How To Make a Living Room Look Like Jessica Alba’s For Less Than $100

Coffee Table Books Are Beautiful Decor, and Give Your Guests Something to Read

Who doesn’t love a good coffee table book? Having stacks of large hardcover books around your living room looks stylish, and it gives levels of dimension and depth. In the photo above, we can see that Jessica has a huge collection along her wooden table. And in the Architectural Digest video tour, we see that a lot of her books are also scattered throughout the room with candles and cement bowls sitting on top. Choosing a coffee table book is a very personal process. Most people choose books on topics they enjoy, or the color scheme of the room. We chose a book called Down to Earth: Laid-Back Interiors For Modern Living by Lauren Liess in honor of Jessica Alba’s earth toned living room. 

Photo Prints of Nature Help to Bring The Outdoors In

Throughout her home tour, Jessica Alba kept reiterating that using natural materials in her house was very important to her. So it makes a lot of sense that in her living room, she has a beautiful photograph of the rainforest. It seems like she purchased this photo from an independent photographer, so we can’t find the exact replica for you to buy online. However, if you want to get the look for a fraction of the price, we recommend this trio of forest photos. This should fit perfectly above a living room couch, and it serves the purpose of bringing both nature and the color green. 

If a Leather Ottoman is Out of Your Budget, Try a Pouf Instead

The leather ottoman featured in Jessica Alba’s living room most likely cost a couple thousand dollars. Even on the cheaper end, faux leather coffee tables still cost a few hundred. So if you’re trying to stick to the $100 and under budget, try going for a leather pouf instead. This works really well with your existing furniture, and can be used for a footstool or end table. Kids love to sit on these while they play games around the coffee table. And at my house, the cat loves to take over the pouf every time the family gathers to watch the movie. At first, it may not seem like it’s worth the money, but the possibilities are actually endless. 

Cozy Throw Blankets Are Stylish, But They’re Also Totally Necessary for a Good Cuddle

One of the key elements to any living room is the throw blankets. All of us have them, but not everyone purposefully chooses a blanket that matches the home decor. In Jessica Alba’s living room, she has a large gray and white striped blanket with fringed tassels at the end. We couldn’t find the exact same blanket that she has in the photo, but we went with a very similar style. Since she is trying to incorporate natural materials into her home, she most likely purchased a wool blanket, and it could have been knitted by an artisan. If you’re also looking for something handmade, we recommend checking out Etsy, or find a local crafter’s Facebook group.

A Glass Cylinder Vase Shows Off The Stem of Your Fresh Flowers

In the photo of Jessica Alba’s living room, we see that there is a gorgeous bouquet of flowers sitting in the center of the room. Having fresh flowers in your house gives a pop of color to a space, and it can make people feel instantly cheered up once they see the beautiful blossoms. The vase is a very simple glass cylinder, which allows you to see the stems instead of the water. Glass gives the illusion that the flowers are almost floating in space, and it helps to blend in better with the surrounding decor.

Don’t Forget to Leave Out Books For the Kids, Too!

Earlier on this list, we already mentioned leaving out some stylish coffee table books. If you have kids, they deserve some nice things to read, too! Most parents already have plenty of children’s books in their house, but if you’re looking for something a bit more high-end, we recommend the series Little People, Big Dreams. These books give illustrated biographies of history’s most influential people and explain it in a way that young children can understand. We linked to a starter pack that comes with 5 of their popular books, but there are over 50 different volumes out there to choose from.

Olive Green Velvet Pillow Cases Tie Together the Surrounding Neutral Tones With the Green of Nature

Jessica Alba’s living room has a color story of grey, white, and green. These olive green velvet pillows are a very close match to what we see on her couch. Velvet actually originated from the Kuba people in the Dominican Republic, and eventually made its way to the middle east. It was so expensive to manufacture, that it became a fabric that was associated with royalty. Today, velvet is still expensive, but it’s far more affordable than it once was. Better yet is that it’s made from all natural materials.

The Live Wood Edge Table May Cost a Fortune, But End Tables Are Affordable and Chic

Jessica Alba has a live wood edge coffee table in the back of the couch where she stores all of her books. This looks beautiful, but these tables are hundreds of dollars. For the sake of our $100 budget, I found this live wood edge end table, instead. Speaking from personal experience, I know that these tables instantly make a space feel fancy. My brother purchased a table like this for his new apartment, and it really helped pull the room together. A lot of people gave him compliments, and he is moving that piece from place to place.

Cement Planters Give Your Indoor Plants a Stylish Makeover

In the photos of the living room, Jessica Alba has a very interesting cement planter pillar that looks almost like a sculpture. It’s probably a unique architectural piece that was purchased from an antiques dealer. We can’t find a replica of that, especially not for less than $100. But a great alternative would be to switch your indoor plants into cement pots. Plastic planters already cost around $15 each, so you’re really not paying much more to get a luxurious looking planter, instead. Just by making this switch, you can immediately give a space more style.

Jessica Alba Swears by Using Seat Covers, Especially if You Have Kids

In the video tour, Jessica Alba mentions that she puts slip covers onto her dining room chairs, as well as the couch in the living room. If you have kids, this truly is a lifesaver. Once seat covers are on, you don’t have to worry so much about your children having accidents in the living room. They’re easy to remove and pop in the washing machine. Another great thing about seat covers is that they will help protect the couch underneath, and it will stay in like-new for years longer. And if you ever get the urge to change the color of your couch, it’s as easy as buying a new slipcover.

Jute Rugs Add a Lot of Texture to a Room With a Neutral Palette

In her video tour, Jessica Alba explained that she wanted to decorate her home with natural materials whenever possible. So it makes a lot of sense that she went with a gorgeous jute rug in the living room. These rugs are made from the fibers of a jute plant, which is traditional in Asian countries. Another added bonus of this rug is that it’s textured to the point of it being similar to an indoor-outdoor rug. Since she has children running in and out of the house to play in the backyard, jute is actually the perfect material. A lot of people use these rugs as a secondary layer sitting underneath a more decorative rug. However, it can be used near your front door to help pick up and dirt that may be coming from the outdoors.

Painting of Nature Tie In With The Photos and Existing Natural Color Scheme

In Jessica Alba’s living room, she has a photograph of a forest, along with a green painting that also goes along with her nature theme. Since this was probably a custom piece that was purchased by the artist, I can’t find a duplicate for under $100. This is why I chose a painting by Henri Rousseau called “Surprised!, 1891”, instead. It depicts a scene of a tiger leaping out of the jungle. The original painting is quite famous, and lives at The National Gallery in London. Some of Rousseau’s other jungle pieces can be found in museums around the world, like the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Since the tiger is one of the mascots used a lot in Gucci, I feel like this image also evokes a sense of luxury, even though it wasn’t intended to do that. Either way, it’s still adventurous, and a reminder of the wild.

Woven Textiles Like Chenille Make Great Textured Pillows

In the photo of Jessica Alba’s living room, we see a lot of the green velvet pillows, with one textured pillow sitting behind her husband. My best guess is that it’s a Chenille fabric pillow. This is very luxurious, and it’s a fabric that is often seen in designer suits by Chanel. Chenille is made from wool fibers, and dates back to a weaving method invented in Scotland in the 1800’s. It feels very soft, and also goes along with the theme of using natural fibers for everything in the home.

If You’re Decorating in the Winter Months, Silk Flowers Never Die

Jessica Alba has a bouquet of gorgeous fresh flowers in her living room photoshoot. In reality, most moms don’t have the time or budget to constantly buy fresh flowers. And even if you do, the flowers you get available in different seasons can dramatically change the color story of the flowers you’re using together with your decor. Nowadays, there are silk flowers that look so life-like, there isn’t as much of a need to buy them fresh. I chose these light orange faux roses, because they look the closest to Jessica’s flowers that I could find on the Internet.

Floor-to-Ceiling Curtains Give The Illusion of a Much Taller Ceiling

In the Architectural Digest home tour video, Jessica Alba mentions that she removed all of the crown molding from the ceilings of her house. She wanted the living room to feel as tall and open as humanly possible. A common interior design trick she used to make the room feel taller was to have floor-to-ceiling curtains hanging over the large doors that lead out to the backyard. Anyone can use this trick to make their ceiling feel taller, no matter where you live. When my brother moved into a basement apartment, he only had tiny windows near the top of his ceiling, and it felt very dark and claustrophobic. He asked me where he could find tiny curtains to fit the windows, and I suggested adding these floor-length curtains to the windows, instead. At first, he thought the idea was silly. But as soon as he did it, he agreed that it instantly made the room feel larger. This proves that any home, on any budget, can benefit from this.

Painting the Room in a Neutral Tone Will Help Make Other Colors Pop

If you’re trying to make your living room look like Jessica Alba’s, it’s best to paint in a neutral color like white or beige. I chose a color called Collector’s White by Tribute, because of its grey undertones that looks very similar to what we see in the photograph. Obviously, we don’t know her exact paint color, but this is pretty close. If you’re on an even tighter budget than a $50 can of paint, check out the hardware section at Walmart. They have a paint mixer, and cans sell closer to the $30 range.

Black Picture Frames For a Gallery Wall of Your Family Photos

While it’s not shown in the photo above, the tour of Jessica Alba’s house on Architectural Digest showed that she devoted the entire hallway wall outside of the living room to photos of the family. There are black and white photographs in simple black frames featuring grandparents, great-grandparents, and cousins from both sides of the family. Since Jessica and her husband are both mixed race, there is a beautiful rainbow of relatives who are Mexican, African American, and white. “We just think that it’s important for our kids to see themselves, and see where they came from.” 

Cement Accent Bowls Are Both Artistic and Functional at the Same Time

While it’s not shown in the photo above, the video tour of Jessica’s living room shows one of these cement bowls sitting on an end table atop a pile of coffee table books. Cement has become a very popular feature in modern decor. Luckily, it’s a cheap material, and many people have even tried their hand at making DIY planters and bowls. If you’d rather buy something that’s pre-made, we recommend purchasing this one by Accent Decor. It doubles as both a sculptural piece of art, and something functional to hold objects if you choose. 

White Scented Candles Make a Room Smell Great, and Look Elegant Too

Pretty much every home on the planet has scented candles. However, the type of candle you get can really make or break the design of a room. The candles in Jessica Alba’s living room are all plain white, inside of a glass container. This makes it difficult to see what brand or scent it actually is, so we went ahead and found a close match. This Esna candle has a luxurious golden top, which doubles as both a lid and a flame snuffer. It’s so pretty, you just might want to keep the glass as a container once the candle has melted down completely.

Small Cement Planters Bring the Look Together in the Rest of Your Space

Earlier on this list, we already mentioned having a large cement pot for indoor plants. If you happen to keep smaller plants like succulents and herbs, having a few smaller planters would work out better for you. In the Architectural Digest video, we see that Jessica Alba has a few smaller planters in her living room. While it may not be exactly the same as hers, I picked this planter, because of the sculptural element to it. You could even leave this empty and keep it as a piece of art. All over Amazon, I found sculptural head bust planters in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Take a look for yourself to see if there is something that fits your own vibe.

A Rolling Bar Cart Doubles as a Place to Put Drinks and Storage For the Living Room

Yet another item in the living room that shows up in the video is her rolling bar cart. These are great for creating an at-home bar, and they keep all of your bottles of wine and liquor in one place. These are also a great place to store your wine glasses, and anything else that has to do with making cocktails. In the AD video, Jessica Alba’s bar cart looked pretty empty. Maybe she just uses hers as a sort of end table, or she was hiding her drinks for the purpose of the video. We don’t know the story behind that, but it’s still pretty with the rest of the decor.

These Golden Candlesticks Give a Modern Flare to an Old Wold Tradition

In the Architectural Digest video, Jessica Alba shows us that she has two living rooms in the house. One is more formal, which she describes as having a blend of old world French country style mixed with a Parisian apartment. There are brass candle sticks on the mantle of her fireplace. While we couldn’t find the exact same candlesticks, these ones from Tidelence are very modern and chic at the same time. They totally fit in with the vibe we have pulled together so far. If you were looking to fit the same vibe on a budget, consider taking pre-existing candle sticks and spray painting them gold. More often than not, the paint alone is enough to make anything look more luxurious.

Obviously, You Need Some Cleaning Products From Jessica Alba’s Honest Company

Aside from acting, Jessica Alba’s claim to fame is being the founder of The Honest Company. At one point, the company was given a valuation of over $1 billion. Her personal estimated net worth is $200 million, and most of that has come from her company, rather than her acting career. Now that we have so many crazy things happening in 2020, we are getting more serious than ever about keeping surfaces clean. In Jessica Alba’s house tour, we see that her home is stocked with cleaning products from her own company. So obviously, she would have this disinfectant spray around to clean the surfaces of her living room.

Last But Not Least, Don’t Forget Your Mask!

As we move forward to living with the new version of normal, entertaining at your home will most likely involve having your guests wear a face mask. Lucky for us, Jessica Alba has come out with a line of face masks at The Honest Company. These are also made with natural materials, and can be re-worn after cleaning in the washing machine. This is a lot more sustainable, and creates less waste compared to disposable paper masks. Just keep in mind that you may need to buy mask filter inserts to give you additional protection.

This Strand of Wooden Beads is Great With Neutral Decor

If you read a lot of home decor magazines, you may have already seen strands of these wooden beads. At places like Pottery Barn, they charge nearly $100 just for a strand of these beads. However, it’s possible to buy them from Amazon for just $12.99. I’ve seen people use these in a variety of ways. They can lay inside of a bowl, draped over a bookshelf, or wrapped around a jar or vase. These were not featured in the YouTube video of her home tour. However, they’re made out of natural materials, so it goes along with the theme of what Jessica Alba wanted in her home.

This Teak Root Bowl Goes Perfectly With All Natural Materials in Your Home

Jessica Alba seems to have a lot of pieces that are both functional and sculptural. This teak root bowl ticks all of the boxes. It’s natural, sustainable, and absolutely gorgeous. I first spotted bowls like this on a YouTube channel run by a Chinese woman called Li Ziqi, who lives off the land and only makes products she has farmed for herself. It’s really perfect for the vibe Jessica is going for.  Some people will use this as a bowl for fruit on their kitchen counter, while others will leave it completely empty. The beads I mentioned above would actually go perfect sitting inside. Since it’s so sculptural looking, you can really do whatever you want with it.

These Coasters Are Made From Slabs of Natural Pine

Nearly everyone loves to cuddle up in their living room with a drink and some snacks. Obviously, Jessica Alba doesn’t want anyone to create rings on her furniture! We never get to see her coasters, but I imagine they would look something like this. These are simple wooden slabs taken from real pine wood. If you have a saw and are cutting down dead trees in your backyard, you could even make these on your own. After sanding and glaze, they’d be totally free. Otherwise, they’re $22.99 for a pack of 6 on Amazon.

Check Out These Stunning Seagrass Mats

I’ve seen these seagrass mats in so many photos, especially in examples of Bohemian decor. Most people like to hang these on their wall as an art piece. This is yet another item that wasn’t actually featured in Jessica Alba’s living room tour. But if you are trying to achieve the same goal of only using natural products in your new house, this would be a great option for you. Since these are made out of seagrass, they’re totally biodegradable, and your purchase helps support the artisans who make them.

Nesting Baskets Are Always Helpful For Busy Moms

Anyone who’s trying to keep a house clean will appreciate a good basket. Since Jessica Alba likes to use natural materials, these nesting baskets made out of woven bamboo would be a great choice. These would be great for picking up kid’s toys, or to hide away wires and game systems. As a mom, Jessica probably already has some sort of system in place to make sure her kid’s toys are hidden away when it’s time for guests to come over.

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