Decorating with a cream couch: budget-friendly front room make-over

Once there lived a man and his wife who finally decided it was time to be grown-ups and buy a couch of their own.

And so the story goes, they lived happily ever after...and became a couple of lazy couch potatoes.

The End.

Decorating with a Cream Leather Couch

You may be hesitant to decorate with a cream or light-colored couch, but it has the potential to turn your drab and dreary to downright dreamy.

I was very skeptical, myself. "STAINS!" was all I could think about. And leather? "Am I even a cream leather couch person??" Enter: mini-crisis of re-discovery.

But since the day it was delivered, we can't be more in love with it. It's like butta baby!! So soft and so comfortable. It not only brightened up our room a million times over, but it brought some grown-up sophistication to our front room decor (and no, I did not tag team that off of Katherine Lowe's wedding theme "grown-up sexy"). In a nutshell? We. Love. It.

Okay, take a look (if you haven't already jumped)

Front room make-over reveal: Cream Couch

BEFORE 
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AFTER

Decorating on a Budget | Front Room Make-over Details

Determine a budget

Re-decorating on a budget is definitely do-able, but the trick is taking your time and doing your research to find great deals. We wanted a new couch for a long time, but it took a while before we found the right couch at the right price. Take advantage of holiday sales, 0% for a year pay-off deals, discounted items, gift money, even thrifted items if in good condition. You can save a ton and still get what you want. Just be diligent and patient.

Creating a palate

Decorating with a cream or light-colored couch is the perfect way to bring in lots of color to compliment your neutral base. You don't want colors all over the map, so decide on what kind of feel you want in your room and what colors would compliment best. I went for Beachy Chic and splashed around colors like aquas, blues, sea greens and sandy tans, to compliment and brighten the space.

Choosing a Couch

Choosing a neutral base was important for us, so we could brighten our space and build color around it. By choosing leather, it made the space feel a little more modern with a touch of sophistication, without being stuffy.
-Couch from Macys Furniture Store, style: Alessia Leather Sofa - Pearl - *Black Friday Sale

Choosing an Area Rug

Choosing the right area rug for your room can literally transform it. It's important to make sure the size and color work for the space. Not only did the blue and cream Moroccan Trellis Rug tie everything together, it helped to anchor the couch and coffee table as a defined space, allowing the other areas of the room to be have their own space.
-Homespun Moroccan Trellis Rug - Spa Blue - from Rugs USA - *80% off 

Adding Accessories: Pillows & Throws

One of the really fun parts of decorating with a new cream sofa is adding throw pillows and blanket throws for pops of color. Each item brings in its own unique touch, while creating a sense of cohesion.

Keeping with our chosen palette, I decided on light aqua, soft, faux fur throw pillows (20"x20") which not only brought in the soft brightness of color I wanted, but also brought in a great texture. Don't forget texture is an important detail to integrate into any space!

THE SOFT FAUX FUR BLANKET THROW is a deeper color within the same color family - more along the lines of sea foam green and compliments the pillows, rug and couch perfectly to give the room that Modern Beachy feel. Plus it's so cuddly soft that it's actually something we love to use, instead of something we just look at.
-Faux Fur Pillows and Throw from HomeGoods - *holiday gift card

Bamboo Sunburst Mirror Wall Art

I made the Bamboo Sunburst Mirror a few years ago. It was easier than I thought it would be, with stunning results! See this post on how to make your own DIY Suburst Mirror

-DIY ~$14.00 total materials cost

Coffee Table

We didn't splurge on a new coffee table, (although I'd love one!), but this thrifted, 60's style coffee table is perfect for our space at the moment. I tied in accessories that brought color such as aqua glass, texture: rope tied nautical balls, woven & bamboo baskets/trays, and a touch of antique with a thrifted antique mirror used as a tray.
- Thrifted

Other Accessories to add color and texture to a room

Make your space personal with framed photos, wall pictures, candles, lamps, + don't forget to bring the outside in! Plants, rocks, sand, grass, shells, wood, flowers, etc. bring freshness and variety from nature's own textures, colors and diversity.

We still have a long way to go, but it's definitely a good start. I'd love to replace our bookshelf, side table and lamps, but a girl only has so much cash! I reeeeaaaalllly had to hold myself back.

I love how it turned out. It makes me happy every time I walk in the room!
And after almost 2 months, no stains! (knock on wood!)

Update: still no stains after 6 months and counting! Woohoo!

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