Experts' Tips: Fast Decorating Facelifts

What's the quickest, easiest way to spark up a room? We asked designers around the country for their best tips.
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Cover Furniture

Slipcovers are the best and easiest way to make furniture look new. Consider reversible ones -- a wintry color on one side and summery white linen on the other. If you're looking for someone to sew a slipcover, check the bulletin boards in fabric stores or ask the clerks.

-- Designer Steven Ellis, Chicago

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Fast Bedroom Updates

Watch and see no-fail ways to give your bedroom a quick update.

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Add a Pop of Color

"You can't go wrong with a fun yellow throw pillow in any room." A few accents in citrus hues add a level of interest to any color scheme.

-- Designer Elaine Griffin, New York

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Give New Life

"You don't always have to buy everything brand new. Look at some of the good pieces you already have and see if they deserve a new lease on life by being repurposed into another room." A new stain or coat of paint usually changes an existing piece of furniture enough to give it a whole new life.

-- Designer Stephen Saint-Onge, New York

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Change with the Seasons

Rotate accessories with the seasons to keep your rooms looking fresh. Seasonally rotating favorite items that you already own is a smart budget saver because it saves you from buying new accents every few months.

-- Designer Tim Clarke, Santa Monica, California

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Fastest Decorating Ever

Have 10 minutes? Then you can do these fabulous updates.

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Change the Wall Color

Painting is the cheapest way to redesign a room. A new color can change the tone of a room, and you can easily do-it-yourself.

-- Lee Snijders, host of HGTV's Design on a Dime

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Try New Lampshades

Take a few lamps to a lighting store, plan to spend $25 to $50 per lamp, and challenge yourself to pick new shades in colors you wouldn't normally choose to bring a little more color into the room. If the shade is dark, especially one for a bedroom, make sure it's opaque so the light will be directed up or down.

-- Designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, author of Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics, New York City

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Try a New Color

A powder room is a great starting point. The room doesn't get a lot of use, so you can experiment with color and go for drama.

-- Designer Abbey Koplovitz, Boston

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Add an Area Rug

A rug anchors a furniture grouping, promotes an orderly feeling, and defines a space. Use painter's tape to outline various sizes on the floor to get an idea of how a rug could work in the room. In dining areas, the rug should be large enough to contain the chair legs when someone pushes back from the table. If you're hard-pressed for space, the rug needs to at least contain the legs when the chairs are pushed up to the table.

-- Designer Karen Oenick, Atlanta

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Reorganize a Bookcase

This brings an instant sense of order. Place books so the spines are at the very front of the shelf. Don't randomly intermingle objects with books; set aside one shelf for displaying your accessories.

-- Designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, author of Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics, New York City

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Change the Mat on Artwork

I often find it's the color of the mat, not the frame, that dates a picture. Change the look of the piece by swapping out a light-color mat for a dark one or vice versa. Or choose a new color of mat and use the art in a different room.

-- Designer Steven Ellis, Chicago

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Change Accent Pillows

When done each season, it's a way to be trendy without making everything in your house a trend.

-- Designer Jane Hirsch, Atlanta

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Look for Bare Areas

Ask yourself what simple items could add interest. A change may be as easy as rearranging furniture or putting an oversize potted plant in a corner.

-- Designer Abbey Koplovitz, Boston

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Tidy Up Your Entry

It's a visitor's first impression, so don't let it become a dumping ground. Designate a place for mail and keys, like a small decorative tray or bowl. Add a basket for shoes at the bottom of the stairs so you can grab the basket on your next trip upstairs and put things away all at once.

-- Designer Steven Ellis, Chicago

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Rearrange Art and Accessories

Put something in a different place (such as rearranging a shelf display) and all of a sudden a room feels fresh. When hanging art, be sure not to go too high. A good average eye-level height is to have the center of a painting 5 to 5 1/2 feet from the floor.

-- Designer Jane Hirsch, Atlanta

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Throw Out, Recycle, or Donate

If there's a chair no one ever sits in or a table that just collects junk, get rid of it. Same with old TVs, cell phones, and computers. You'll feel lighter -- and your home will be more comfortable.

-- Designer Abbey Koplovitz, Boston

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