?5 Fast Ideas to Freshen the Look of your Room

"Company's coming and my place doesn't look right?"

You know how it goes, you have visitors coming tonight. You've cleaned every room in the house (well, maybe not the bedroom). You've planned the menu, and?it's just not quite right. Perhaps you've been hankering for a change or maybe it strikes you out of the air, the room needs Something, but what?

Here's five fast tips for when that re-decorating demon strikes and you haven't the budget or time to do much.

You can likely do all of these ideas for significantly less than $50, but because they are simple, I'll explain along the way what makes the difference.

1)Fresh Flowers

You don't need a $50 bouquet to make a room, but a stale look will get an instant boost with a bit of living, breathing, greenery. Consider a $20 tropical, large enough to fill in an empty corner, and spend another $20 on a colorful bunch of fresh cut flowers (if you shop well, you can even get the vase). This will give your room instant punch!

2)Bowl of Fruit & Table Cloth

If you're at the market anyway, don't overlook the zest and color that a large bowl of fresh fruit lends to the kitchen, dining room, or even the coffee table. Great look that works well in all decors; fill a pottery dish with a variety, or a tall glass vase with a single fruit (ie: lemons or limes) or even line up a row of green apples along the coffee or dining table for a contemporary feel. And since fruit is inexpensive, give yourself a shot of change by selecting a new table linen in the trendiest color of the season to give your room a real lift or invest in a crisp white or cream cloth for a classic look.

3)Baskets

You don't have to be a country girl (or guy) to appreciate the cozy look of baskets. Even the most modern room can benefit from a bit of wood or rattan. But the main purpose here is to hide clutter. You'll feel so refreshed if you add a few baskets to fill with magazines, toys or hobby material. It's the easiest way to contain the everyday clutter that you can't stow away. And clearing space is always a good look!

4)Throw Cushions

I'd bet you could find two throw cushions for less than $50, so if you do, add a throw blanket as well. Cheap and shamefully easy, this is the way to go if you're ready to make more of a statement. Great opportunity to bring some contrast into a dull room, consider light pillows for a dark room, dark pillows for a light one, and absolutely try adding a trendy color to a neutral room. And at this price, you can change it next season!

5)Paint

Admittedly for the more ambitious, this is a fantastic way to create a stunning look in little time. However, this is an article on FAST ideas, so let's not tackle the whole room right now. If company's coming this weekend, try a new look by painting a feature wall a stunning but complementary color (ie: the fireplace wall, that blank wall behind the couch?you get the idea.) Or even tape off a smaller section (this is called color blocking) to focus attention on a collection of pictures, or behind a mirror, or around the fireplace.

To all those with the decorating fever, I wish you speedy recovery and an enjoyable project!

Shannon Emmanuel takes her love of interior decorating to the internet with resources and accessories available at her online décor store http://www.SimpleDetailsDecor.com

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President-elect Barack Obama speaks about the economy, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.



President-elect Barack Obama makes remarks on the nations economy, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - President-elect Barack Obama urged Congress Thursday to work with him "day and night, on weekends if necessary" to approve the largest taxpayer-funded stimulus ever, warning in almost apocalyptic terms that a dire economic future was certain without it.



U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris is sworn in before testifying during the Illinois House Impeachment Committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)AP - Roland Burris says he's never been involved in an improper deal and didn't strike any agreement to become Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick for the U.S. Senate. But Burris declined to say whether Blagojevich should resign or be impeached.



Fire and smoke is seen from Israeli miltary operations in Gaza City, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into northern Israel early Thursday, ripping through a crowded nursing home and threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 700 people. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)AP - The U.N. suspended aid shipments in the Gaza Strip on Thursday and the Red Cross restricted its convoys after their trucks came under Israeli fire. The threat of a wider conflict arose when militants in Lebanon fired two rockets into northern Israel.



Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff leaves U.S. District court after a bail hearing in New York, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.  Prosecutors on Monday said Madoff violated bail conditions by mailing about $1 million worth of jewelry and other assets to relatives and should be jailed without bail. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)AP - Prosecutors said Thursday that investigators found 100 signed checks worth $173 million in Bernard Madoff's office desk that he was ready to send out to his closest family and friends at the time of his arrest last month in what is alleged to be largest financial fraud in history.



Audrena Gilbert, center in purple, sister of Oscar Grant is hugged by activist Dereca Blackmon, center, during a protest of the shooting death of Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. Grant was shot and killed by a police officer after an altercation on a BART train station platform in Oakland on New Year's Day.  (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP - Heavy police presence greeted Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters Thursday, a day after more than 100 people were arrested in violent protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer.



AP - Researchers at Cornell University have discovered that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — the ones that spread diseases like yellow and dengue fever — alter their wing vibrations in a mating signal.

A florist delivery worker carries a wreath of flowers at the entrance to Jumbolair Aviation Estates, where actor John Travolta and his family have a home Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009  near Ocala, Fla. Friends and relatives are expected for a ceremony Thursday to be held for the death of the Travolta's sixteen year old son Jett, who died while in the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)AP - John Travolta and his family were expected to host a private memorial service Thursday for their son, 16-year-old Jett Travolta, at their home in a central Florida gated community.



AP - Police in upstate New York say a man has been sprinkling roofing nails on the driveways of people he didn't like to cause flat tires for two years. Stony Point police Lt. Peter Quinn said Michael Delisio was arrested Tuesday after an officer staking out one victim's home saw nails being thrown from Delisio's car.

This Sept. 7, 2007 file photo shows Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz throwing against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game at Turner Field in Atlanta. Smoltz has reached a preliminary agreement on a contract with the Boston Red Sox, a stunning end to his long career with the Atlanta Braves. The deal was expected to be finalized later Thursday Jan. 8, 2009.(AP Photo/Gregory Smith, File)AP - After more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, John Smoltz is likely to finish his stellar career wearing a different uniform. In a stunning end to one of baseball's longest runs, Smoltz reached preliminary agreement on a contract with the Boston Red Sox after failing to work out a deal to return for his 22nd season with the Braves.



President-elect Barack Obama at a news conference in Chicago, December 7, 2008. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama warned on Thursday that the U.S. economy could stay mired in recession for years without bold action and he urged lawmakers to work day and night to pass a massive stimulus plan.



People taking the Long Island Foreclosure Tour arrive at a foreclosed home for sale in New Hyde Park, New York in this May 17, 2008 file photo. Citigroup could soon agree to principles that would let troubled borrowers save their homes through bankruptcy, sources familiar with the talks said on Thursday, while industry groups are easing their opposition to the plan. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc has agreed to support a controversial rewrite of U.S. bankruptcy law aimed at helping troubled mortgage borrowers, three Democratic senators said on Thursday.



Egyptian citizens look at rising smoke during Israeli strikes at the Gaza Strip, in the Egyptian border city of Rafah January 7, 2009. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters)Reuters - Palestinians in the Gaza Strip faced worsening conditions on Thursday after two aid drivers were killed and their U.N. agency halted work, saying staff were at risk from Israeli forces fighting Hamas militants.



A customer shops at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rogers, Arkansas, June 5, 2008. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other top U.S. retailers delivered disappointing December same-store sales and profit warnings on Thursday, sparking fresh recession concerns that hit stock and currency markets.



Bernard Madoff is escorted from Federal Court in New York January 5, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff had signed checks totaling more than $173 million in his office desk ready to be sent out before his arrest, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Thursday asking a judge to jail him.



A man works near a pressure gauge at a district heating plant in Skopje January 8, 2009. (Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters)Reuters - Moscow has agreed to deployment of international monitors to oversee the transit of Russian gas to EU states via Ukraine, clearing the way for the resumption of European gas supplies, the Czech EU presidency said.



Reuters - The U.S. nuclear deterrent that kept a tense peace during the Cold War is in danger of losing credibility among allied nations that look to the United States for security, a Pentagon panel said on Thursday.

People walk past the Bank of England in central London, January 8, 2009. (Rob Bodman/Reuters)Reuters - Economic weakness in Europe worsened and disappointing sales from Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, knocked financial markets lower on Thursday, strengthening the case for government stimulus and new rate cuts.



A wounded Palestinian is carried into Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital. The main UN Palestinian relief agency halted work in Gaza on Thursday after a driver was killed and the death toll from Israel's war on Hamas rose to more than 760 after dozens of bodies were found in the rubble.(AFP/Yassr Saymeh)AFP - A UN relief agency halted work in Gaza and protested to Israel on Thursday after an aid worker was killed, while the war death toll rose past 760 after dozens of bodies were found in rubble during a pause in bombing.



A man warms himself near a stove in a bar in the town of Belovo, Bulgaria. EU-sponsored talks collapsed Thursday between Russia and Ukraine on resolving a gas dispute that has cut supplies to Europe in the midst of a bitterly cold winter, with Moscow blamed for the failure.(AFP/Boryana Katsarova)AFP - EU-sponsored talks collapsed Thursday between Russia and Ukraine on resolving a gas dispute that has cut supplies to Europe in the midst of a bitterly cold winter, with Moscow blamed for the failure.




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