Quick ways to refresh your decor for spring.

Ideas 1-9

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MAY/JUNE 2007)

Paint, fabric and a little creativity go a long way when you want to update your home's decor. Refresh your home with easy ideas from us and Midwest designers.

1. PAINT THE WALLS a vibrant color. It's a quick, easy and inexpensive way to freshen up any room in your home.
2. DECORATE IN PAIRS to add balance in a room. Use chairs, lamps, sconces, vases, candlesticks or potted plants.
3. BRING NATURE INSIDE. Gather fruit, pine cones, beach glass, moss balls or stones and pile them in bowls.
4. REARRANGE THE FURNITURE. Pull sofas and chairs away from the walls, or switch furniture between rooms. Group chairs for easy conversation areas; angle a sofa for a new perspective.
5. TAKE EVERYTHING OFF your bookshelves or fireplace mantel and put only half back. "The biggest thing is editing," says Heidi Karpa, a Chicago interior designer who works with HGTV.
6. REFRAME FAMILY PHOTOS. Buy matching frames (or spray paint mismatched frames all one color) and group on a table or on the wall.
7. REVIVE YOUR FRONT ENTRANCE. "Paint the front door a contrasting color, and add potted flowers," says Patricia Wood, an interior designer in Harbor Springs, Michigan.
8. SEW RIBBON TO PILLOWCASE edges for subtle yet dressy trim.
9. ENLARGE A SMALL ROOM by hanging a framed mirror on the wall. Or, "buy a large mirror and lean it against the wall in a hallway or room," says Lisa Maxwell, an interior designer in Wayzata, Minnesota. "It reflects light and adds space to an area."

Related Links: