My Cheerful Jewel-Toned Living Room

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If you’re a renter looking for colorful apartment inspiration, then this post is for you. My colorful living room is my favorite space in my small apartment, and today I’m sharing as many resources as I can in case you want a similar look in your own home.

Get the Look

This living room is my take on a cheerful, jewel tone theme with touches of boho, glam, and mid-century modern! The best part is that it’s renter-friendly: I created this aesthetic entirely through colorful furniture and decor.

If something in my living room catches your eye but isn’t linked here, feel free to ask about it in the comments. I’m happy to share more details!

Behind the Scenes

It took me over two years to “finish” my living room, although I still consider it a work in progress!

When I started planning the space, I knew I wanted three things:

1. A jewel tone color palette
2. An emerald green velvet sofa
3. Lots of gold accents

At first, I was leaning toward a fully glam living room since velvet and gold fit right in with that style. But most of the glam, jewel-toned living room ideas I found had bold wall colors and dramatic lighting, which are hard to recreate in a rental. Plus, I loved the more light and airy vibes of boho and mid-century modern living rooms I saw online.

In the end, I mixed elements from all three styles. Glam comes through in the luxe fabrics and metallic finishes. Mid-century modern shows up in the clean-lined furniture silhouettes. And boho is layered in through patterned textiles, natural materials, and global-inspired decor.

It took a lot of trial and error to find a balance that worked, but the result is a relaxed space that feels bold, bright, and totally me.

Some of the finishing touches in my living room required a little extra work. These were small changes, but they made a big difference:

• Even though my coffee table was already gold, I used this gold spray paint on the frame to get the tone just right so it would better match the other gold accents in the room.
• I used this carpet tape to keep the corners of my rug from curling, which would have made the space look unfinished and created a tripping hazard.

Your Turn to Get Colorful

If you’re starting to decorate your first apartment, I hope this encourages you to embrace bold colors and mix styles that speak to you. Be sure to check out my ultimate first apartment checklist, which covers all the essential types of furniture and decor you can use to create a colorful, personalized apartment from scratch.

And if you’re working on a colorful living room of your own, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Happy decorating!