cloth
• Patch and repair gaps, holes, or large cracks in your walls and fixtures as needed
• Secure some masking or painter’s tape onto the edges of frames, doorways, or joinery where they interface with the walls to achieve clean lines and protect non-painted areas
• Stock up on the right paint tools and supplies, such as

○ Brushes, rollers, and trays
○ Painter’s tape and dust sheets
○ Primers and fillers

• Apply primer for a smoother canvas

Create Visual Interest On Accent Walls

Adding accent walls with contrasting colours is a fast simple way to create visual interest and revitalise a room. Decide which walls deserve some bold accent colour and which walls will get a basic refresh with a neutral colour.
The main mantelpiece wall is usually a good candidate for the bolder, more colourful accent wall.
If you’re more adventurous (and dextrous), incorporate paint techniques like ombre and stenciling onto feature panels or the surfaces of older furniture needing an upcycle.

Use colour blocking and geometric patterns on smaller wall sections, pillars or end walls to create more interest.

Enhance The Light With General Walls

For all other walls and those of you looking for a quick do-over. Choosing an appropriate light-reflecting neutral paint can affect and enhance natural lighting.
The right tones will also help you bring more warmth to artificial lighting on the darker days of the year.

In addition, be sure to coordinate the paint colours with your lighting fixtures to work well with the lightbulb choice and ambient lighting in place.

A Sneak Peek At Homevalue.ie’s Paint Collection

Check out the HOME DÉCOR Indoor Paints Range for an easy solution that comes in 3 handy neutral colours
– white, magnolia & soft grey.
This paint range is ideal for new plaster and will quickly cover large areas like living room walls and ceilings, giving you exceptional hiding power. It comes in a sustainable 100% recycled plastic bucket.

Touch-Up Structural Details In Your Living Room
There’s more to a pint refresh than the walls alone.
Check for scuff marks on the smaller surfaces and refresh the paint on your

• Baseboards, floorboards
• Bannisters
• Door and window frames
• Mantelpiece and fireplace
• Crown moulding and trim
• Built-in shelving, cabinets, and other built-in cabinet units

Create a cohesive look and create the illusion of a bigger space by matching the colours on your main walls with these finer details. You could conversely choose contrasting colours for these more minor features if you’re working with a larger, more period home or looking to add some character and personality – be sure to match these contrasting colour accents with soft furnishings for a more.

Add Pops of Colour to Accessories

You could add a pop of colour by painting smaller decor items. If you choose the right paint finish, there are loads of DIY projects for smaller homewares and accessories. It is the perfect way to personalise your living room with custom-painted pieces of your very own.

This is also a clever way of upcycling older chipped accessories and repurposing paint leftovers from the bigger paint jobs, reducing waste.
Touch up the items for contrast or coordinate with the more comprehensive colour scheme:

• Old vases
• Door knobs
• Picture frames
• Sofa legs
• Wooden chair frames
• Wooden lampstands
• Coat racks

Some More Living Room Makeover Inspiration
For more expert advice, take a look at some of our other blogs on enhancing your Good Room, such as our Blogs on creating

• Accessible Luxury
• A Splash of Colour – Give your room a dramatic transformation without breaking the bank!
• 12 Ingenious DIY Upcycle Ideas for Beginners. Feel Good, Eco-Friendly, Home Decor Starts Here!

Ready Set Paint!

There you have it – a quick checklist of ways to paint yourself a brand-new living room! There is nothing like the transformative power of paint and colour matched with some good old-fashioned DIY – to save you a lot of money.
It’s worth it just for the peace of mind the next time the doorbell rings
And if you’re looking forward to the autumn months – it makes it all the more pleasurable to sit back and enjoy your fresh new living space by the fire and all that Netflix…