Out with the Old, In with the New
 Are you a recent empty nester with an extra bedroom to decorate? Are you simply tired of the same old decor in your living room? Or, does your home look just plain blah now that holiday decorations have come down? These are classic tips for updating your home at any time.
1. COLOR Rich dramatic background tones and/or adding punches of bright color are a great way to change the look of a room. Color influences moods and personalities, so having bold and bright colors in your room may help you wake up on the right side of the bed in the morning. Consider combining red, orange and turquoise or colors you normally would not choose.
2. ACCESSORIZING This seems to be the most difficult thing to do for people yet it is the most important. It puts your personality into your home. Consider alternative ideas to candles and floral arrangements such as boxes, urns, clusters of family pictures in fancy frames, statues, vases or colored glassware. And if you can't live without candles, consider candelabras.
3. FABRIC Repeating the same fabric is not bad, but it can be boring. Combine multiple different weights and fabric textures such as shiny silks, velvets, mohairs or tapestries to change the look of the room. Each different fabric will stand out from the others eliminating the repetition.
4. ART Looking for the perfect piece of art for your home may feel like a difficult task, but it doesn't have to be. Art doesn't need to match your sofa or wall color, nor does the framing. Something different creates a better mix in the room, making both the room and the piece more interesting. Also, art does not have to be on a canvas or behind glass, consider painting a mural, hanging a fabric or something unexpected.
5. WINDOW COVERINGS Curtains can add color, softness and completion to your to your room. Use simple styles such as clean panels out of a great fabric with some fringe or beads on the edge. If you do need the privacy, consider sheer fabric to block the view but let the sunshine in. Window fixtures are like frosting on a cake and can be an accessory or artwork themselves.
6. TEXTURE Do your wood floors match your end tables? Mix it up! Mixing finishes is a great way to add definition to your room. You can go so far as to combine a white marble fireplace, dark wood floors, glass tables and a black laquer hutch if your choose well. The difference in color and texture will help each piece stand our rather than having everything blend into the trim or floor.
7. FURNITURE You should position your furniture around the focal point of the room. You want to orient seating around a great view from the windows, around the warmth of a fireplace or yes, even around the big screen if that is your vice. If you have a very large, open room, then furniture should be placed in groups with some pieces acting as dividers, sectioning the area into smaller groups.
8. FLOOR COVERINGS Have you ever been shopping and found the perfect rug for a room you haven't even started decorating? Great! Use it as your starting point. Rugs are a great way to begin because they give you a focal point, set a color way as well as a style to build from.
9. LIVABILITY Decorating your home does not mean you need to buy expensive, uncomfortable furniture or breakable accessories. You want to make the space livable for the entire family. Maybe fabrics need to be practical and durable. Maybe you want a couch you can nap on. That is okay, shop for one that is both comfortable and good looking.
10. LIGHTING Don't just place lamps for reading, use lights to illuminate points of interest and to highlight some of your favorite pieces. Or control the mood by simply adding dimmers to the wall switch. If one kind of lighting such as recessed cans can't be used, be open minded and try something new like high tech track lighting.
11. REDESIGN Decorating your home does not mean you have to junk everything and buy all new. Sometimes is just means new locations or uses for the things you already have. Consider bringing in a fresh eye, to help you see your existing things in a new light and you may find that was once old is new again.
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