Before and After: the Spectacular Change of a ’60s Living Room

There is nothing more fascinating than a radical change which gives a whole new look to a home or a room. Imagination, inspiration and interior designers’ expertise work wonders. One just has to dare make the step towards these changes because, after all, there is nothing to lose. So did an American lady, owner of a ’60s home which looked too gloomy for her taste. She wasted no time and started making the necessary changes. The living room, the epicenter of the house, was first on her list and which radical transformation we detail below, as seen on her blog – An Alaska Life.

When she bought last hear the house in downtown Anchorage, Julia O’Malley realized the living room was the most unlivable of all the rooms. The 40 year old dirty carpet, walls covered in mirrored tile, framed by these handmade wood arches gave the home a classy and rustic air but which didn’t suit the new owner.

 

With help from some friends, she removed the tiles on the wall and the wood frames. She also brought down a partial wall separating kitchen from living room to create a wider space and integrate the two rooms into one. She then called in specialists to do the rest of the work.

She says she did all the changes on a low budget and this is why all the major changes revolved around the wall paint and flooring. Designers painted everything white to make the room brighter and enhance natural light, put in hand-scraped hickory engineered hardwood flooring, laid lengthwise to make the space feel larger. They replaced the trim with painted trim and also painted the trim around the windows white.

The geometrical pattern rug brings a dash of color to the room and also a note of vitality. Simple, practical furniture, plenty of lighting fixtures for the long evenings and a round mirror on the wall to help the large windows over the day shaped the final appearance of a totally changed living room, more welcoming and warmed, in stark contrast with the bleak weather outside.