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Experts' Tips: Fast Decorating Facelifts |
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
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What's the quickest, easiest way to spark up a room? We asked designers around the country for their best tips.
Cover It Up Slipcovers are the best and easiest way to make furniture look new. Consider reversible ones -- a wintry color on one side and summery white linen on the other. If you're looking for someone to sew a slipcover, check the bulletin boards in fabric stores or ask the clerks. -- Designer Steven Ellis, Chicago Try New Lampshades Take a few lamps to a lighting store, plan to spend $25 to $50 per lamp, and challenge yourself to pick new shades in colors you wouldn't normally choose to bring a little more color into the room. If the shade is dark, especially one for a bedroom, make sure it's opaque so the light will be directed up or down. -- Designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, author of Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics, New York City Try a New Color A powder room is a great starting point. The room doesn't get a lot of use, so you can experiment with color and go for drama. -- Designer Abbey Koplovitz, Boston Add an Area Rug A rug anchors a furniture grouping, promotes an orderly feeling, and defines a space. Use painter's tape to outline various sizes on the floor to get an idea of how a rug could work in the room. In dining areas, the rug should be large enough to contain the chair legs when someone pushes back from the table. If you're hard-pressed for space, the rug needs to at least contain the legs when the chairs are pushed up to the table. -- Designer Karen Oenick, Atlanta Change the Mat on Artwork I often find it's the color of the mat, not the frame, that dates a picture. Change the look of the piece by swapping out a light-color mat for a dark one or vice versa. Or choose a new color of mat and use the art in a different room. -- Designer Steven Ellis, Chicago Reorganize a Bookcase This brings an instant sense of order. Place books so the spines are at the very front of the shelf. Don't randomly intermingle objects with books; set aside one shelf for displaying your accessories. -- Designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, author of Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics, New York City Change Accent Pillows When done each season, it's a way to be trendy without making everything in your house a trend. -- Designer Jane Hirsch, Atlanta Look for Bare Areas Ask yourself what simple items could add interest. A change may be as easy as rearranging furniture or putting an oversize potted plant in a corner. -- Designer Abbey Koplovitz, Boston Tidy Up Your Entry It's a visitor's first impression, so don't let it become a dumping ground. Designate a place for mail and keys, like a small decorative tray or bowl. Add a basket for shoes at the bottom of the stairs so you can grab the basket on your next trip upstairs and put things away all at once. -- Designer Steven Ellis, Chicago |
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