Alright, let me walk you through how I busted out my living room makeover last weekend using Bali vibes. Tired of staring at the same boring white walls and generic furniture, I thought screw it, let’s try something tropical without breaking the bank or taking forever.
Started with pure chaos
First, I hauled every piece of furniture to the middle of the room – couch, tables, even that dusty floor lamp. Emptied the whole space like I was prepping for a fight. Taped up newspaper on the floors to avoid paint disasters later. Looked like a hurricane hit.
Wall magic came next
Ditched the vanilla white for warm, sandy beige on three walls. Grabbed this textured paint that felt like real stucco – slapped it on with a roller while blasting ocean sounds on my speaker. For the accent wall? Rushed to the fabric store for cheap rattan webbing panels. Just measured, cut with scissors, and glued them straight onto the wall with construction adhesive. Instant woven texture that screams Bali hut.
Thrifting treasure hunt
Hit three thrift stores hunting Bali-inspired stuff. Found:
- A lumpy cream sofa cover for $8 (hid my stained couch)
- Wooden fruit bowls I’d use as planters
- Sheer curtain panels with leaf patterns
Skipped actual wood carvings – too pricy. Instead, burned scrap pine boards with a kitchen torch until they looked “ancient,” then hung them with twine.
Green things & final fluff
Ripped spider plants from my backyard, shoved them in those fruit bowls with dirt. Threw cushions on the floor – no frame, just piled them up like a low seating nest. Scattered bamboo mats everywhere, draped the leaf curtains haphazardly, and strung up dollar store fairy lights above the ratan panels. Finished by tossing dried palm leaves in a vase stolen from my porch.
Done in three days flat
Total cost? Like $120 bucks. Stand in the room now and it smells like earth and coffee (thanks to the burned wood). Sunlight hits the woven wall just right through the sheers, plants are living their best life. Feels less like Ohio and more like somewhere with monkeys and coconuts. Ugly couch? Buried under textures. Perfect escape pod for gray winters.
Moral: Don’t overthink island vibes. Burn wood, glue rattan, abuse plants. Boom – vacation at home.