Seven Quick Ways to Change the Rooms in Your Home

Transform a Room for Under $100

Though it's difficult to redecorate your home with new furnishings and accessories all at once, you can make small, inexpensive changes that will create dramatic results. Here are seven simple ways to transform your home.

1. Dim the lights Most people don't pay attention to the lighting in their home. However, just changing the light direction in a room can transform the entire place. Rather than using overhead lighting, you may want to place decorative lamps intermittently throughout your home. Casting light from the side, rather than from above, will create a cozy and homey feel.

The warmest looks can be achieved with paper lamps, which diffuse and soften light and provide atmosphere. Minnesota-based Target, a general merchandise retailer, carries a wide variety of lamps for less than $20.

2. Paint the walls The newest colors for the season are greens and terra cotta, according to color expert and designer Jean Van Wie of Home Depot, based in Atlanta. "Greens are the new neutral. Greens that are grayed, neutralized and earthy are being used quite a bit. And, I'm seeing a lot of terra cotta shades — not the blue-reds, but russet-reds — especially in the kitchen."

Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) carries some of the largest manufacturers of interior paint, such as Behr, Glidden and Ralph Lauren, at prices you can afford (starting at under $10 a gallon, up to $26 a gallon). Of course, no one says you must follow the trend. If green is not a favorite color, try something you like. Avoid plain white, which can make a room feel stark.

You're not limited to just painting the walls — Home Depot offers free training on techniques for decorative painting, such as ragging and color washes. "Decorative paint techniques are a great way to add color and texture," adds Van Wie.

3. Coordinate the bathroom Walking into some bathrooms is like walking into a thrift store, nothing matches, there are different patterns, and toiletries are everywhere. You can take control of your bathroom décor by using small accessories, such as toothbrush holders, cups and lotion dispensers in the same design.

Bed, Bath and Beyond, a national retailer specializing in domestic merchandise and home furnishings, has a variety of bath accessories that come in matching pieces. All ensembles include a toothbrush holder, soap dish, tumbler, lotion dispenser, wastebasket, tissue box cover, and in some cases, jars for cotton balls and cotton swabs. Prices start at $5.99 for solids and $12.99 for prints. If you're feeling especially adventurous, they carry shower curtains to match bath ensembles starting at just $14.99.

4. Hang prints and mirrors Nothing opens up a room like mirrors. It is perfect for making a small hallway or living room appear larger. Place an unusual mirror at the end of a short hallway to elongate it, or hang a few thrift store finds in a small room to make it appear larger.

You can find an assortment of unusual mirrors at Medina Imports (www.medinaimports.com), an online mail order company specializing in Moroccan designs, for as little as $35.

Hanging prints and pictures is a great way to make your home feel like your haven. Hang photographs of friends and family in small groups or make a large collage. Hang large, prominent pieces of art throughout your home and mix it up with smaller frames.

If you're tired of banging nails into the walls to hang artwork, the Pottery Barn (www.potterybarn.com) sells shelves starting at $19, and unique frames (starting at $8), on which to lean your pictures against walls for a unique display.

5. Decorate with wall murals Rather than wallpaper, try a wall mural. Wall murals are easier to hang and take significantly less time to put up than wallpaper. Environmental Graphics (www.egproducts.com) a Hopkins, MN.-based company, carries a wide range of designs from outdoor nature scenes to images of outer space, which retail for $59 to $89. Their murals have been used on the sets of numerous major motion pictures such as "Space Cowboys," "Clear and Present Danger," and
"Thirteen Days."

No matter what the color or décor of a room, Environmental Graphics has a coordinating mural. They're perfect for nurseries and children's rooms. The Storybook Hollow motif looks like something out of Winnie the Pooh's Hundred-Acre-Wood and is great for children with vivid imaginations. For map enthusiasts, the World Map is one of the company's best sellers. It details an accurate world map in an 8'8"x13'0" mural.

The murals come with a safe, non-toxic, environmentally safe, biodegradable starch paste for easy application. All you need is a smoothing brush, bucket, sponge, a little elbow grease and two to three hours. Visit your local Home Depot, Sherwin-Williams or Lowe's to purchase murals, or go to Environmental Graphics' Web site.

6. Purchase plants Nothing says home like healthy, green plants. If you don't have a green thumb, try low maintenance plants like a philodendron or pothos. They don't require much light or care, and thrive indoors.

Buy several tall palm varieties in decorative planters to place next to chairs and windows to bring the outdoors inside. Smaller plants look great on tables, shelves, and windowsills. A hanging basket with cascading leaves will add a dramatic flair to large entryways.

You can purchase plants as well as receive free expert gardening tips at your local garden center.

7. Rearrange the furniture For those on a shoestring budget, rearranging your furniture will make it seem as if you've walked into a brand new home. This requires no money, only a little bit of creativity and work.

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