Leopard Print and Pink Transform a “Starter-Pack, White Wall” Living Room
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Living Room
STYLE: Eclectic, Maximalist
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
RENTAL FRIENDLY: Yes
Color drenching, or painting the walls, ceiling, and trim all the same color, was a popular DIY trend this year, and it looks good in almost any paint color. Here’s a deep brick red bathroom, a hot pink bedroom, and a dark gray kitchen to prove it.
U.K.-based homeowner Lois (@colourfulleopard) used the color drenching paint technique in her living room makeover, and she went with a soft whitish pink. “Our biggest challenge by far has been moving from a small, much older property, steeped in character, to a new build,” Lois says.
In her house tour, she says this means “moving away from colors and patterns we are familiar with and leaning to more modern colors.”
Painting the ceiling was the hardest part.
Lois describes the living room’s aesthetic before as “new-build, starter-pack, white wall and gray carpet.” Although she had to live with the gray carpet, she made a major change to the walls and ceiling.
“Our proudest DIY has been color drenching our living room,” Lois says. (And the dining room in the home is drenched in the same color, too.) “It was a mammoth task,” Lois adds, “and anyone who has done a big ceiling paint job knows the pain! However, the result is impactful and well worth the effort.” Lois adds on Instagram that she’s since painted the radiator cover pink, too.
Lois says that the ballet slipper shade she selected (Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground) changes color throughout the day and looks almost peachy in the sun. It keeps things light and airy and acts as a neutral, especially given that a leopard print sofa is the star of the show.
The leopard print sofa is the focal point, and there are several other leopard details.
Lois’s sofa in the photo is from Lady Muck although she recently replaced it with a larger leopard-print option from Rockett St. George, and she has several other leopard-print accessories from there, too. In fact, Lois has leopard print in every room of her home, and one of her firmly held design beliefs is that leopard is a neutral.
Two of her other favorite pieces in the room are the large palm lamp — ”she’s giving ’70s Hollywood regency,” according to Lois — and the handpainted ceramic leopard. “We have her right in the middle of the living room for an extra talking point!” Lois says.
The floating console doesn’t overwhelm.
Lastly, across the room, there’s a compact media console from Homary, a major upgrade from the chrome shelving that was in the showroom and the too-small hairpin-legged piece Lois had right when she moved in. The wall-mount console is nice for hiding cords. It doesn’t take up any floor space so it would be prime for smaller, multipurpose rooms, too, and it does add an extra surface to style — a bonus for Lois!
For more pink living room makeovers, check out this color-drenched beauty with a fireplace, and this cozy pink and red combo.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) Every Sofa at West Elm — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
