I started working on my parents’ living room refresh last week, and I’m so excited to share it with you on the blog.

Dad had a transferable job, which means we moved house often, until my parents bought their own home when I was in high school. So this is the home in which I did most of my growing up and made most of my memories.

I did the complete interiors of their home about 8 years ago. I had taken a break professionally because the kids were really small. But I would jump at the chance to help family and friends with their interiors, because I always loved this work.

At that time I also thought I was going to raise my kids for the rest of my life.. and theirs! I was never going to work full time again. Which means I barely took any photographs. The ones I did take, I did not style properly. (You’ll see my kids Tinkle in the corner of one pic and the dining table set for us to eat in another). And I didn’t even bother with getting the light right or holding the camera straight. The pics weren’t going into a portfolio, after all. They were only for my reference and pleasure.

My Parents’ Living Room Then

But this story is 8 years long.. so let me start with the plan and go about it step by step like I usually do.

As you can see, by Mumbai standards my parents have a relatively large living room. We divided it into the sitting area on one side and the dining area on the other. Since it is square shaped, and not long we had empty spaces on either side. The TV unit fit in neatly on one side. On the other side we added a small breakfast / tea table right by the window. You’ll see how lovely this is as you scroll down and see more pics.

When we finished work here 8 years back, this is what the living room looked like. (Yup, this pic has the Tinkle!). I loved the eclectic mix of furniture and the colour scheme in soft pinks and blues with a dash of purple.

The dining side was cozy and compact and fit in well into the space. Don’t ask me why the sofa chairs on the dining side are different in both these pics. I must have clicked them randomly on different days. Most likely I took this pic before the sofas above were delivered. We would have temporarily used the window chairs here.

My fave place then, used to be this window seating area. With that gorgeous green view, it’s the best place ever to sit for breakfast in the morning or your evening cup of tea.

The Living Room Now

A few years down the line, the furnishings needed changing. My parents decided to change the colour scheme then to a refreshing green. While I love the green on the panel you see above in the first pic, I think the living room became too green.

I do believe that there can be too much of a good thing. And we have too much green in the room right now.

You must have also noticed the change in the layout. The sofa and chairs, which made a cozy circle, have been banished to the ends of the Earth… actually, just the two ends of the living room. It is a little difficult to converse with anyone sitting on the other side of the hall. The rug has vanished all together.

The dining table now blocks most of the window. And my fave window chairs are gone!!

The TV wall, luckily, has stayed pretty much the same.

My Parents’ Living Room Refresh

I think when you do up homes for a living, you aim for the best in your own. This includes your parents’ home too, and so many of these changes have been niggling at my mind for a long time now. So this time round, I am more than happy to take charge of my parents’ living room refresh.

The plan works even today and so we’re pretty much going to stick to it.

My parents are looking for brighter colours this time, with a cheerful vibe and I am more than happy to oblige.

The first thing we will do is get the rug back in. It helps to bind an area together and we’ll choose a brighter piece to add the colour.

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(When I put an Emily Henderson design pic for inspiration, I know I’m on the right track!)

We’re keeping most of the furniture as it still looks great. So what changes is the layout and the furnishings.

And what we finally do, is get the plants back in too. That should complete the pretty picture.

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Since we’re only making superficial changes, without changing any of the basic structure of the living room, my parents’ living room refresh shouldn’t take too long to complete. Remember to sign up here for an update on the full reveal.

Questions and comments are welcome as always, so do write in below.

PS: The full reveal is now on the blog. Click to see ‘My Parents’ Living Room Reveal‘

Until next time,