Ten Ways To Add Style For Under $100

It's not hard to add style or freshen up your home even if you're on a budget. Just like with your wardrobe, you can refresh your style with a new accessory, adding color, and mixing things up a bit.

1. Freshen up with a pattern. You can do this with draperies, an ottoman, pillows, accessories, and so much more.  Do you have solid colors? Bring in florals, stripes, and prints. Got stripes? Add a vine pattern. A rule of thumb in pattern matching is to watch the scale; mix a small pattern with the large and vice versa instead of keeping everything the same size. Keep the colors similar to make it easy or use complementary colors - opposites on the color wheel - for drama.

2. Bring in a new accessory in a different color or shape and make it a focal point. Blue and white is classic and timeless. Most discount stores have bowls, candlesticks and canisters for under $25. It will truly make a statement and add a bit of glamour. How about a fabulous mercury glass vase? Take a look at Target, HomeGoods, and Marshalls for pieces under $20. Come check out our San Diego showroom. 

3. Update a light fixture. If you can't stand what you have - bath bar fixtures are easy to DIY -  and refinishing with spray paint - as in an old brass chandelier transformed to bold red -  is not a good option, you can find nice fixtures in any style at www.LampsPlus.com

4. Bring in some new pillows.  This alone could completely change the look of your living room or bedroom. Almost all of the big-box stores have great selections for  $17-$25 each. I went shopping with my client at IKEA and found fabulous options for under $15. You can purchase just the pillow cover and use the fill that you already have.

5. Add to throw to your bed, sofa, or your favorite lounge chair. For about $25, a wonderful textured throw will keep you cozy and make a chair or bed more inviting. I found some fabulous faux furs at www.Amazon.com and know that they'll make a great gift.

6. Paint an accent wall or a piece of furniture in a new color. You can buy 'oops' paint for five dollars a gallon at Home Depot. Whether you already have the chair, nightstand, or find from a garage sale, changing just one piece will make a style statement.  

7. Set your dining table. Having your favorite dishes on display will make you feel wonderful. Mix them up for a creative and personal style. Place seasonal greens or findings – like acorns, pine boughs, leaves or pinecones - in a bowl or tray in the center. Add a candle or two and you'll create a beautiful display. 

8. Add candles to table tops, your credenza, the mantle and even bookshelves. There's just something about a candle that provides terrific ambiance. Use flameless candles since they don't need a candleholder, they're safe, and the realistic waxes look good by themselves. There always seem to be good options at www.Amazon.com.

9. Bring in something metallic.  I love mercury glass, and the new votive holders in my shop are under $5. Pillows with beading are a fabulous way to add silver or gold and be festive for the holidays. One of my favorite ways to add sparkle is with a bowl full of silver or gold ornaments. For about $6 you can get a pack at a craft store like Michaels. Mix in potpourri, greenery, to create a pleasing and seasonal display.

10.  Rearranging your furniture is a freebie. Reposition the largest piece of furniture first work in your other pieces. That alone should make a big difference in how your room feels. Even swapping tables or nightstand from living room to bedroom and vice versa can create a totally different style.

Tips for making a space seem larger.

We need to live with the spaces we have, whether they are an apartment, a dorm room, or a small home. To make them seem larger and help make them feel less crowded, try one or more of these ideas.

Lighting, glass and color play a part making this two room apartment feel larger.

1) Lighten up.  Yes, light does make spaces seem larger. If you use up-lights under large pieces of furniture or in dark corners, the illusion is that more space exists.  Rather than leaving corners empty, try adding a table and lamp.  Mirrors that reflect natural daylight are a great way to 'add' space as well. Even if you don't have windows, place a lamp in front of a mirror on the darkest, largest wall and see how it brightens and enlarges the space. Using glass table tops, insets with lighted shelves for cabinets,  and even remove doors to rooms to allow light in.

2) Arrange furniture wisely.  A few ideas on this topic work well in small spaces. First is scaling the pieces to work in the space. Don't purchase large, rolled arm sofas when you have a 10' x 10' room. Instead, opt for a loveseat and even armless chairs; you add seating without mass.  Two, floating furniture away from the walls DOES make it seem as though the room is larger. It allows you to walk around and through the furnishings giving a grander apparent space.  Third, angling furniture on short walls - placing pieces together can help like a table backed up to a loveseat - since your eye sees a longer wall dimension, hence, space.

3) Color counts.  If you can keep the largest pieces in the same tone as the walls, they will blend in and make a room feel wider.  Lighter colors do tend to make spaces look larger, although breaking that 'rule' works if other elements - lighting, scale, and accents - help the eye travel around a space. Monochromatic schemes in neutral colors work well, adding back an accent hue to draw attention to points around the room.


4) Raise things up.  Even if your ceilings are only 8' high, there are several tricks to give the illusion of height in a room. Place window coverings above the windows so they seem taller. Use moldings and other architectural elements to raise the eye up - a crown, medallions for hanging fixtures, tall shelves to the ceiling.  Hang light fixtures slightly higher, and do the same with artwork. 

5) Make things function well. Need a desk, a table, some storage? Find or make a piece that performs all three functions and save space.  In dorms and apartments, a work desk usually becomes a dining table, and placed on a wall - possibly perpendicular - allows you to add shelving for books and office 'stuff' and still make the desk feel like a table. When looking for ways to divide a space - say the bed area from the sofa area - use open shelving that can house a TV, lighting, decorative and functional items, and look good doing so. Console tables can make ideal desks, and even dining tables. Backed up to an open backed sofa, creates a great dining area with instant seating. Using benches for seating around tables adds storage for quick access.

Pile it on...a primer on how to pick the best carpet!

When you need a new carpet, you should get maximum return for your money. The range of products, colors and textures can be overwhelming so here are a few tips to get you started. Please recycle your old carpet and pad so they don't end up in a landfill.

1) Know your use. What conditions is your carpet subjected to? Do you have pets? Will you be eating in the carpeted room? If your rooms don't have much traffic, and you won't subject them to pet stains and food, you can opt for less durable carpet in lighter colors. On stairways and other high-use,  high-traffic areas you will need durability and higher stain resistance.

2) Understand the materials. Cost may be a factor in the fiber you select. (A) Wool, a natural fiber, is known for resistance to soiling, durability and good cleanability. It is cushiony and has excellent resilience but is the most expensive fiber. You should not use wool in damp areas. (B) Nylon is a synthetic fiber and is the strongest and most popular. It generally has high stain resistance and its longevity is 10-12 years with affordable pricing. The fibers can be compressed and bounce back which makes it ideal for high-traffic areas. (C) Polyester is second in popularity since it bends more than nylon making it less durable. It is less expensive and easier to clean than nylon,  comes in more color options and tends to maintain color longer. However, with the lowest durability, it won't last as long as nylon or wool and frequent replacement is expensive. (D) Olefin is a great outdoor and wet area carpet, durable and colorfast, but is not a soft surface for walking on.  Check out the blends and new fibers - often with recycled content - which are highly stain resistant, extremely durable, and include anti-bacterial and other resilient properties.. 

3) Select the right color. This seems like an easy choice, however, once carpet is installed you will live with it for a long time; the wrong color can negatively impact the entire space. Pattern, and texture, along with color, make a difference in the appearance. Shades that work with your existing or planned color theme is smart. Beige or light brown carpeting are safe choices for white walls and work with most color schemes.   Neutral color choices tend to be timeless whereas bold colors might be trendy.  For example: if your walls are a light shade of taupe, choose a slightly darker shade of taupe for your carpeting for a warm, cohesive background. With dark-colored walls such as cranberry or dark green, using a lighter colored carpet will keep the space from looking small. If you can bring samples home, do, since colors may look very different in the light present in your home.

4) Pile height is key. Here are the four pile types, with sub-categories you may be familiar with.

Cut Pile

Cut pile and textured cut pile carpet is the most popular height. Cut pile carpet is manufactured by cutting all of the looped fibers at the top of the bundles. This creates a carpet with yarn bundles that stand straight. To create a luxurious appearance the cut pile is pre-sheared several times. Cut pile carpet, as compared to other styles is the least resistant to crushing. Saxony is the softest cut pile. The fibers are twisted tightly, cut and then straightened using heat. The texture is soft but will show all foot prints and tracks from a vacuum. Textures are a great cut pile that work very well because of their soft feel under foot. Textures are produced with tightly twisted fibers and are set with heat creating a medium durability carpet. Textured carpets have a multi-color appearance that hide footprints. Velvets and Plush carpeting are manufactured with a uniform color and a light twist. Because of their visual luxury and feel, Velvet and Plush carpeting are perfect for formal areas. For high traffic areas, a Frieze carpet is recommended. Perfect for informal areas, the fibers are made of a highly twisted cut pile carpet. They are made with short fibers that tend to curl in different directions at the surface to hide footprints and vacuum marks. 

Cut and Loop Pile

Cut and Loop pile carpet combines cut and looped fibers. Of medium density, this carpeting is available in sculpted patterns. Because of the different levels of yarn the carpet hides dirt, stains and footprints exceptionally well. Berber is a very popular loop pile that have a very high durability because of their thick yarns. They do retain dirt and are easily damaged by snags to the loops. 

Level Loop Pile

Level Loop and Multi-Level Loop pile is ideal for high traffic areas and resistance to marks. These carpets are made by weaving even loops of yarn through both ends of the carpet’s backing. By using higher loops the carpet has a more luxurious appearance. Level Loop carpet with short and densely packed loops is easy to clean since loops prevent dirt from filtering into the carpet. In Level Loop Pile all of the loops of yarn are at the same height and with the Multi-Level Loop the heights of the yarn varies. The Multi-Level Loop creates a random texture making it a good choice for high traffic areas although the small loops have a tendency to hold more dirt and dust.