Eclectic Vintage Modern Living Room Makeover

This living room makeover was completed by buying everything second! It’s full of vintage finds that give a vintage yet modern eclectic feel to the living room.

We’ve lived in this house for over 12 years, and this room has frightened me since day one.  It’s large, it’s awkwardly laid out, and it had a very tall, and very red, wall.  I designed around the strange layout and red wall for years, but I decided to finally face my fears and tackle the red beast.

I LOVE shopping at flea markets, thrift stores, estate sales, and garage sales for virtually all of my home decor, and the way this room was curated is no different.  Almost every piece in this room has a previous life story and a new home in our home.

Basically, I owe this design to my grandpa. He not only passed along his love for second hand shopping and creative decorating, but he also left my family with hundreds of his gorgeous pieces of artwork as well. I’ve incorporated some of my favorite pieces into this room, and am so glad to finally have a place to proudly hang his pieces. Thanks Grandpa!!

Just for a quick reminder, here’s how our living room with a red wall looked a mere six weeks ago.

This living room needs a total update, but still needs to be family friendly. Plans for vintage modern eclectic living room on a small budget.

This living room needs a total update, but still needs to be family friendly. Plans for vintage modern eclectic living room on a small budget.

Painting the large red wall was one of the most time consuming projects because it involved bringing scaffolding in the room. But, I found the best paint to use when painting over dark colors and wrote a full post on my recommendations: how to paint over a dark wall.

eclectic living room with leather couch, colorful artwork and a colorful blue rug

I’ve been waiting 12 years to say this: welcome to our new living room!

living room with vintage sideboard tv stand and apple crates for toy storage

I’ve slowly been finding pieces of furniture that I wanted to incorporate into the room, but none of them were finished and all of them needed some TLC.

living room with wall shelf above couch for art and plants

The leather couch was a Craiglist find and had a large tear in one of the cushions and some major cracking and dried patches on the other. Thankfully, it was nothing a little DIY leather repair and restoration kit couldn’t fix!

vintage sideboard as a tv stand and using vintage crates with wheels for toy storage in the living room

I found this sideboard at an estate sales years ago and it’s been our tv stand ever since, but it also felt out of place. Now, I couldn’t be happier with the gorgeous wood grain and its design.  We have three young girls living in this living room as well, as these vintage fruit crates hide all their toys in an easily accessible way.

Use a vintage ladder to create a collection of plants in the corner of the living room,

I named this my “happy plant corner” in my design plans, and it gives me all the happy vibes. With how much natural light that streams into this room, I can’t believe I didn’t bring in plants earlier!  That elephant was snagged up by grandfather 20 years ago.

Living room with vintage side chairs with green cushions and black display cabinet with jute rug

All of the artwork you see on the walls was painted by my grandpa. This piece was actually painted on strand board plywood and has such unique texture.

Here’s how I took that black antique cabinet in the corner with peeling veneer and gave it a second life and new look.

Living room with vintage side chairs with green cushions and black display cabinet with jute rug

These chairs were not in my original design plan, but I happened to stumble upon them on the last day of an estate sale (= half off day!!) during the first week of the One Room Challenge, and I couldn’t pass them up.  This side of the room is separated by a large gap that runs from the stairs to the fireplace, but creates a divide from the other half of the room.  These two chairs create a sitting area, but also can be used to open up the room into one large conversation area as well.  Did I mention how much I LOVE these chairs?

I made with pillows with a vintage quilt top I found at another estate sale awhile back. I didn’t know exactly what I planned to do with the quilt, but I couldn’t pass up the beautiful handmade artistry.

A great way to use old dresser drawer fronts as a unique coat rack on the wall.

Some old drawer fronts and a half table create a much needed “entryway” – a place to hang coats and place small items for visitors.

Contrasting black front door with white walls in an eclectic vintage modern living room.

I painted the front door, but kept everything the same with my fireplace and mantel.  I have plans to create a new insulating fireplace screen and update the light above the door, but I just didn’t end up having time.

The only new rugs I brought into the room were the large jute rug and the circle sisal rug. All of the other rugs are second hand. I was starting to get pretty nervous that I wasn’t going to find any rugs I liked within my modest budget, but then with only two weeks to go, I stumbled upon this hexagon rug and the two runners for $75 at a second hand furniture store.  Bonus? They had all just been cleaned, so I didn’t even need to spend extra money on that.  They are exactly the colors I was looking for; I LOVE it when that happens.

This living room is full of second hand finds. I love the vintage modern feel with eclectic finds and greenery and plants.

It was such a fun room to finally bring together, and it’s a place where the entire family can enjoy.

Like it? Pin it. (Thank you!)

This living room is full of second hand finds. I love the vintage modern feel with eclectic finds and greenery and plants.

Image Map

Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

10 Comments

  1. Oh Jenny, this came out so beautiful and totally goes with the rest of your house! I love all the vintage elements in this space and those high ceilings look amazing! Enjoy this space and have fun putting the rest of the house together. Ha — we know what happens when 1 makeover takes palce! I have to do that for the next week or so 🙂

  2. I love your new living room, Jenny! It’s so cozy! The ladder plant stand is so cool!! And I love the crates for toy storage! Enjoy your room!

  3. Oh Jenny – this is fabulous! You had such a huge undertaking in this large space. Love the new color and all of the design changes. Your grandpas art sings in the new surroundings. Loving the drawer fronts as artwork too! You should be so very proud of this makeover!

  4. The neutral paint is a game changer! I still have images of you guys on scaffolding. The rug is pretty awesome too! Nice work!

  5. Jenny your natural woodwork around the windows and those beams really make a statement now that the red is gone. It looks so light and airy. I love all the touches you added to your space and I love those chairs too!!! Congratulations on a beautiful makeover!

  6. I love how the hexagon rug mimics the shape of the coffee table. And the sideboard as TVstand is great!

  7. Oh my gosh! With all the crazy going on at my house, I don’t think I’ve seen this room since the scaffolding! What a treat it is to have a fresh cup of coffee and the chance to linger over these photos. If your living room was an etsy shop, MANY of your beautiful vintage furnishings would now be on the way to my house. LOL. Love that side board and those last minute chairs!!! The warm woods marry so nicely with the woods in your window frames and floor. You did such a nice job with a difficult room. Hope you and your family enjoys all of your hard work. The result is just fab! ~~ Susie from The Chelsea Project

  8. That fireplace has added extra opulence to your living room. Really nice Idea of stuffing wood blocks and creating such a beautiful design. Liked it. Thanks for the new addition in my design dictionary!! Keep sharing.

  9. Jenny your living room is gorgeous! I love all of those unique finds and of course your grandpa’s art! Wow!! The sideboard is absolutely beautiful and what a great idea to use the crates as toy storage, love it!