How My Craft Room Inspired Our Living Room Refresh
How a forgotten fabric, a fresh color palette, and simple DIY projects gave our living room a creative refresh.
Every once in a while, a room doesn’t need a major makeover. It just needs a new idea and a little creative inspiration. This winter, our living room got a refresh that started in the most unexpected place: my craft room.
How One Piece of Fabric Sparked a Living Room Refresh
Every so often, a room doesn’t need a renovation or a big investment. It just needs a fresh idea and a little creative spark. That’s exactly what happened with our living room this winter.
The inspiration didn’t come from a store or a trend report. It came from my craft room.
While organizing supplies in my new craft room, I stumbled upon a piece of fabric that had been neatly folded away and, if I’m being honest, completely forgotten. It wasn’t new. It wasn’t trendy. But the moment I unfolded it, I knew it was exactly what our living room needed. That one piece of fabric set the tone for an entire creative refresh.
Finding Inspiration in What You Already Own
The fabric was floral and full of life, with beautiful tones of orange/red, soft pink, sage green, and touches of gold. It felt cheerful without being loud and warm without being heavy. I loved how the colors worked together, and immediately I started imagining how they could live in our space.
What made it even better was realizing how perfectly those colors matched our new sage green couch slipcovers. Sometimes that kind of coordination feels planned, but this was pure luck. The soft sage from the fabric echoed the couch beautifully and instantly tied everything together.
That’s one of my favorite decorating lessons. Before buying anything new, look at what you already have. Sometimes the best inspiration is tucked away on a shelf or in a drawer, just waiting to be rediscovered.
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A Winter Palette That Feels Bright and Happy
Winter can feel long and gray, even here in Southern California. We’re lucky to have sunshine most of the year, but winter still brings dreary days, rain, and that feeling of wanting a little more color indoors.
Instead of leaning into winter neutrals, I decided to embrace color. The orange red, pink, sage green, and gold felt energizing and happy. It was exactly the burst of warmth our living room needed.
Once I committed to the palette, everything else became easy. Decisions felt intentional instead of overwhelming. Every choice came back to those colors and how they made me feel.
Bringing Out the Faux Florals
With the color palette in mind, I headed back to my craft room and pulled out every faux flower I owned in those tones. Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few, and I love that faux florals let me decorate freely without worrying about wilting or upkeep.
I grouped the flowers by color and texture, then placed them in wicker vases around the room. The natural texture of the wicker softened the bright colors and kept everything feeling cozy and grounded.
The result was instant cheer. The florals added height, movement, and warmth, and they brought life into corners that had felt a little flat. I especially love how they catch the light on rainy days and make the room feel alive, even when the weather outside isn’t.
Creating in the New Craft Room
One of the biggest joys of this refresh was how much of it happened in my new craft room. Having a dedicated workspace has completely changed how I approach projects.
I used my new DreamStation sewing center from Create Room to make four pillow covers using the floral inspiration fabric. The DreamStation made the process so easy and enjoyable. Everything was right where I needed it. No digging for supplies. No clearing off the dining table. Just creativity.
Sewing pillow covers is one of my favorite ways to refresh a room because it’s impactful but approachable. Pillows are small enough to experiment with, yet they can completely change the feel of a space.
Making the Pillow Covers
I kept the pillow covers simple so the fabric could shine. Clean lines, classic shapes, and careful placement of the pattern made them feel polished without being fussy.
Each pillow picks up different colors from the fabric, which helps spread the palette throughout the room. When layered on the sage green couch, they feel intentional and cohesive, almost like they were designed specifically for the space.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing a fabric you love transformed into something useful and beautiful. Every time I sit down, I’m reminded that these pillows started as an idea and a forgotten piece of fabric.
Styling the Living Room Around the New Palette
With the pillows and florals in place, I turned my attention to the rest of the room. I didn’t want to overwhelm the space; I just wanted to enhance what was already there.
I searched around our home for accent pieces that fit the palette. Artwork with warm undertones, decorative objects with touches of gold, and pieces that felt collected rather than matchy all found their way into the living room.
This is where patience pays off. Instead of buying everything at once, I shopped our home slowly, moving things around until they felt right. Some pieces only stayed for a day before finding a new home elsewhere, and that’s okay. Decorating is a process, not a race.
Artwork That Ties It All Together
Artwork plays such an important role in a room, and this refresh gave me a chance to rethink what was hanging on the walls. I looked for pieces that echoed the fabric’s colors without competing with it.
A mix of softer art and more graphic pieces helped balance the florals. The goal was to create visual interest without making the room feel busy.
I love finding artwork for a newly decorated room on my Frame TV. This is one of my favorites!
I love how the artwork now feels connected to the rest of the space, almost as if it were chosen with the pillows and florals in mind, even though many of the pieces have been in our home for years.
A Room That Feels Lived In and Loved
What I love most about this refresh is that it doesn’t feel styled for a photo. It feels lived in. Comfortable and happy.
The colors bring energy into the room, but the textures keep it cozy. The wicker vases, the soft pillows, the sage green couch, and the layered artwork all work together to create a space that invites you to sit down and stay awhile.
It’s the kind of room where you want to curl up with a book, have a long conversation, or simply enjoy the light coming through the windows.
Decorating for How You Want to Feel
At the end of the day, that’s what decorating is really about. How do you want to feel when you walk into a room?
For me, I wanted the living room to feel uplifting during the winter months. I wanted color, warmth, and creativity. This refresh delivered all of that and more.
And the best part? It didn’t require a big budget or a major overhaul. Just a piece of fabric, a little creativity, and the willingness to try something new.
Letting Creativity Lead
This living room refresh reminded me how powerful creativity can be when you let it lead. That one forgotten fabric sparked an entire transformation, and it all started with simply paying attention to what inspired me.
Sometimes the best projects come from saying yes to an idea and seeing where it takes you. That’s exactly what happened here.
Our living room feels refreshed, cheerful, and full of personality, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. It’s a beautiful reminder that home is always evolving, and sometimes all it takes is one small spark to make a big difference.
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Good Morning,i love your blog the farmhouse is beautiful.
Maybe in future you could give a lesson on how to sew pillow covers,
Thks Carol from Canada,
I love the inspiration I get from your posts. Are your sage green slipcovers custom or where did you order them from? Thanks.
I love the flange pillows you made. Could you share how you made them please?
They certainly do brighten up the room! Your craft room is dreamy! I get that a room organized and set up for creativity is pivotal. When my room gets out of hand I don’t even want to go in there. It still needs a ton of work but I chisel away at it little by little. My problem is I’m a textile junkie and save every lil piece of fabric along with foraged items from our walks, anything with bougie.