Refreshing your living room is like getting a haircut – it doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money, but it makes you feel so happy and proud.  All it takes is a few accessories in an updated color palette to get that rush of happiness when you walk through your door. Â
Part of my job with Target is to help their guest figure out what to do with a piece that they see and like. Sure, they like it, but Will it Work? Â To help with these woes, I created some budget living rooms with 100% Target, where the accessories alone are under $500 (which is why there aren’t a ton of accessories on here).
Now obviously you wouldn’t start from scratch, and generally a refresh is just accessories, but a mood board of pillows and lamps is a bit less impactful so we went ahead and designed three totally different budget-friendly living rooms, using 100% Target furniture and accessories. I kept the neutral furniture the same in all three to show you how much the accessories can really transform a room.
For those of you who lean traditional, with a modern bent this look could be for you. Blues and greens are fresh and work year-round to add some pop, without a lot of boldness. It’s calm and serene, but feels pulled together and stylish.
That sofa, while a futon, is INSANELY good for how inexpensive it is. I haven’t sat on it and it’s probably not going to be great for 4 people watching a Netflix marathon, but if you are in the market of a stylish, inexpensive sleeper sofa – check that guy out. The rug I had in my master bedroom until I stole Birdie’s old rug from her (that 4″ plush white one) but Brian and I both really liked this rug and we are currently hoarding it in our garage.
I will note that the height of the coffee table is a bit high for that futon but we liked it and assumed that most of you aren’t buying the entire set (just FYI).
Lastly that cabinet is AMAZING for $299. It’s one of those pieces that could go in any style house.
We made a landing page with just those pieces so head HERE if you are into it: Coastal Living Room
For those of you who can handle more color and lean bohemian, this one is for you. Same neutral furniture, but with a few pops of a saturated color can add so much energy to your home. Remember when they launched their global line last spring? Well so many good pieces are still there. That macrame wall hanging is great, the tasseled throw is awesome, I’ve bought that round pillow now 3 times for different jobs and the gold side table is a refreshing new take on the drum. Oh gah, and I love the sofa pillows with various tassels and fringe and the blue vase (which I have and love).
Click through HERE to get all the links for the rest of the products in the Boho Living Room.
Lastly if you shy away from bright colors, then go for more pattern and textures in your accessories, within your neutral palette. Vary the scales of the patterns, like I’ve done here to make sure that it doesn’t become too busy. And by adding some black accents it gives the room some depth and makes it feel grounded. We tried to keep our accessory budget under $500 but if we could have added more we would have because man, Target is killing it in this particular style right now (and yes, we love California Casual, too).  I want to go back in time and add a third pillow on that sofa, but it would have tipped us over our imaginary budget … next time.
Click through HERE to get all the links for the rest of the products in the California Casual Living Room
When shopping your options can feel endless – which can be both exhilarating (to people like me) and daunting (to the rest of human-kind). Hopefully this can help you have a bit more confidence when shopping knowing that if you just copy this, it is guaranteed to look good 🙂
We have a bedroom post coming up this week too, so if you are in the market, stay tuned …
I always LOVE the Target posts!
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Where is the black and white rug in the picture with you in it from?
Thanks!
It’s Target and here is the link:
http://rstyle.me/n/crj7nhsdhw
xx
Hi,
Where is the grey and beige rug from in the picture from?
Tell the truth … is it really “okay” to purchase art (prints, canvases) at Target? Sometimes I see things I might like but wonder if it is violating stylist rules to purchase art from a big box store. Same with IKEA and their big canvases, etc.
I mean, I’m not an stylist but I feel like if a piece resonates with you, it shouldn’t matter where it’s from! You love what you love!
So, not even close to Emily, so take my opinion for just that: I think the best art in homes are beloved pieces collected over time…but that takes time and can take a lot of money. So my opinion is, if you need some stylistic big box pieces to take up wall space and pull things together until you get the piece of your dreams – you should! And it can look great. Maybe someone would turn up their noses at that but sometimes a mass produced piece with just the right colors can get you by for a few years perfectly and is better than the bare wall alternative. And if you have people in your life that would be snooty about it, I’d question the friendship more than the art.
Target has some amazing art pieces that are reproductions of contemporary artists. No reason at all not to purchase and enjoy. I love the wood frames they are starting to use.
CA Casual without costing a several month’s salary. Love all three looks but that is my favorite.
LOVE Target posts!! Would love to see more of these posts – so helpful for my budget 🙂
Emily you sure make Target shine! Love these three well done rooms with different decor styles. The only thing that could have made them better would have been to have Charlie and Birdie featured somewhere. xo
Love the pillow you are holding!! Is that Target? It would be perfect for my living room. Would love a direct link if you have it — thanks 🙂
Love Target! My only beef is that I can’t seem to Pin any items from their website. It is only me that can’t find it, or do they not have a Pin button?
I can vouch for the tripod lamp. I’ve had it for 2 years and I think it’s a pretty good little lamp.
Do you know if they’re ever getting back the Rodney Wood Arm chair? It was gone before it came!
https://www.target.com/p/rodney-wood-arm-chair-threshold-153/-/A-51785696#lnk=sametab
The chair you posted it always in stock (in store) but I like the other better :\
That cabinet is good!!
http://mirandarodgers.com
Hey @Emily – Great post! I’m in the midst of redoing my family room. Do you think the rug you recommended would hold up well with kiddos and regular family room traffic? Just curious because you mentioned you had it in your bedroom which is probably lighter use. Thanks!
I think you just showed me the perfect floor lamp for my new family room—that antique brass tripod lamp! I love it!
this may seem a bit random, but i just wanted to say that i think it’s your transparency that makes me not mind affiliate links and the thought of you profiting off of me buying something you linked. some of the bloggers i follow just aren’t as transparent about it, and it seems that they almost don’t WANT you to think about the fact that they add links to their posts, insta-stories, and more so that they can profit from it. the concept as a whole is fine with me…it’s just the WAY some people go about it or almost try to slip it in without you realizing it that bugs me (the insta-story links are getting out of control…”i like this scarf, swipe up to see it!” huh??? ridiculous!). i know you didn’t specifically call out affiliate links in this post or anything (hence why i said it was random), but here is what made me think about it: before i clicked, “affiliate link” popped in my head. on some blogs, i will purposely not click on it and i will instead go to the site and search for the item myself. but, with your post, my second thought… Read more »
Just an FYI, the black & white planter you linked to is $49.99 not $24.99.
I love that grey sofa! I want to get a piece like that for our new place!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Where is the oatmeal square poof/ottoman from in the photo of you holding the pillow?
That sofa, that you say is “…INSANELY good for how inexpensive it is” despite that fact you “..haven’t sat on it” gets pretty poor reviews.
While I realize this is a sponsored post, please endorse products that aren’t disposable due to poor quality, no one expects to pay $200 for something of quality, so feel free to up the budget a wee bit 🙂
Target really is killing it these days. This is a great roundup — lots of things in here I wasn’t aware of even though I’m a multiply times a week Target gal! ?
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Your pleasure is very beautiful. I always budget things.
Hi Emily! I hope you see this question, I could really use the help.
I recently finally got the job of my dreams and it came with a substantial salary bump (happy happy dance). I’ve lived extremely small since I graduated college working towards this position and now that I have more income coming my way, I want to finally have a space that reflects my true self and am willing to spend a little extra to get it. How do I decide where to spend vs where to splurge in terms of long term investment/use? What should I look for when deciding if a piece of furniture if worth the price tag? Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!