Nesting - that most pleasurable business of making a house a home - is rarely as easy as professional decorators make it look.
Nevertheless, you can put the pros' winning design strategies to work in your home - without enrolling in design school or signing on the dotted line.
Simply by rearranging your household possessions with the eye of a designer - repositioning furniture, artwork, and accessories in a manner that brings everything into focus - you can easily give your home a fresh new look.
1 When redecorating, combine inviting colors and interesting fabrics and textures.
Mix the traditional with the unexpectedly novel.
2 Before you shop for new furnishings, rearrange what you have.
Artful regrouping will often provide an exciting new look.
3 Group like items together.
That way they'll have the most impact on a room.4 Make decorative objects the room's centerpiece.
Items with a reflective quality - glass, mirrors, metal - add distinctive highlights to a room.
5 Spice up the bedroom.
For a romantic look, drape fabric over curtain rods, furniture or the headboard.
6 Make bathrooms appear more spacious.
Remove mats from floors and furry covers from commodes.
7 Always shop for low-maintenance items to add to your interior design.
Make sure items do not require more upkeep than you have the time or money to provide.
8 Select low-maintenance window coverings.
These should both complement the room and be easy to keep clean.
9 When giving a party, choose decorations that carry out a unified theme.
This way you can both let your personality shine through and create a festive party area.