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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase something through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please ready my full disclosure statement here.
This DIY living room makeover was started during a chaotic season in our lives. While this family room project has not gone as planned, the projects that have been completed pack a lot of punch! This space has been transformed and will serve our family well in the years to come. Here's a quick update on what has been going on since my last update during week 3, what changes I needed to make and what is in store for the final week!
Week 7 is here! The 1 week countdown to reveal day is on! As I've said, this project has not been a smooth endeavor. My engagement, wedding planning, increased travel schedule, health issues, etc. have all taken precedence! I have come to terms with the fact that I will not be able to complete all of my intended projects for our DIY living room makeover. However, what I have done is incredible!
Since my last post in week 3, I've painted my coffee table, updated my fireplace with peel and stick tile and painted the slate, ordered curtains and a new sofa, and I've nearly completed the built ins for our family room. This blog post will help encourage you to start that DIY project on your list.
DIY Living Room Projects You Need
1. Refinish Old Furniture
I had dreams of a
I got the Flora linen semi sheer curtain and the Mia kids curtain, unlined in baby blue! While it says kids, it’s perfection for my office and I don’t get kid vibes in here. 
I did just over 2x the fullness with 10 inches on either side of the window! You can choose the color grommets and I went with gold to match my curtain rod. I selected for the curtains to just dust the floor, which I think is the perfect length for this space. They send tie backs and added the beautiful gold button for the tie backs to my Mia curtain! There are other options available if grommets aren’t your style! These curtains match my wallpaper and room decor completely and the quality is impeccable!!
Check out www.Curtarra.com. Use code CRISSY for 12% off AND you’ll get 2 random free pillow covers!
2. Light Fixture Upgrade
Builder grade anything is typically not my style. The builder grade boob light is one of the worst items. And is it just me or do builders put in the harshest lightbulbs?
Needless to say, it needed to be replaced pronto! I love the look of the sputnik chandeliers and have one in my dining room and knew I wanted something with a similar aesthetic in here. This light from overstock (that can also be found at other stores) was everything this home office needed! It's the modern gold 4-light globe chandelier clear glass ball sputnik ceiling light!
I loved how the lines in the light were similar to my new brushed bronze square bar drawer pulls from Rockler! The color of this gold light is much closer to the brushed bronze color of my pulls.
I am a true DIYer and have changed many a fixture over the years, but please hire an electrician for any electrical work if you aren't knowledgeable or comfortable. And even if it is your 100th time doing this, please use caution and be safe!
3. Cord Solutions
We live in an age where electronics rule our lives! With my desk being placed in the middle of the room, I definitely needed a way to wrangle all of those cords and tidy up the look of the space. Doing this small thing does make a huge difference in the aesthetic of the space!
Several options were considered, but I ultimately wanted to go with the most budget friendly solution. I had extra velcro that I used to attach my power strips to the back of my nightstands, so I used that to secure the power strip to my desk. This is the exact 2 x 4 inch velcro that I purchased and swear by!
Getting those cords off the ground has really made a huge difference and makes the space feel more clean and organized. It may not be pretty from the inside room angle, but when you walk in, it's perfection!
4. Home Office Wall Art
Last, but not least on my list of must have elements for your home office renovation is home office wall art! This can be an assortment of items, as minimal as your framed diploma or a bulletin board and as large as a gallery wall!
I have several places in my home office that I placed wall art. If i'm honest, I'm a bit of a pack rat and I'm quite sentimental. My home office has a travel theme. My job is travel based and pre-covid I travelled 60-80% of the time. While I'm spending a lot more time in my office these days, I still love everything travel.
To add to this, I wanted my home office renovation to include items from my grandma and grandpa. My cousin Jason created these amazing collages with items from my grandparents basement. They did a fair amount of traveling and collected odds and ends from their travels. Items like drink stirs, match books, coasters, game tickets flooded their basement.
My cousin had the fantastic idea to gather these items and frame them and then gave one to family members. With his idea, I gathered some additional items and made another one of these display boxes. Bottom right of the gallery wall is the one Jason made and the bottom left is the shadow box I made. My grandparents had signs and flags and other items and you can see those on my bulletin board. That happy hour flag in the corner was always one of my favorites and I framed it with an extra frame I had lying around, though I need to neaten it up a bit!
I couldn't not keep my scratch map and my home map in my office, so those were placed on my other 2 walls. I'm still playing around with things, but I think overall it's turned out pretty great! I'll still play around with things more over the next week, but for now, I'm happy with it!
Tips to a Cohesive Gallery Wall
It seems like a daunting task at first, but I laid everything out on the floor. This helped tremendously and saved my walls quite a few nails! You want items to be cohesive. Try to keep spacing fairly even around the items. I recommend grabbing similar items in groups of 2 or 3. If you have black frames- try to have at least 2-3 other black frames. Make sure that colors can be seen within 2 or 3 other pieces. Don't rush this process and play around with it! You've got this!
Don't forget to continue to check out all of the One Room Challenge rooms! There are so many creative DIY projects in the making! I can hardly wait until reveal day next week!!
This post was all about the key elements to a home office renovation to create a finished look!
Other Posts You May Like:
Where it all began! - Week 1 Spring 2022 One Room Challenge
Budget Hacks: 6 Money-Saving Apps or Website You Need to Use
Ikea Hack desk - Week 3 Spring 2022 One Room Challenge