Please help me improve our living room

[LightsS0bright]

This run of wall in our living room really annoys me. There are so many things wrong with it.

The textured wall paper is terrible and poorly hung you can see every line between the sheets, I generally really dislike magnolia (yellow) paint. The fire surround needs ripping out, the mirror looks too small (from our old house) and the chair looks too big (matches the sofa and DH loves it so I can’t get rid) the doors need replacing and the brown carpet needs to go. I am working on finding a different clock.

Anyway I can’t strip the terrible wallpaper because I don’t think we have the money to pay someone to skim it and I’m pretty sure it’ll need skimming. Equally there is no money to change the floor/fire place surround/doors. In 5 years time we’ll rip it all out and redecorate properly.

Anyone have any ideas for how to make it all less drab in the mean time? I feel like more pictures on the wall might help. Like a gallery wall but I’m really struggling to visualise it. The sofa is directly opposite so I just sit staring at it.

And the gap between the fire place and the door and the fire place and the wall isn’t equal.

Have you looked at what is under the carpet?
If it's floor boards you could sand and oil

Inspiration here

Teal blue feature wall

Break up that wall. Use a picture rail set about two inches below the top of the door. It’s really easy to do. Paint the rail and the wall above an off white. Deepen your coving to give it more impact (it’s too small and it’s getting lost).

Paint below the picture rail a deep/dark colour (personally I’d do a very dark blue) and paint the fireplace.

I'd paint it a dark navy. Put shelves in the alcove above the grey chair. Bigger mirror, more plants and get art on the walls.
I'd also play with rearranging the furniture and gets colour in through bright cushions and patterned curtains.

Also don't just paint the fireplace wall do the whole room in which ever colour you pick.

Bit short on time this morning, but I’d go with temporarily painting wall , whilst in an ideal situation I would go for a dark teal , you actually need a pale colour as otherwise the gaps between wallpaper will show more I suspect , at least trial a small area if you want to try dark.

I would also stain the fireplace , this company is fab , and you can change the mortar and brick colour https://www.dyebrick.com/gallery/index/category/453-fireplaces

Actually as long as she uses matt, and ensures it’s smooth between the gaps, it is much much better to use dark as a light colour will just highlight it more.

Facebook marketplace is your friend. I've got so many things off it for cheap as chips. Mirrors will be plentiful.

@Janieforever , I stand corrected, I thought there were literal gaps between the strips of wallpaper which would stand out more if a dark paint couldn’t be rollered into them all, but looking again I think it’s more bumps and ripples , in which case dark paint should work .

Yes darkish and matt, anything else will basically highlight it. I’ve bumpy old walls and matt paint always disguises and you can’t see it unless you really peer at it, so looks like a smooth finish.

Thanks all, I bought some paint!! Going with an Olive green we have a lot of dark blue in the room that it’ll go with and I think it still go with the brown of the floor and the fireplace.

Good choice op!

Please post a before and after photo!

I am a bit scared to take the plunge 😂

Pls post end result!

Mirror too small for its position. Put the clock to one side. Generally avoid symmetry.

Think long and hard before painting the fireplace as it's a one-way street.

Olive green will be great.
A large wooden mirror and some massive plants will give it a huge lift.
I agree about removing the photos from the hearth (and the clock too).
Add a few large prints, maybe botanical to tie in with the plants, use oak frames to go with the green.
Will see if I can find some pics for inspo.

@LightsS0bright Just a tip on the rug front. We needed a 2.5 x 2.5m rug for one of our rooms but didn't want to spend much as it was only needed for a couple of years. We went to CarpetRight (though I'm sure other shops can do the same thing) and found an offcut big enough (ours is striped) and you get the edges bound. Our shop had someone they use for this - they send it off to them, took about 2 weeks. We paid £99 for the offcut and about £120 for the binding I think.

We have painted the wall, turned the current mirror through 90 degrees and rearranged some things on the mantelpiece. Not finished but feeling loads better 😊 it makes me smile to look at. The paint has made such a difference.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much better the mirror went with the space by rotating it. I’m still keeping an eye out on Facebook marketplace or I might spray the rim of this mirror gold.

I think a cream rug would help too there are lots of those at a decent size about. DH just needs convincing as we have a poof that gets moved around a lot and a rug would make it harder to slide.

it looks loads better. Swap the blue cushion for a teal cushion with patterns.

Or navy cushion

Dunelm do some large reasonably priced rugs . It looks much improved with the new paint @LightsS0bright

www.kukoonrugs.com do reasonably priced rugs, loads to choose from. We were really happy with the one we bought

Already suggested but I'd paint the wall a darker colour and paint the fireplace to brighten it. I wouldn't have a mirror there at all but a large picture. Rugs throws and cushions will also brighten it up. Everything needs to be big to draw attention (ornaments on the mantlepiece, ornaments on the hearth). Do you use the fire? If so the plants will die.