4 Ways to Make Over Your Living Room

The Approach: Perk Up a Neutral Palette

Even adding just small bursts of color―on lamps, pillows―to a more restrained decorating scheme will give it a whole new life.

Designer: Steven Sclaroff, owner of Steven Sclaroff, a home-furnishings shop in Manhattan

Use a Range of Earthy Colors

For an eclectic look that still feels composed, intermingle brown, beige, black, cream, and white. Sclaroff chose a sandy paint color, a fluffy white sheepskin rug, a beige upholstered sofa with a mahogany frame, black hexagonal end tables, blanc de Chine table lamps, and black-and-white checkered vases. He also hung some black-and-white photographs and created a grid of 12 framed note cards on the left-hand wall.