Ever watch those TV design shows and wonder how to replicate the look in your own home? It’s easy to incorporate designer tricks into your space, no matter the style or existing decor. Focus on adding layers of color and texture, and notice how hues flow from room to room to create a cohesive design.

No matter the size or style of your home, the decor you choose determines its atmosphere and reflects your own personality. Updating or changing your decor can give you a sense of pride and satisfaction when completed.

Where to start? The change of seasons always provides fresh inspiration and motivation for home updates. Colors and textures are discovered anew in blooming gardens, strolls to local farmers’ markets and leisurely bicycle rides. Now that fall is officially here, take a look around outside and see what colors appeal to you. The autumn sunset? Changing leaves? If you’re looking for color suggestions, you can’t go wrong with green.

“One of the most fashionable colors in decorating today is green,” says color-marketing specialist Jackie Jordan. “Green is everywhere, including urban environments where rooftop gardens continue to sprout. Today’s green trend is heavily influenced by nature, such as leaves and moss.”

No matter your personal decor style, the change of seasons is a perfect time to refresh your scenery — indoors as well as out.

Pull together a well-designed home by taking cues from the overall color palette to add decorative accessories. For example, a spicy orange vase on the dining room table can play off a bold accent wall in the kitchen. Or update the look of furniture with a glossy coat of paint. Personalize with family treasures and modern, metallic or glass finishes for an eclectic, yet timeless look.

Designers aren’t afraid to make a statement with a signature space. Why not play on the high-impact contrast of black and white in a foyer or infuse an electric jolt of pink in a master bath? There are no wrong choices, because color is personal — and doesn’t have to be permanent.

A refreshed decor doesn’t mean having to invest in a big-ticket item like new furniture. Try these easy and affordable design tips to transform the look of your home:

 

Frame of Mind

If you’re like most of us, you have boxes upon boxes of photographs. But why keep them hidden? Look for fun or fancy frames to showcase those cherished memories and people, and place them on end tables or hang on newly- painted walls. If you have a large area of bare space, consider having an especially meaningful picture enlarged, matted and framed as a focal point of the room. Spread a variety of pictures throughout the room to create a personal and inviting atmosphere.

 

Throw in Some Style

Once you’ve discerned the color scheme for your room, spice things up with throw pillows in contrasting or complementary shades. Pillows are an easy and inexpensive way to add some personality to your space, so look for fabrics and styles that most appeal to your inner designer. You can mix and match solid and patterned fabrics in a variety of materials, and you might even buy different pillows for each season. A few bold pillows can go a long way in renewing a room.

 

Seat Recovery

That old armchair with the worn-out seat. The sofa with the huge dark stain. Dad’s hideous but oh-so cozy recliner. Comfort may have nothing to do with style, but you don’t need to live with an eyesore for the sake of your seat. Reupholstering a chair or sofa is a much more cost-effective solution than purchasing new furniture. If you aren’t confident in your upholstering skills, a slipcover is an instant solution that requires almost no time. Slipcovers for furniture of all sizes and shapes are available in a wide variety of colors, designs and fabrics.

 

All About Color

From ever-popular traditional styles to streamlined modern looks, there is a place for a splash of color in any room. Don’t be afraid to add color in unexpected places — from window treatments that pop to a vivid paint shade in an entryway.

Window treatments don’t have to fade into the background. You can embrace color and texture, and let your shades stand out and be the fashionable focal point of the room.

 

Sweat the Small Stuff

The latest trend in home decorating is the un-trend. Customize with touches such as vintage flea-market finds and repurposed accessories to reflect your personal style. Change out pillow covers for the season and hang a colorful fabric valance to add visual interest. Celebrate the changing seasons with fresh flowers and greenery in decorative vases, fruit or seashells in glass bowls.

 

Prime Time Design

Another popular design technique is to turn flooring into a flexible decorating element. Flooring can significantly impact a home’s overall decor by enhancing the warmth and beauty of a room. To liven up a space, try layering a vibrant area rug over a hard-surface floor or a neutral carpet. It’s easy to change as design preferences evolve.

 

Marriage of Natural Light and the Right Color

Mother Nature is a master decorator. In summer, she dresses the world in lush greens and vibrant floral hues. And in every season, natural light is one of her most powerful designer touches.

Natural light should play an important role in your home decorating efforts, too. Not only does light from outside affect how certain colors look in your decor, it can influence a home’s mood, style and even the health of the people who live there.

Light enters our homes from every window and every direction. The directional source of natural light can influence the effect it has on a home’s interior.

Sunlight entering from the north is usually colder. A northern exposure will only get direct sun during summer months. By contrast, a southern exposure guarantees a warm, sun-filled interior. Rooms that receive light from the east will have bright mornings, muted middays and cooler evenings. West-facing rooms will experience the most sun in the afternoon and evening.

You can also bring light into your home from above, through a skylight. No matter where you put one, a skylight will allow you to admit the full scope of the day’s light into your decor.

 

Color Coding

The colors you use in your home decor will react differently under different natural lighting conditions. For example, reds will look vibrant and cheerful in a room that gets sun from a north-facing window. But those same colors might overpower the decor in a west-facing room. Settings with a southern exposure that brings in ample light can withstand a darker color palette that would make a north-facing room feel dark and dreary.

You can balance the changing sunlight of an eastern exposure with a mix of colors. And neutral colors will create a soothing effect in a west-facing room that captures the su’’s fading light in the late afternoon and early evening.

When choosing colors that will relate well to a room’s natural light, remember that the color will look different in your home than it does on the paint chip or in the home decor store. By keeping these rules of thumb in mind, you’ll be able to select color families that are most likely to work well with a room’s natural light. Courtesy of ARA Content