I moved into this house about a year ago, and as you know, it takes time to get settled. Here is the transformation of my living room. I had lots of advice from Mead and Mom....this is not all me! I still want to tweak a few things, but it has come a long way in a year. Here is the journey:

Starting place: brown walls and 2 things I already owned: big blue sofa and sisal rug. I brought in some outdoor chairs to help while I figured out the rest.

Step one: PAINT! Mead helped me choose a color. This was an adventure! The trim in this 100 year old craftsman home is a warm white, so it makes the process a bit tricky. We were going for white but ended up with a very soft grey minty green. I actually like it-it's soothing. The official color is White Dove which does not look white in my house. But PAINT made such a difference.

Step two: purchase 2 side chairs from West Elm. I already owned these pillows. Notice the overhead light....I purposely cropped out of photos going forward to just remember this until you see the new light.

Step three: purchase coffee table and hang art. Coffee table from Blu Dot and painting painted by my dear friend Amber Trueblood.

Step four: purchase a TV stand. Initially I wasn't totally sold on this as it felt very dark. Mom pointed out that TV's are black, so something light would make the TV stand out even more. Mine tries to copy the more expensive Line Media Console from Design Within Reach.

Mead pointed out that the sofa looked "flat" and needed some throw pillows. She also suggested a lamp behind the sofa.

So now it is looking better, but the wall behind the sofa is wide and not really filled up. I move the table lamp to my bedroom, add a floor lamp I already owned, and purchased a fiddle leaf fig tree for the corner by the window.

I also replaced the light fixture. This makes a huge difference! Even if you are a renter-replace your light fixtures. Save the old ones, and take your beautiful ones with you when you go. I found this beauty at the Crate & Barrel outlet in Berkeley. Funny story-I pointed it out as a suggestion for my friend Meredith and then realized I actually wanted it for myself.

I also purchased the leather stools. Mead suggested 2 X-stools to fill up the space and provide more seating. I was looking for some white furry ones but just never found the right size and shape. I always get compliments on the leather stools!

Here's how the living room looks today. Major progress! The biggest difference came from brightening it up with lighter paint. The new light fixture and large scale beautiful art both made an impact.