10 Easy Ways to Refresh a Room

June 01, 2012
Brighten your home with these easy, affordable color-filled projects.
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#1: Paint brilliant color

Floor-to-ceiling navy paint stripes, framed with white molding, wake up bland walls. Outline each stripe with painter's tape (the stripe here is 2 feet wide). Cover edges with molding. Flank a fireplace, TV or any other focal point for a shot of color that's not a major commitment.

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#2: Frame fabrics

For inexpensive art, frame small sections of bold-hued fabrics. We picked two patterns with stylized birds to create a unified display.

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#3: Add canvas color

Add easy-to-change color to walls by covering prestretched painter's canvases (from crafts or art stores) with fabric. Secure with a staple gun. One solid panel grounds the geometric prints.

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#4: Paint "shoes" on a table

Paint only the bottoms of legs on a side table (as if you're giving it a sassy pair of shoes).

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#5: Add pillow pattern

To quickly brighten a plain pillow, wrap patterned fabric around the middle. Secure with safety pins.

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#6: Dress up a bed

A headboard gains colorful style with a striped woven rug draped over it. Secure with clip-on drapery rings and ribbon.

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#7, #8: Highlight a window two ways

Glued-on fabric or wallpaper gives a plastic pull-down shade an arty update. Paint just the window trim to frame the shade.

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#9: Enliven an entry

Remake an ottoman with a flat-weave rug (or fabric). Fold the rug under the ottoman, like you're wrapping a package, and secure with a staple gun.

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#10: Create a two-tone painting

Dark coral paint on a tall canvas and light coral on a short one add up to one great piece of art. Layer canvases; attach from back with screws.

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