High-Impact, Low-Budget Spring Makeover

– By Laura Tutun –

Most of us cannot afford to redecorate our homes every few years. In fact, the average homeowner redecorates their home every 10 to 15 years. This leaves most of us looking at the same old stuff year after year. After a long winter, with lots of snow, ice and dirt trailing into our homes, our rooms can begin to look tired and shabby. But with the onslaught of new design catalogs, like CB2 or West Elm, we can make a difference in our homes for very little money. Just as a small gesture of kindness can make a person's day, a slight decorating change can dramatically alter the entire mood of a room and the homeowners. Here are some easy-to-do, affordable “high-impact” decorating ideas.

If you're looking to shake things up a bit, the first impulse is to overhaul and replace furniture. After investing thousands of dollars in a down-filled sofa, simple economics begs for an alternative. That's where slipcovers come in. I had them made for my family room sofas. I put white canvas covers over a chocolate brown sofa and transformed the room to a crisp, carefree sunroom from a cozy, wintry family room. I used cream cotton duck and piped it in chocolate brown. Then, I took all of my wool throw pillows and had new covers made in really fun chocolate/cream florals and prints. I would recommend keeping the sofa fabric fairly simple and getting the punch through throw pillows or cashmere throws.

Lamps can also be transformed very inexpensively by changing the shades. Usually the base of a lamp still works in a room, but the shade is the standard old cream pleated one. There are so many great options now; I really like the lacquer ones.   They come in great colors and can update the look of a room immediately.

Rugs are another low-effort, high-impact way to dramatically recast a room's mood. A great way to inject new life into a room is to store your old wool area rug or Persian and replace them with a lighter sea grass or sisal rug. These natural fibers have a great look and come bound in several different colors working in almost any interior.  Fortunately, catalogs like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel have made them very affordable - a 6-by-9 foot area rug runs approximately $200-$300.

Fireplaces can be a great focal point, even when there is no log burning. Once the warm weather arrives, I like to fill them with large ferns or varying heights of white orchids in clay pots.

Lastly, repainting a room can make every thing in it come to life. Companies like Ralph Lauren, Benjamin Moore and the British company Farrow and Ball have developed an amazing assortment of colors and techniques. In particular, Ralph Lauren has developed a silver paint which could convince even the most accomplished decorator that you have silver coated your walls. I also love suede paint, which creates a great soft sophisticated look in a library.

Changing the feel of a room does not have to break the bank.  Subtle, thoughtful changes can brighten every domestic landscape and leave you with enough money to take you and your kids to a dinner and a movie, just as long as you don't need to refuel your SUV.

The author is the eponymous owner of Laura Tutun Interiors Inc. in Rye. She can be reached at LTInteriorsInc@aol.com.