Don’t think the only way to update a room is to toss everything out and start over. You can almost always update your home by repurposing what you already have, or adding a few simple new touches. Small shots of color, pattern, texture and unexpected whimsy are the easiest way to add big impact to every room in your home without spending a bundle.

In the Kitchen

• Replace the knobs and pulls on your kitchen cabinets and drawers with new ones that you love.


• Jazz up a plain pull-down window shade with a glued on row of trim.


• Replace a boring light fixture with something clean, new and attractive. You can find inexpensive fixtures at Home Depot, Lowe’s or OSH.


• Pull out your prettiest serving bowl, the one you usually forget about until it’s time to host holiday meals, and use it to hold ripening fruit on the counter.


• Chair cushions make even hard wooden kitchen chairs more comfortable. Choose a pattern instead of a solid color to better hide stains.

In the Bedroom

• Position a mirror across from your window to make a small room look bigger.


• Hang a large paper lantern from your ceiling.


• Instead of expensive shams, purchase a few inexpensive pillows and cover them with patterned pillowcases to add zip to your bed.


• Soften the look of blinds by draping scarves along the valence.


• Screw small hooks into the top edge of an empty, ornate picture frame. Mount it on your wall, and hang all of your prettiest necklaces off the hooks.

In the Bathroom

• Give your entire bathroom a new look by replacing the shower curtain with something bright and cheerful.


• Use pretty mugs to hold toothbrushes, makeup brushes or cotton swabs.


• Add a plant. Ferns, Chinese evergreen and snake plant all do well in the low light typical of most bathrooms.


• Screw a fancy hook to the back of the door to hold your bathrobe.


• Instead of a bar of hand soap, which tends to look dirty and melted, fill a decorative dispenser with liquid hand soap.

In the Living Room

• Toss a cozy throw across the back of the couch.


• Set a tall potted plant (real or faux) in a bare corner.


• Hang a quilt, instead of multiple pictures, on a large, bare wall.


• Set a purchased glass top over an outgrown children’s red wagon for a whimsical side or coffee table.


• Change one or two accessories with the seasons. Use dark, rich colored throw pillows in the winter, light colors through the summer.

Make just one or two little changes in each room of your home, and you’ll be surprised at the immediate improvement.