When a room is small, that doesn’t mean it should lack in style. There are so many ways to decorate a small room so that it’s both stylish and functional. Follow these great tips for small rooms in your home or apartment that help you utilize your space in the best way while still coming out with a great-looking room.

Paint an Accent Wall
A great option is to paint one wall in the room a bold color creating an accent wall. This will not only help the room to appear larger, but it will also give it a stylish feel. By painting the other walls a complementary color, you can ensure that the bold one won’t look out of place.

It’s a good idea to stay away from dark colors, though. Black, dark blue, red, or dark green don’t necessarily make good bold colors. Rather stick with colors like pink, yellow, or aquamarine. Unfortunately, when you use dark colors in a small room, you only make the area look much smaller.

Choose Furniture That Fits the Size of Your Room
Keeping your furniture to scale is essential. For instance, don’t put a huge wood bed in a really small bedroom. The same principle applies to the family room. Find furnishings that won’t overpower the room and instead fit well. Remember, you want to be able to comfortably walk around a room without bumping into pieces of furniture.

Find Furniture That Also Works as Storage
Choose furnishings for your small room that can pull double duty. Items such as a wooden chest can both act as a coffee table or side table and also provide storage for such things as blankets, toys, and other items you might need to store in the room. If you can sneak more storage into your small space, you will end up with much more room.

Another thing to consider is whether you are maximizing your vertical space. By maximizing the height of your walls, not only are you adding more storage but also more design space. A solid wood bookshelf and armoires make great vertical storage pieces.

Attaching shelving to the walls is another way to create additional space. Not only can the shelving be functional, but it can also provide some additional design space. You can easily place some books and knickknacks of the shelves, which will add additional style to the area.

Let in Some Light to Open Up a Room
Try to allow as much natural light as possible to filter into your small room. The great thing about natural light is that it always makes a room look bigger and brighter. Instead of those overwhelming window treatments, keep things simple, perhaps with some blinds or a pair of plain drapes. You might also try adding mirrors to the walls. This will reflect the incoming light, making the room look even larger.

Choose Lighting That Doesn’t Overwhelm the Space
Avoid installing lighting fixtures that either hang down or are otherwise way too large for the space. For small spaces, track lighting is a great option, as it doesn’t take up much space yet provides ample light for the room, even at night.

Just because you’re decorating a smaller space, doesn’t mean that it has to be hard or boring. By keeping things relatively simple and functional, and then adding small aspects of your style to the space, you’ll be able to get the maximum enjoyment out of your small room.

Want to create a mood in your home that complements your personality? By analyzing your home’s colors, you can find a decorating solution to create the perfect atmosphere.

Designer Color Lesson
The color wheel provides an easy way to visualize how all the different hues relate to each other. Traditionally, red, yellow, and blue are considered the three primary colors from which all the others on the wheel can be mixed. Although this is true in theory, in the studio an artist can’t actually get a pure green or purple from the primaries, as the mixed color won’t retain the intensity of the parents.

When designing a room, however, you need only be aware that purple relates to both red and blue, whereas green derives from yellow and blue. These relationships insure that the colors will harmonize with each other.

Reading the Wheel
The color wheel generally displays the pure hues of colors, such as red, blue, and green. However, in your home more likely you’re going to be using tints (lighter values) and tones, also known as shades (darker values). When painting the bedroom, for instance, you probably won’t use an intense pure green. Rather, you’ll probably go with either a soft sage or a deep hunter green.

On the wheel, colors that lie opposite each other are complementary. When paired together, complementary colors make each other appear more vivid. Hues next to each other are analogous, which means they always look good together because they share a common hue. Any three equally spaced colors on the wheel are known as triads and yield a lively yet balanced color combination. One color must dominate, however, or the scheme may feel a little jarring. Use the other two in lesser amounts or as accents.

Stir Emotions Using Warm and Cool
The color wheel can also help you identify warm and cool hues. Warm colors are stimulating and advancing, and take up half of the color wheel, from red to yellow-green. Giving these hues the description of “warm” reflects emotional associations such as the sun looks yellow, or fire is orange and red. But the “warm” designation actually has a basis in physiology. The eye cannot simultaneously focus on both the red and purple ends of the spectrum, so to solve this it perceives red to be nearer or advancing and purple to be farther or receding. The other half of the wheel is comprised of those colors that are considered cool, which generally appear to recede. Receding cool colors such as blue, green, and purple, can visually open up the walls in a small, cramped room.

Here are a couple of suggestions to follow when working with warm and cool hues. Add a dollop of a cool hue to a warm color scheme make things feel well-rounded and complete–think of the effect a green plant has in a yellow room. Equally, a jolt of warmth will really liven up a cool scheme. Thus, a shot of red will really perk up a room done in blue and white. Some interior designers consider green and purple neutrals, since they either advance or recede depending on the context and thus can go with any color scheme.

Discerning Value
We are attracted, not only to the specific hue of a color (such as red, blue-green, or orange), but also to particular values of those hues (pink, teal, or terra-cotta). When you’re talking about values, you’re referring to the lightness or darkness of a color. To lighten a pure hue, add white; to darken, add black or umber (a blackish brown). For example, sky blue and robin’s-egg blue are both light values of blue, whereas navy and cobalt are dark values.

Balancing with Accents
Light and medium values live most comfortably with each other. However, light-value schemes can be boring. You can avoid this by including an accent of a darker value. For instance, to both ground and give depth to a color scheme combining light blue and light yellow, try a touch of navy or cobalt blue.

Understanding Intensity
Intensity and saturation are two important elements of color. The most intense or saturated expression of a color is known as its pure hue. When you add the hue’s complement, you muddy the color so that’s it’s softer, more muted, and less intense.

In general, lower-intensity colors create a calm, restrained mood that’s subtle and serene. Conversely, a higher-intensity or more saturated color will generate more energy. The color will feel dynamic or richly elegant, depending on the specific colors and style of your furnishings.

Equal Partners: Achieving Color Balance
Balance is a key component of any successful color scheme. If you’re going to choose a strong color, it’ll need a strong partner, and this applies to both value and intensity. For instance, if you’re going to go with a navy blue wall, you’ll need an equally intense yellow or red to create a balanced scheme.

Intensities should be kept equal or nearly equal. A saturated red calls for an equally intense green or yellow-green. But for a muted red-orange or lower intensity, you’ll need a muted yellow-green. By pairing colors of different intensities, you create a feeling of imbalance.

These days, more and more professionals are opting to work from home. Whether you work from home or just end up taking a lot of your work home with you, you probably need some sort of home office. Setting up an office in your home doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. Whether you work from home or just want a home office for the family, there are plenty of ways to build a budget-friendly office space that will fit your needs.

Sectioning a Portion of a Room for Office Space
Setting up a home office doesn’t necessarily mean you need to designate a completely separate room. Certainly having your office in its own room is nice, but it isn’t at all necessary. Unless your business needs a lot of storage space, a home office can be set up in a closet or in a corner of another room, such as the dining room or kitchen. For work-at-home parents, having your office in a corner of a room or a closet can often work better, especially for those who need to keep an eye on young children or monitor their teenagers’ computer time.

Converting a Closet into a Home Office
Turning a closet into a home office is simple. Just take the doors off the hinges and remove the closet bar. Next you need to find a simple wood desk and comfortable chair that will fit in the space you have. The back walls of the closet can provide a place for shelving or any other organizational or storage options you might need. If you don’t always want your office to be in view, simply hang a long curtain over the front of the closet. If you’re looking for an inexpensive office solution that requires very little space, then this is definitely the way to go.

Adding Shelving and a Desk to Any Room
A home office can be as simple as a built-in oak bookcase or storage area, or perhaps a computer armoire. Whether it’s the dining room, the kitchen, or the bedroom, this type of inexpensive home office can be added to just about any room.

Even if you do have a separate room for your home office, your space can still be budget-friendly. Simply painting the room can make a big difference, whether you choose your favorite color or a mellow color like light green or blue.

This space can be easily decorated by simply adding photographs in frames to the wall. The photos might be of your family, or you could display some nature scenes that you took. Shelves or shadow boxes added to the walls for storage can double as decorative items as well.

Those books that you use for your business might also serve as decorative items, particularly if they are nice-looking. Try filling decorative boxes and trinkets with office supplies; this way they can be functional as well as stylish.

The great thing about a home office is, if you are just starting up your business and you don’t have many resources, you can easily build it up slowly. You can simply start out with a desk and a chair in the room. You can wait till you find deals or sales on decorative and storage items to use for the room. It’s not necessary to go into debt trying to create the “perfect” home office before you business is even making money.

One of the most popular features that new buyers look for in a home is hardwood flooring. Keep in mind, however, that despite its popularity, there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to this type of flooring.

These days you can choose from more than different makes of wood for your hardwood floor, as flooring is also available in different patterns and installations. If you don’t want to choose a pre-made color, you can even get unfinished planks that allow you to pick out the exact stain you want. Nonetheless, there are many pros and cons that come with hardwood flooring that you need to consider before installing it in your home.

Pros of Hardwood Floors
One of the greatest benefits of hardwood flooring is the look. Most people agree that hardwood flooring is beautiful and much more attractive than carpet or tile. Flooring comes in a variety of different woods, from oak and cherry to bamboo.

It’s so much easier to match furniture to a hardwood floor. Unlike carpet, wood is a neutral that goes with any type or style of furniture whether its Arts and Crafts furniture or contemporary wood dining room furniture. Another benefit is that if you do decide to redecorate, you can easily create any new style and the floor will still match. This isn’t always true with some carpets and tiles that only match certain themes and styles.

Hardwood flooring is also very low-maintenance when it comes to cleaning. A simple vacuuming or sweeping with a duster every few days is all you really need to do to keep them clean. Then about once a month, use a wood cleaner on the floor to help keep its shine. Hardwood floors are also a benefit if you have someone with allergies in your home, as they are much cleaner than carpet.

Finally, with the popularity of hardwood floors these days, it may be easier to sell your home than if you have carpet. Most home builders and contractors consider hardwood floors and upgrade. Thus you may find that you can increase the price of your home if you have this type of flooring.

Cons of Hardwood Floors
For people considering putting hardwood in their homes, the price is often the biggest deterrent. If you go with real hardwood flooring, not the laminate stuff, it can get pretty expensive. If you’re unable to do the installation yourself, you will also end up paying a contractor, which can cost you a great deal more.

The presence of a pet in the home might also influence your decision about hardware flooring. If you decide on this type of flooring, you need to be aware that it can be easily scratched by a cat’s or dog’s claws. There’s nothing worse than a newly installed beautiful hardwood floor with scratches all over it from your pet. It’s also important to consider that high-heeled shoes can likewise leave dents and scratches.

In most circumstances, hardwood floors are significantly colder than carpet. This is particularly true for those ground-floor hardwoods in homes that are built on a slab. This can be a major con for people who live where it gets cold in the winter. You can get rid of some of the chill with area rugs, but then you don’t get to see the beauty of the wood as much.

Finally, for those of you with small children, hardwood flooring doesn’t always make the best play area. This type of flooring is substantially harder than carpet. Not only can it be tough on crawling babies, but it creates a rather hard landing for those who are attempting to walk and falling in the process.

Installing hardwood floors in your home has both its pros and cons. You’ll need to consider your own personal circumstance to determine what’s the best option for you.

Even though interior decorating is always centered around a homeowner’s particular style, there are still certain things that should always be avoided. Some people find that they really have a knack for decorating, whereas others might need some help. Whatever your degree of decorating savvy, here are the top 5 interior decorating mistakes and how to avoid them in your home, no matter what kind of room you’re working with.

1. Interior Decorating without a Plan or Vision
One of the worst things you can do is to start decorating a room with absolutely no plan or vision. What usually ends up happening is that the room will look like it was randomly put together and nothing will flow. It’s really important to already have some sort of plan drawn out or at least a vision of what you want before you buy even one piece of décor. You don’t have to come up with anything elaborate; just a few quick ideas scribbled on a piece of paper will give you something you can work with.

2. Complementary and Contrasting Home Décor: Too Much Matching
Those people who have the tendency to want everything to match often end up with a living room, for instance, that is all tan and brown. If your goal is a monochromatic look, then this might be perfect for you. But most decorating schemes need complementary and contrasting colors added to the décor. These variations give the room something interesting that will stand out, rather than the whole room just being drowned out in one or two colors.

3. Disorganization: Decoratively Organize Your Room
Organization is one of the most important aspects of any room. A stylish décor’s not going to be noticed if the room is disorganized and a mess. Look for functional pieces as well as decorative ones when choosing items for your room. Bookcases for instance, can do a lot more than just hold books. You can put wicker baskets on the shelves to hide such items as remotes, toys, magazines, and other miscellaneous things.

It’s important to utilize any storage space you have in a room. Clothes might be stored under the bed, and bathroom cabinets might have small baskets in them for small items such as toothbrushes, floss, and other personal items. Try not to leave small items lying out all over the house. With a little creativity, you can find places to store and organize those items out of sight.

4. Getting Furniture without First Checking Room Dimensions
It’s always really important to take measurements in a room before you buy any type of furniture, whether its a television stand for your family room or wood beds for your bedrooms. You don’t want to end up having your couch take up your whole family room. And you also don’t want a couch that’s dwarfed by a huge living room space.

So be sure to plan your furniture according to the dimensions of the room. It’s also a good idea to buy your furniture first before you do anything else, as styles can be worked around the furniture and this way you’ll know how much leftover space you have to work with.

5. Pictures Placed Too High on the Walls
This is a very commonly made mistake when it comes to interior decorating. Pictures should be hung on the wall at eye level and no higher. If you’re hanging a huge portrait, however, it can go slightly higher so it’s away from the floor. In this case, the middle of the picture should be at eye level. The key is to be able to look at the artwork straight on instead of having to look up to see it.

These are just some of the most common interior decorating mistakes made by homeowners. Those who avoid these mistakes will be well on their way to a beautifully decorated home.

Does your dining room seem dull and boring to you? If so, then perhaps it’s time to decorate it with more style. Besides buying new dining furniture there are many ways to liven up your dining room, making it more stylish and put together. Following are some great style tips that can be used in any dining room.

1. Add an area rug to pull together the colors of the room
The area rug should be large enough to fit under the table and chairs when the chairs are pulled out. Don’t get too big a rug, though. Some flooring should show between the area rug and the walls. When measuring for an area rug, measure the length and width of the table and then add another four feet in all directions. If you’re looking for a whole new look in your dining room, then find a rug that fits that style and redecorate the rest of the room around it.

2. Add a centerpiece to your dining room table
A flower arrangement is a simple and effective way to add color to any dining room. Try decorative candles to bring some light into the room. A glass bowl or vase with fruit will add more of an earthy touch. Centerpieces provide a great venue for you to get really creative. Centerpieces can be changed frequently, depending on the season or just the mood you’re in.

3. Add some style to the room with a piece of artwork or a set of shelves
Look around your dining room—do you have anything on the walls? A bigger piece of artwork can be a great way to create a focal point for the room. Or perhaps consider adding two or three pieces to the walls that will tie the room together. Another great option is to hang one or two shelves on a wall. Then you can put pictures, candles, or other décor items there to add some decoration to the room.

4. Set the dining room table for a finished look
By setting out a nice set of china along with placemats or an elegant tablecloth, you are adding a finished look to your dining room. This will help the room to appear more welcoming, rather than cold and uninviting, to guests. By changing the place settings according to the different seasons and holidays, in addition to your main setting, you ensure that you’ll never grow tired of what your dining room looks like.

5. Incorporate some style with a new light fixture
Lighting can certainly add some style to a dining room. You might go with a chandelier, which always looks great above a wood dining table, or some tall standing lamps in the corners. The chandelier should go with the style of the rest of the room. Chandeliers can be adjusted to the perfect height that will give the room the right amount of light.

There are so many more ways to add more style to your dining room. Just remember to be creative and envision what your ideal dining room would look like. Then get to work and make it happen!

Many people feel like they have to justify a redecorating project in their home, either to convince themselves to finally take the plunge or to those around them. Here are some great reasons to start a redecorating project of your own.

1. When Moving into a New Home
Moving into a new home is the number-one reason why people choose to redecorate. Most people don’t want to live surrounded by someone else’s style, especially if it doesn’t match their own. Simple steps, such as taking down wallpaper or painting the walls a different color, can go a long way in transforming your new home into your own. Then once you get your own furniture and accessories in place, whether it’s a wood bookcase stuffed with your reading collection in the corner of your home office or an elegant set of oak dining room furniture that’s been the centerpiece of countless family dinners, any feelings of your home being a stranger’s house will be gone.

2. Before You Sell Your House
If you have recently decided to sell your house, now is the perfect time to update that kitchen or bathroom you’ve always been meaning to remodel. You don’t need to plan a full redecorating and remodeling project, but simple updates will attract many more buyers. The rule of thumb here is to only do things in your home that will bring you an immediate return when you go to sell.

3. The Kids Have All Moved Out
Are you facing empty-nest syndrome now that your last child has officially moved out? There’s no better way to avoid those empty-nest blues than by redecorating the home. If you’re not ready to disassemble the kids’ rooms yet, then start with a bathroom or even your family room. Your family room can be transformed into any style of room you want, since it no longer needs to center around your children. One of the best advantages to not having children in the home is that you no longer have to worry about valuables getting broken or white couches getting dirty. So, go ahead. Find that style you’ve always wanted but could never have when you lived with your kids.

4. You Have Extra Money to Invest
When you find yourself with extra money, whether from an inheritance or a really nice bonus check, you finally have the means to redecorate your home the way you always wanted. Investing it back into your home not only makes sense financially, but you now have the means to create that style you always wanted. Plan accordingly, though. You don’t want to end up going over budget and then having a debt to pay.

5. You’ve Fallen in Love with an Interior Design
Were you looking through an interior-design magazine and absolutely fell in love with a room you came across? Or perhaps at the fabric store you came across this new pattern you just had to have. Whatever you’ve fallen in love with, why not just go for it and create the home you’ve dreamed of? This doesn’t have to be a large commitment; you don’t have to go crazy all at once and completely change the room. Little things here and there can help incorporate the new style into the room. A great first step, for example, is to make drapes out of that fabric you love and then repaint the walls to match.

Redecorating is just one of those things that you sometimes have to just go for. It’s best to just get started or else you may never work up the courage to do it. Do, however, be sure to set a budget and stick to it. Your newly redecorated home should be a source of pride and not make you sick every time you see it because you spent so much money on it.

Once you’ve bought your young son some rugged wood bedroom furniture like an oak bed or wood night stand then you have to decide on decorating them that will keep them happy and entertained. There are so many great and unique decorating themes for any boy’s room. Remember when selecting your theme to be sure it’s something that can grow with him through the next several years. Any of the following themes can easily be adapted for any boy ranging from age two to age ten. Any of these unique decorating ideas will help get you started on creating a fun and engaging décor for any little boy’s room.

The Firehouse Bedroom
If your little boy is enamored with firefighters, then a firehouse theme would be perfect for his room. You should have no problem finding a firefighter wallpaper border to hang on the walls. Or for those who can draw or paint, any number of firefighter scenes might grace the walls. Aside from fire truck bedding, there are plenty of other accessories you can add to the room to increase the fun, including a fireman’s hat, a hose hanging on the wall, or a fireman’s pole. You might even consider putting a siren in the room—if you dare!

The Bedroom from Outer Space
An outer space theme is the perfect choice for any little boy interested in aliens or the night sky. Walls can be decorate using outer-space and star wallpaper borders and even star and planet decals. If you’re able to, you should be able to find spaceship or planet templates that you can trace and paint on the walls.

For a striking addition to the room, try painting the ceiling black and then using glow-in-the-dark paint to add stars and planets to the ceiling. Throw in a couple Martian stuffed animals, and your little boy will be sleeping in outer space.

Pirate Themes for Bedrooms
If your little boy is partial to pirates, you can use movies such as Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean as a reference, depending on how old he is. Start by painting the walls blue for the ocean. A pirate ship painted on one of the walls would be an awesome addition, or perhaps an island with an overflowing treasure chest on the shore. Complete the look by adding accessories such as nets, portholes, treasure boxes with booty, and pirate hats.

A Favorite Animal Theme
What’s your little boy’s favorite animal? Is it monkeys or lizards? Consider decorating his room with his favorite animals. This is a broad theme that can be customized to fit your little boy’s preferences. For instance, if your boy has a pet, you can always build the theme around that, complete with a special place for the pet to live. Just be sure that if your little boy is old enough, you take his interests into consideration and not just choose any animal theme for his room.

Other Decorating Themes
Some other decorating ideas for a little boy’s room that are both unique and fun include:

· cowboys

· dinosaurs

· race cars

· military

· jungle

· sports

· construction

· licensed characters and cartoons

· haunted house

· bugs

· the wild outdoors

To find the perfect decorating theme for your little boy, involve him in the process, not only of choosing the theme, but of picking out what he wants in the room and helping set it all up.

For those who like to keep current with the styles and designs of today, a contemporary style might be the perfect décor choice for your home. Nowadays, contemporary styles have shifted and are no longer as cold and unwelcoming as they once were. Contemporary styles nowadays tend to be comfortable, lighter, and very welcoming.

So what exactly is needed to create that contemporary look? The basic components of this design style are simplicity, clean lines, and sophistication. Focusing on shape, size, and color is the key to any contemporary style. What will result is a fresh, sleek look that will fit just about any room in the home. If a contemporary style seems like the décor choice for you, here are some other important features to consider.

Contemporary Color Choices for Your Room
Contemporary styles tend to incorporate mostly neutral colors, although modern variants are adding more colors such as blues and greens into the mix. Traditionally, black is often the color used to ground the décor, creating a base for the look. Choose neutral tones such as light gray, white, or light tan for your walls.

One new trend in contemporary styles revolves around monochromatic themes. This means you choose one or two complementary colors, such as green and blue, and then you work only with those colors, adding a neutral color such as black or white here and there. Thus, for instance, you may coordinate white pillows with a modern light-blue chair.

Accentuate the Lines and Geometry of the Room
Essential to contemporary style is distinct lines in the design. To create definite lines in your décor, you might look to including some geometric shapes or keeping the windows bare in the room. Don’t overcrowd the space. You need each and every piece to stand on its own and not get shuffled in with everything else.

Choose Sleek and Modern Furniture
For contemporary furnishings, look for sleek and modern pieces that have geometric patterns. Rather than a big plush, comfy sofa, you might go with a sleek wrap-around sofa with exposed peg legs for that contemporary look. Choose furniture that’s upholstered in neutral tones such as white, black, tan, and gray. You can also consider purchasing contemporary wood furniture. Avoid furniture with frilly accents or pillows, or pieces with skirts or trim on the bottom.

Contemporary Décor That’s Basic, Bold, and Functional
Remember, with contemporary style, less is more. In other words, you need to eliminate the small, cute, little things and focus on larger objects. Avoid any floral or paisley prints, as well as fringes and ruffles.

When it comes to contemporary décor, go basic, bold, and functional. For instance, a simple large candle on a dish may be all that’s needed on a shelf or table. Another contemporary accent might be a glass vase with colored balls or marbles. However, limit those accents to one per surface area. Some surfaces, such as side tables, don’t need anything on them.

Contemporary style can create a great look for practically any room in your home and can be achieved with something as simple as new  living room or bedroom furniture accents. However, do be sure this is the style you want, as it is hard to incorporate contemporary pieces into other decorating themes.

Do you feel your kitchen is lacking something or is just totally out-of-date? There are several inexpensive ways to update the look of your kitchen while still being able to afford groceries for the month. You might be stuck with your floor plan, unless you have thousands of dollars to completely redo the entire kitchen. But there are ways to accentuate the positive and spruce up the kitchen you have.

Add New Cabinet Hardware
Adding new hardware might sound really simple, but it can really affect the scheme of your kitchen. By taking off old hardware (if you even have any) and adding new handles and pulls, you can turn an ordinary cabinet into something decidedly more stylish. For a more contemporary look, go with silver or brushed nickel handles. Cabinet pulls and handles vary in price, anywhere from $0.50 a pull to upward of $20. So be sure to set a budget ahead of time and account for all the hardware you’ll need.

Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint
Paint is inexpensive but can instantly change the look of a room. The low cost will be especially true if you have a small kitchen or not much exposed wall area. For those who have wallpaper, painting can give a kitchen an instant facelift. Be aware, however, that the project will be more time consuming than if you didn’t have the wallpaper to tear down. Choose a color that’s updated and fresh, but be sure it will still go well with the look and color of your cabinets. If you’re not happy with your cabinets, this may be a good time to stain or repaint them as well. If your ceiling is sporting those ugly yellow grease marks, consider repainting it as well.

Freshen Up Your Kitchen by Adding Some Green
The simple addition of a plant or flower arrangement to your kitchen can bring an element of freshness to the space. Be sure not to clutter the plants or flowers. One on top of a cabinet or one in the corner of the room will be enough to change the look of your space. If you go with a real plant or flowers, be sure to take care of them or you’ll be wasting your money.

Add a New Light Fixture
You can really spruce up your kitchen with a new light. Light fixtures vary in price, but you should be able to find a great light for your kitchen for under $100. If your kitchen currently contains recessed fluorescent lighting, that is definitely something to update. Consider something totally different such as a chandelier in the middle of the kitchen. Track lighting is another great option, as it gives you light in the areas of the kitchen, such as the stove, where you need it the most. A new light fixture is not only functional, in that it adds new light to the space, but it also can bring a sense of style to the room.

Put Your China on Display
Do you have beautiful china that’s hidden away in your cabinets or hutch? Why not put it to good use and display it? An easy option is to take one of your cabinet doors off the hinge and replace it with a glass cabinet door. Then you can arrange the china in the cabinet to show it off, and voilà, you have an instant attention-getter. Another great display idea is to put up a shelf on one of the walls and display your china there. Just be sure to fasten the china to the wall so it doesn’t fall.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to update your kitchen. By using your creativity and the resources you have, you can add instant style to any kitchen. Now that you’ve tackled the kitchen you should consider working on your dining room. In a a future post we’ll be be talking about getting beautiful dining sets and oak dining room tables to help enhance the look of your home and compliment your kitchen makeover.