How to overcome block walls

meetmow

Hi All!  My husband and I just bough at pretty sweet mid-century modern house that hasn't been updated since 1959!  It was built by a concrete/mason and he incorporated concrete/cinder block/brick into every.single.room.  The bedrooms have cinderblock on the outside walls and sheetrock on the inside walls.  What can I do to make the rooms feel a little less like a prison?  The floors are a very worn hardwood that I'm going to try to get some super plush rugs onto and I'm thinking that maybe some warmer colors on the walls (even though I tend to prefer cooler colors and grays).  Beyond that, I'm stuck.  I think that it's going to look like a jazzed up dorm room no matter what I do.  Any ideas are welcome!

(Picture is of the previous owner's furniture, not ours).

musictchr25

If you're into the DIY stuff, you could probably strip the paint off the cinder blocks, or at least rough it up really well, and put a level layer of joint compound over the cinder block to make the wall less textured and look more like a traditional drywall wall.  

Also, there are some products that you can use on the hardwoods to restore their shine and clean them at the same time.  One of them that I have heard that works really well is called Rejuvenate, and it comes in a bunch of different finishes so if you don't want the wood to shine a whole lot, you can choose something other than their high-gloss option.