A Mother's Day Living Room Makeover

It's not that Maria Elena Soto was unhappy with her living room-it's just that she never used it. "She liked the blue chairs and gray sofa, but she avoided the room because it was like an empty shell," says Maria's daughter, Sabrina, host of The High Low Project. "My mom is a decorator turned ‘professional grandma'-she helps out with my sister's four kids a lot-so I knew she wouldn't get around to doing much with the space. I was dying to get my hands on it!"

First up: a plush, patterned rug, which instantly changed the vibe from cold to inviting. Then Sabrina gave the room a little zing with graphic pillows, a quatrefoil-shaped mirror over the fireplace, and a gold-leaf coffee table.

"I love, love, love it!" says Maria of her daughter's handiwork. "I'm finally bringing friends into the living room instead of the TV room. And some nights I'll sit in here with my family and just admire the space." How's that for a happy Mother's Day?

Read on to see just how Sabrina transformed the space.

Chairs

Sabrina convinced her mom to get the velvet Room & Board chairs two years ago. "I told her, ‘They're not Elvis crazy blue-they're subtle.'" But the pair, on its own, felt stiff. Sabrina's fix: a light throw from Pine Cone Hill and a pillow from Layla Grayce. A hammered wood table with a silver finish sits in between.

Rug

Maria didn't think she needed a rug, but Sabrina knew better! This wool pile one from Rugs USA fills the area and still shows off the wood floor.

Mirror

"A mirror should take up at least two thirds of the space above the mantel," says Sabrina. She picked one from Z Gallerie and painted the frame White Fur by Behr.

Coffee Table

The small table Maria had wasn't so useful in the space. This gold leaf and glass one from Worlds Away is about 3 feet square, so it makes sense for company.

Sofa

The curved gray wool sofa from West Elm that was already in the room was definitely a keeper. All it needed was a bunch of throw pillows for personality.

Lamps

"Two identical lamps opposite two identical chairs makes a room look balanced," says Sabrina. These gilded iron lamps are from Circa Lighting.