Secondhand eBay finds were the key to giving this living room an instant farmhouse style glow-up

Whether you're after a cosy living room to relax in the evenings or a spot to gather with guests, the living room is one of the most important rooms in the home. That's why the decor you pick is so important – get it wrong and you'll find it quickly becomes a junk room or somewhere you just don't want to spend time in.

However, just a few changes from functional living room ideas with plenty of seating, to adding unique decorative accessories can make all the difference. And if you know where to shop it doesn't have to cost the earth. 

eBay finds living room makeover

Having launched its Slow Styling Service to encourage shoppers to move away from a reliance on fast furniture, eBay ran a competition to give three lucky winners the chance to have a room refresh. Lizzie, one of the winners, chose her living room and was treated to £1,500 worth of homeware from eBay, all picked out by interiors author Lisa Dawson.

Before

With some mismatched furniture and lots of bare space, Lizzie's living room certainly needed some help. 'It just didn't feel like a home,' she recalls. Luckily, Lisa picked out some great new items to give the space a refresh.

After

Gone is the TV propped up on chairs and instead, a low wooden sideboard fits neatly into the alcove. A large jute braided rug has been layered on top of Lizzie's existing rug, with the circular design working in harmony with the rectangular-shaped rug underneath.

The space has been brought to life with a pre-loved velvet love seat in a deep green, making the perfect spot to snuggle up in front of the fire. A pouffe in front gives Lizzie the choice to put her feet up when she wants and can easily be moved out of the way when not needed.

On the other side of the living room, Lisa chose a cream three-seater sofa, along with a solid oak coffee table that is in keeping with Lizzie's farmhouse-style living room scheme. Rounded arms and sculpted wood legs on the sofa give this item a luxury look while still feeling relaxed and homely.

You can just about make out the hand-crafted lamp – another new addition– which has been created to look like antique stitching. 

'As the space in my home where I tend to gravitate to the most, my living room has so much character now,' says Lizzie. 'It's amazing to have these unique pieces that not many others will have and it's incredible to see what some additional colour, textures and pattern can do to a space to make it feel more homely while looking highly stylised.'

Where to find secondhand pieces

• eBay - The Better than new home interior section is packed with unique finds and certified refurbished homeware direct from retailers
• Vinterior - Devoted all things secondhand furniture, vinterior is filled with vintage gems
• Etsy - A mix of new unique homeware and sellers specialising in secondhand finds

When shopping for secondhand pieces for your living room on eBay or similar sites, remember to shop with a little imagination. This includes coming up with the right keywords that will deliver the best search results, and envisaging how it will look in your own home. 

One of our favourite tips is to think about current trends that are doing the rounds at the moment and use that as inspiration to track down affordable and environmentally friendly home updates. Secondhand shopping requires a little elbow work, but it's worth it.