Interior designer Ann Sundet and JoAnne Liebeler, host of HGTV's Room for Change, transform a dark '70s-era living room into an elegant, light-filled room with classic '90s styling. The dark furnishings of the '70s -- a navy floral-patterned sofa, dark wood furniture, a rust-colored rug and heavy drapes -- are replaced with traditional furnishings in soft, light colors. A rug or carpeting is often the starting point in decorating a room. The first step in redoing this room is replacing the rust-colored carpeting with a floral-patterned rug featuring warm pastels on a cream background. The color palette of the rug -- soft rose, green, blue and gold -- sets the color palette for the room. A cream sofa in a classic shape softens the room, and its neutral color blends beautifully with the walls and the rug. A second new piece in a solid color, a rosy-toned chair, also picks up the colors of the rug. A striped chair in muted gold contrasts nicely with the rose chair. The contrast of solids and patterns creates interest and draws attention to the area. The original coffee table and end tables are brought back into the room -- their dark wood accents the light features of the rest of the room. A delicate dark-wood writing desk, placed in the bay-window area, balances this space in relation to the rest of the room. A pretty green, pink and cream plaid covers the chair seat as well as accent pillows on the sofa. Accessories, including an elegant crystal decanter on the coffee table, plants, and a casual throw on the sofa, complete this stylish makeover. To save money when updating an entire home, designer Ann Sundet suggests using similar colors from room to room. In this makeover lighter colors were used in the living room and darker shades from the same palette were used in the family room, which gets more use. This helps promote flow through the home and can be a good way to keep expenses in check. Also look for bargains. The pretty pastel floral rug in this makeover was found at a department-store closeout sale.
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Sundet, Ann - Interior Designer
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