A Blah to Beautiful Living Room Makeover

Lacking architectural detail with the blank walls, no trim and popcorn ceilings, this room was in desperate need of a facelift. Decorating editor Amy Panos asked makeover maven and Better Homes and Gardens editor Meredith Ladik to help her with this project. First order of business -- add character.

To dress up the space and create unity between the dining room and living room, Amy and Meredith chose to add instant character with classic-looking wainscot. Amy chose to wrap the room in urethane trim because, compared to wood, it comes in more styles, is lighter in weight, and is easier to install.

Urethane moldings, $7/foot fypon.com for dealers

Editor's Tip: It's perfectly OK to place furniture in the middle of a room. Just keep the visual footprint light (a pair of chairs works better than a sofa) and pick pieces that look good from all sides.

Beaded board on the ceiling complements the traditional style of the paneling. It goes on in 7-foot planks, right over the offending popcorn texture.

WoodHaven Beadboard, $3/square foot, armstrong.com

Vinyl replacement windows with Energy Star-rated glass are more efficient than the 1970s originals, and the trim never has to be painted. Plus they can be ordered to the size of the existing opening, which saves on installation costs.

Four-lite casement window, about $1,500, simonton.com

Three styles of molding were stacked to create a chunky ledge atop the wainscot. The result: a built-in spot for displaying art at eye level.

Amy traded the carpet, for a floor with a lot of color variation from board to board. Wood such as walnut adds another layer of visual interest and warmth.

Bellawood Brazilian walnut floor, about $6/square foot, lumberliquidators.com

Editor's Tip: Ideally, a rug should be big enough to contain all the legs of the furniture in a grouping. If that's not possible, at least the front legs of all pieces should land on the rug.

Amy took the corner of the room and created a little office that is perfect for paying bills.

Editor's Tip: Picking paint colors is a challenge, but landing on the right blue proved extra tricky. If you want a gray-blue, like Amy did, you have to go much grayer than you ever imagined. We must have tried a dozen different shades. Thank goodness for $4 sample paint pots.

If you choose to keep your desk in a more formal space such as the living room/dining room, choose accessories that will coordinate with the room like Amy's stash of orange pencils.

With the large windows and flanking bookcases, the dining room had the bones to be transformed into a quaint space.

To connect the dining and living room, Amy continued the color scheme and wainscot around the room. Adding more storage in the dining room was a must. Replacing a pair of rickety bookcases with glass-front cabinets gives the dining room structure and storage capacity. The cabinets are semi-custom, meaning you can choose the door style, finish, size, and extra trim for the top and bottom to give them a built-in look.

Thomasville Cabinetry, through The Home Depot, Thomasvillecabinetry.com

Pairing 12-inch-deep upper cabinets with deeper lower cabinets allowed the units to tuck neatly under the existing soffit while still offering plenty of storage. It also left space for a small countertop -- handy for setting dishes or food to serve.

Tucked below the window seat, large drawers are the perfect place to hide extra china and crystal but keep them handy if needed.