Cheap home decor - coffee tables and side tables

Do we really need to use coffee tables for coffee tables? I'll tell you a secret - I really, really do not like classic coffee tables, they're huge, they're clumsy, and we collect so much rubbish on, in and around them. Well, here are some alternatives to use as your coffee table. These all could be found objects (so the cost would be 0$), or second hand find.

1. Old drums. Sounds crazy, right? Well, this particular solution for side table made me write this post in the first place. i think it looks just great!

2. Old wine barrels. I know you're used to seeing this stuff in rural ambient taverns and similar spaces, but there are also barrels of  smaller size that could work great in living rooms. You can also find small wine barrels with closed top.

3. Old wooden crates. Here are two examples of this cheap do-it-yourself idea, that's also eco-friendly.

4. Old trunks. You can even keep some things inside the trunk, but make sure it's not something you need often, because it's a bit tiring to remove all the stuff from the top of the trunk every day just to get your pen or something.

5. Natural wood. Logs can be used as coffee table or side table. You can keep them natural, as in the first picture, or paint them to match you design, as seen in second picture.

6. Pile of magazines. Yes, it can not work for everyone, but I thought to share it, just in case someone can pull this out in their home. Old books could be used in similar manner.

7. Timber coffee tables. If you're crafty enough you can make your own timber coffee table for just a  few bucks. They look well in traditional and shabby chic interiors, but also could work in some modern interiors.

8. Old doors. Recycled old doors can make beautiful coffee tables. Just check this out.

9. You can always remake an existing coffee table. And..

10. You can combine few different coffee tables, for example - old trunk and a few logs. That looks nice.

Wooden interiors - floors, walls and ceiling

Not everybody is crazy about wood. Yes, it can be very horrible, and a real nightmare for new house owners. But, here are some examples where I find wood on walls, floors and ceiling just amazing. Maybe it'll help you embrace your own wooden interior.

In this picture we have wooden panels on walls, refreshed with white and grey paint. Shabby wooden floor works so great in contrast with clear lines and surfaces.

On this walls wide wooden planks are used, and painted off white. It's a cheap solution and looks very rustic / primitive, just about right to balance vintage elegant furniture.

Here's one great shabby chic interior with wooden floors and walls. Now, this would look completely different if the wall wasn't painted white. We can see a very bold choice for the floor paint, but it worked very well, and created more interesting space. Good thing with this is that you can easily go back - if the stripes didn't work they could just paint the brown stripes white.

In this modern design wooden wall is used as accent. Floors are also wooden, but the pattern is very different, so you can see that wood patterns do not have to match in interior. The wood chips on the wall are of the same grey color and length, but their depth is different so they create an interesting pattern on the walls.

Next is white shabby chic living room with wooden floors, walls and ceiling. All wood is painted white, and the room is filled with white furniture. Wooden spaces can sometimes seem very tight and maybe even claustrophobic, so white color pattern is a choice to go.

Now, to prove the opposite, in this room wood covers one huge wall and floors, but it's painted dark brown. Here it works very well to create a warm and elegant modern living room. However, this wouldn't be possible without lots of bright white surfaces and cleverly positioned lights.

Modern design can be achieved with wood, too. In this picture we see a minimalist living room with wooden floors, walls and ceiling. The choice for wood is natural plywood. It looks very simple and clean.

Ma favorite in this round is this shabby / bohemian white living room with wooden floors, walls and ceiling. I like elegant details like chandelier, just as much as quirky ones like the painting of old lady on the wall.

With wood we can achieve just any look we want - classic, modern, shabby, bohemian, traditional, country... . It's so versatile, and it's up to us to try and see the beauty in it, especially if you have one of these outdated wooden walls. I hope this will inspire you to take the brush and a can of white paint, and remake / refresh / update your living room, too.

Shabby chic living rooms (2)

This is a second part of shabby chic living rooms, here you can find the first one.

If you imagine shabby chic living room to be overcrowded with details and flower pattern, this may come as a surprise. The living room bellow is so bright, crisp, cozy and natural, just amazing. I love violet ghost chair, it works so well in this space!



Such a bright space in next living room. The ladder style shelves are just gorgeous, it's great that they make the space look wider.



High ceiling and open space are perhaps the best features of this living room, but furniture and details are absolutely divine!



In this photo we can see a nice example of how a painting helped this space look shabby chic. It doesn't have to be distressed furniture, walls and paintings could make that kind of a texture, too.



If I should use only two words to describe this shabby chic living room it would be "mismatched" and "cozy". Such a great space, with excellent details. Wall decor is a great idea, and basically makes this room shabby.



Next living room is a combination of shabby chic and bohemian, but first of all it is just - WOW! Do I even need to explain why? I don't think so. *.*

Shabby chic living rooms

Shabby chic living rooms are so cozy. My favorite ones are on bit more shabby side of shabby chic, but not too crowded with details and furniture. Hope you'll like them, too! :)

This shabby chic living room is filled with natural light. It also has a boho / primitive feel to it. This comes mostly from details, such as stone table, clay jars and ethnic fabrics. All in all, a very pleasant space. :)



Next living room is vintage inspired, reminds of the 60's and 70's decor. A very bold choice for color scheme worked really well. Also, here's a great idea for some interesting and cheap seating - painted wooden chucks. They're easy to make and customizable for your own space.



We've seen distressed furniture making a huge impact before - distressed cabinets, tables... - but, I haven't been seeing this one so often; a distressed armchair. Very nice touch. Also, the wall has such a great texture.



Most of shabby chic living rooms have white sofas, and it's so refreshing to see this grey shabby chic living room. Also, notice the distressed cabinet, wow! And how chic is that mirror.



The old-paint-effect on these walls makes this living room so special. Everything is combined so well, and the details are just amazing.



Joining living room and dining room often results in absolutely amazing spaces, and this for sure is one of them. The color scheme makes this space a calm, natural-looking and cozy sanctuary. Off white, black and grey cover larger areas such as floor, walls, furniture..., and green and brown in details make such nice harmony. Both pics are of the same space, from different angles.





Next shabby chic living room features some clear lines, natural wooden surfaces, natural light and crisp grey blue details. We could say it's a combination of shabby chic and Scandinavian decor. Simple, natural and clear.

Traditional home design - Living rooms

In home decor I like more natural materials, natural light, open spaces... . It's great when space is all that and cozy & intimate, all in one.
Here are some living rooms that could fit this description.

In this white-beige-marine blue living room I'd remove some of the details. Color scheme makes this place intimate and open. Removing the armchair (maybe to the other side of the room) and the pillar with vase would do the trick for me. This is great design for beach houses with traditional home design.


In next black & white living room I really love most of the furniture pieces; writing desk in corner is so lovely, the coffee table is very beautiful,... , but I'd also change some things (wall tattoo, fabric on ottoman is a bit too much for my taste).


The wall color (between mustard and pastel lime) works really well for this huge space. This traditional living room has a bohemian feel to it (miss matched furniture, carper, wall color, details). I'm in love with that bookshelf!


In next pic we don't see much, but my guess is that we see the best of it - brick fireplace and huge windows! These are the key points of this place, and it's highlighted so well. Usually I don't like glass coffee tables much, but this works great for the space.


Stone floors, fireplace and wood lend this gorgeous space a natural / primitive feel. Other furniture and detail complete the look.


So much natural light fills this gorgeous off white living room. Light teal, pastel yellow and brown are great choice for the color scheme.


Such a serene space, this living room has a beach house feel, but not too highlighted. It's like you could guess there's a beach nearby, but there are no obvious details (ropes, starfishes, blue stripes etc.). I love the stripes, and even consider painting my own living room this way. Wide horizontal stripes make the space extended and more serene, while vertical stripes may be a little bit overwhelming (they would work better in huge spaces).


This living room is so chic and elegant, spacious and with lots of natural light coming from those huge windows. Look at the great details - golden side table is such a gem. Floors are amazing.


Calm and cozy living room with great color scheme (grey, teal).

Home decor disaster - Living room

Here comes another home decor disaster. Last week we had one horrible bedroom, and this week this overcrowded living room.

Look at this beautiful large window and tons of natural sun light! Oh, that sofa is so gorgeous. But, plastic on the floor, clutter, furniture just dumped around the room without any logical order... ? What is going on in there?


This could be a 0$ remake from absolute gross to wow!

First, remove the clutter (toys from sofa, cherubim, there are four porcelain torsos on the table - maybe one of the two white ones could stay, but that's it!).

Next, for god's sake, remove this plastic from your floor! Ugh!

Now, lets make some more logical order. Place sofas one against each other, coffee table in the middle, side table to the side... you catch my drift. :)

Huh, it's already much better, but if we invest few dollars it could be even better. OK, what about the lamps? Aren't they a bit too much? One possibility is to paint over them, so at least they won't be brass. Another possibility is buying new, more elegant lamps.

How about refreshing the walls with some more sophisticated color? Like light grey? White?

Wow, you'd need exactly 1 day to make this place look *great*! Seriously, what are the owners doing with their space??