8 DIY Living Room Decor Ideas to Update Your Space This Year

You look around your living room and feel a familiar itch for a refresh. People advise you to work with what you already have, perhaps by rearranging the sofa or clearing some clutter. 

While these steps certainly help, sometimes you crave a more significant visual impact without committing to a major redesign.

This naturally leads to the question: How can you make simple changes that deliver maximum effect? And how do you effectively update your living room's atmosphere using just a few thoughtful touches? 

Often, the most satisfying answers lie in accessible, hands-on decor projects you can tackle yourself.

That's precisely what this article explores. We discuss eight high-impact DIY living room ideas designed to create that fresh, new look you're seeking. Discover stylish, achievable updates you can implement personally to truly transform your space.

Key Points From This Post

If you have some time on your hands and want to make changes in your living space that improve the appearance with a “wow factor,” consider the following: 

• Use space-saving furniture, such as Murphy bed cabinets.

• For decluttering, consider items you can repurpose for completely different functions.

• Paint your walls. Consider accent walls, color blocking, and other partial painting approaches that don’t cost much but appear like an expensive makeover.

• Textiles for pillows instantly refresh a space at various price points.

• Artwork frames can help make your walls look better.

• Bring nature indoors. If you already have plants outside, this costs $0 but has high aesthetic value. 

8 DIY Living Room Decor Ideas 

We've curated nine high-impact DIY decor ideas designed to help you refresh your space with creativity and personal flair:

1. Strategic Furniture Investments That Maximize Value

Investing in well-designed furniture, such as versatile Murphy beds and thoughtfully crafted cabinets, often proves exceptionally rewarding. These pieces typically deliver outstanding utility, enduring style, and significant long-term value for your home.

For example, instead of a simple bed, you can consider 

• A sofa bed that’s a couch by day and a bed by night.

• A storage ottoman that hides clutter and acts as a seat or a coffee table.

• A foldable dinner table that can be small or large, depending on your needs.

While you may spend a little above $1,000 on the furniture, it’s cost-effective because it serves the function of probably several other pieces of furniture that would have gulped extra hundreds of dollars. 

You can learn more about how to use a Murphy bed plan for maximum aesthetic in our guide.

MURPHY BEDS AND CABINET BEDS: TRANSFORMATIVE SPACE-SAVERS

We stock a variety of multifunctional Murphy beds in our store from renowned makers like Arason, Night and Day Furniture, and Union Home. 

If your living space is a studio apartment, guest room, or small bedroom, this furniture will make a significant difference in the overall decor of the room. Also, our cabinet queen beds look like regular dressers or cabinets, but they unfold into a bed when needed. During the day, it can hold decorations, books, or a TV, and at night, it becomes a full-sized bed.

2. Creative Repurposing and Upcycling

Another inspiring DIY direction involves creatively repurposing items you already own within your living space. 

This approach is less about necessity and more about unleashing your imagination—seeing the potential for transformation in familiar objects. With some creative vision, you can give everyday items an entirely new purpose and aesthetic, crafting truly unique decor pieces that add distinct character to your room.

Here are some ideas:

Will these cost much? Definitely not. 

For example, if you have real wood furniture that looks tired, lightly sanding it and applying a new stain can make it look expensive again.

• Wood stain: $8–$12

• Sandpaper: $3

A dark walnut stain, whitewash, or even a distressed "farmhouse" look is trendy and easy to achieve. You get the idea, yes? 

3. Paint Walls, Door Frames, And Plant Pots

Painting stands out as one of the most powerful DIY methods for dramatically altering your living space's aesthetic. 

The right color or finish possesses a remarkable ability to shift the entire mood and character of a room, offering immediate visual impact. 

Beyond coating full walls, the creative potential extends to painting partial sections, architectural details, or furniture or creating unique accents, giving you direct control over the final look. Achieving a truly polished, professional result, however, hinges on careful technique. For the best outcome, you can focus on:

ACCENT WALLS

Pick one wall in your room (we recommend the wall behind the bed, couch, or TV). Paint it a different color (bold or deep tones work best) to create a focal point. You’ll need less than one gallon for just one wall, depending on the size. 

COLOR BLOCKING

You can paint geometric shapes, such as squares, circles, arches, or stripes, directly onto the wall. Use contrasting colors or different shades of the same color for a cool effect.

PARTIAL PAINTING

Instead of painting from floor to ceiling, paint up to about two-thirds the height of the wall. Now, you save paint. But also, you can top it off with a crisp line for a modern, art gallery vibe.

Here’s what the approximate budget can look like for this DIY project: 

• Gallon of quality interior paint: $18–$35

• Brushes and rollers: $10–$15 total

• Painter’s tape (for sharp lines): $3–$5

Apart from painting walls, think of door frames. Instead of basic white, try painting them black, navy, or even a soft pastel. 

The same goes for plant pots or shelves. Paint the sides or undersides of shelves for subtle color surprises.

4. Update Your Textile and Layering

While sometimes overlooked, the thoughtful introduction of varied textures, fabrics, and layered elements dramatically enhances a space's comfort and depth. 

What makes such effects especially appealing for DIY projects is the accessibility of achieving this impact—incorporating new textiles offers a relatively straightforward yet incredibly effective way to elevate your living space yourself significantly.

We recommend the 3:1 mixing pattern rule. 

One large pattern (like a big floral, broad stripes, or bold geometric rug), one medium pattern (like smaller polka dots or a smaller repeating print), and one small pattern or solid (like a textured solid throw pillow or plain knit throw). The area rugs in our collection start from as low as $70 (depending on size). We stock the Uttermost Hampton Gold 2' x 3' Rug. 

PRO DESIGNER TIP: 

• Stick to a color family. Choose 2–3 primary colors and mix patterns within that palette. For example, Soft blue, white, and beige, or Olive green, burnt orange, and tan.

5. Lighting Transformations

Good lighting can make even furniture and simple decor feel expensive. Think about the current state of lighting in your room right now. You can improve it to make the mood softer and cozier. 

This doesn’t have to require hiring an electrician or tearing out ceilings. Options are plentiful. So, these five types of light additions will have the most impact and are easy to fix for a DIY project.

The magic is that you don’t rely on only one light source in the room. Mix a ceiling light, a floor lamp, a table lamp, and accent lighting.

6. Gallery Walls and Art Arrangements

Are your walls blank? That's a missed opportunity for decor. You don't need expensive art to pull it off. 

A $5 print in a $3 thrifted frame can look just as "designer" as a $500 gallery piece if arranged nicely. The artwork can even be vintage maps, fabric swatches, pressed flowers, or vinyl record covers.

PRO DESIGNER TIPS: 

• Lay everything on the floor and move pieces around before hammering nails into your wall.

• When placed on the wall, space pieces about 2–4 inches apart. 

• Choose a consistent frame color (all black, all gold, all white frames).

7. Space-Maximizing Solutions for Small Rooms

If your space feels cramped or cluttered, it’s not always because it’s too small. It’s usually because of furniture choices and layout. For this reason, we rank “space-maximizing solutions” as one of the best DIY room decor ideas. The best investments are pieces that do two jobs or more. 

SPOTLIGHT ON THE QUEEN-SIZE MURPHY CABINET BEDS

The space-saving queen bed option, Murphy Cabinet Bed, is a folding queen-size bed hidden inside a stylish cabinet.

Why is it genius? 

• Takes very little wall space.

• Doesn’t need complicated wall mounting like traditional Murphy beds

• We stock a variety of options that have drawers built into the base for bonus storage.

It doesn’t end at beds, though. You can consider other storage and organization ideas, such as under-bed storage bins ($10–$30), to store off-season clothes, extra shoes, and linens.

You can add wall hooks and pegboards to hang bags, hats, kitchen tools, jewelry, and more. These ideas are great for home offices that double as guest rooms or studio apartments.  

8. Use the Greenery of Plants

Greenery will never go out of style, unlike many trendy decor ideas. Indeed, some plant pots are expensive. But you can get creative with DIY repurposing. For example, 

• Mason Jars are great for small succulents

• Look for tin cans, peel the labels, and spray-paint gold or white

• Stack wooden crates to make a rustic plant shelf.

Meanwhile, not all plants are suitable for indoor use. It’s better to focus on plants that require low to bright, indirect light and minimal maintenance. We recommend aloe vera, snake plant, pothos vines, spider plant, or peace lily. 

Several studies have established the relationship between indoor plants, reduced stress, and better air quality. Where you place the plant matters, too; you can cluster three plants of different heights next to wooden pieces, such as a low snake plant beside a mid-century chair. 

Where To Buy DIY-Friendly Furniture Online For Room Decor

The best place to buy furniture online for a DIY project is Archic Furniture, where you can find a variety of furniture for the bedroom, living room, home office, dining room, bathroom, lighting, and outdoors. 

We are an authorized online dealer for the best brands in the furniture industry, helping our customers find the perfect furniture to be enjoyed for years to come.

You can browse our collection for prices on: 

• Murphy cabinet beds

• 72-inch bathroom vanity mirrors

• Best living room furniture, including couches

• TV stand and consoles

• Various interior lighting

• Bed frames and headboards

• And more

Also, we partner with Shop Pay to offer 0% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) financing options for products in our store.