Are you looking for some living room inspiration or tips on how to decorate your living room?! If so you came to the right place. I just redecorated my whole living room with the Grainhouse collection from Christmas Tree Shops. I am so excited to share it with you, along with some tips on where to begin when it comes to decorating your living room. Before I dive into the advice for decorating your living room, look at the before and after pictures of my fall decor themed living room design!

Decorating our new home has been such a slow process since I’ve been so sick this pregnancy. This house is way larger than our last apartment so we have had to purchase lots of new furniture and decor.  My living room has had me stumped for months. The furniture arrangement took forever to figure out since it is too small for three sofas, but too big for two. We finally figured out the perfect arrangement to fill up the space after lots of moving things around. Decor was the next step and the new fall Grainhouse collection made that part of the decorating process so easy.

3 Steps to Decorate Your Living Room

If you are getting ready to decorate or redecorate your living room here are some tips to get you started.

1. Take Stock

The first thing you will want to do is take stock of what you already have. There is no point in buying things you don’t need. Check your storage too! I often put away small decor pieces that I no longer need in one space, and then realize they will work perfectly in a new space later on.

As you take stock keep in mind the style you are going for. I love a modern take on the today’s farmhouse trend, which is why I have so much from the Grainhouse collection in my home! Decide what style you are going for and make sure the things you take stock of fit into that theme. After decorating our master room last year in our old home I had a lot of Grainhouse pieces already on hand that were ready to be used in our living room. Going in the farmhouse chic direction with my decor was an easy choice! Choose what style suits you best and stick with that while you continue planning and decorating.

Once you have finished taking stock of what you already have write a shopping list and a wish list. Include the essentials on your shopping list, and things you want but can live without on the wish list. That way once you are actually shopping you will easily be able to prioritize needs and wants to help stay within your budget.

Bonus Tip: When you take stock also make sure to measure your space and draw a quick and simple diagram of the room you are decorating. This will make it much easier to know what works in your space when it comes time to shop.

2. Pick a Color Palette

This is something to be very careful and thoughtful about! Don’t make a quick decision when it comes to choosing a color theme or you might regret it later. Colors can evoke emotions, so keep that in mind as you choose. For example in our old apartment in Greensburg, PA we brought home some black leather couches with burgundy accent pillows (see pictures of that decorating mistake here). It looked so comfy and warm in the store. I realized shortly after that the dark colors made the room feel dark and crowded and the red tones in the accents just didn’t feel right. We lived with that choice for over a year before we were able to afford to redecorate and switch to some neutral blues, grays, creams and whites (redesign pictures here). The difference that color theme made was immense and I have stuck to it ever since.

Here are some colors and the style, feelings and emotions they evoke, to give you a point of reference as you choose your color palette:

• Blue – serene, trustworthy, inviting, calming
• Red – passion, aggression, anger, warmth
• Yellow – happy, upbeat, friendly, warmth
• Green – natural, stable, prosperous, earthy
• Purple – luxury, prestige, romance, mystery
• Orange – playful, energetic, cheap
• Pink – feminine, youth, playful
• Black – power, sophistication, edgy, modern
• White – clean, healthy, calming, serene
• Gray – formal, gloomy, neutral
• Brown – down to earth, rustic, charm, friendly

These different styles and emotions are great to keep in mind as you begin shopping for decor. For this living room decorate I went with mostly cream and browns, with some green accents for an earthy feel and fall vibe. This redecorate was so easy with Grainhouse, which is another reason I just love their collection. Everything in fits a neutral color palette, with slight accents of blue and green throughout. They have furniture, textiles, pillow accents, wall hangings and even entertaining essentials like cutting boards and dinner ware, so you really can get everything you need from them.

General Color Rule: As a general rule when it comes to picking your color palette, stick to neutral tones for the larger items (couches, large wall hangings, shelves, etc.) and incorporate your accent colors through smaller decor items that can be changed and replaced easily and inexpensively.

3. Shop

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