home design ideas

When we got a puppy, we casually draped and tucked those white canvas painters drop cloths over the furniture. It calmed everything down and looked so good that we kept them on a lot longer than we had to.

Ill put leather tiles on a front hall floor or on the walls for a subdued glamour. I also see them in a library or around a fireplace or on a headboard. I buy them at edelmanleather.com or artistictile.com. And the more scuffed up they get, the better. Eric Cohler

Add a glass top to a table for a more sophisticated look. You can put fabric or wallpaper underneath, or even paint the underside of the glass to give it a little more jazz. Kendall Wilkinson

Buy a cherry red mixer from Williams Sonoma and bake a cake. Its a very 1950s fantasy. Even if you never bake, it would cheer up your kitchen.

Whats the best view in your room? Rearrange your furniture in such a way that you can enjoy it. Sometimes that just means pulling a chair out of a dark corner and moving it next to a window. Suddenly, its your favorite place to sit and relax.

Make a folding screen. All you need is four pieces of plywood and some hinges. Im doing one for my office and upholstering it in linen, with cork on the other side so I can take up pictures. A screen adds texture and scale to a room. Its another layer.

Upgrade your electronics. Nothing dates you faster than an old stereo system or a clunky TV. Get a flat screen in a cool color to add a little edge.

Inset mirrors into the panels on a door. I just did it in my dining room and my bedroom, and it perks up the whole house.

Have a party where every guest is asked to bring a plant of one color say, purple for an instant garden with a little story of friendship behind each plant.

Clean your house. And I mean really clean it. Polish silver, wash windows, wipe down the light bulbs in your lamps, wipe down the walls. Everything will gleam and glisten. The effect will be cathartic and make you feel like you have accomplished something.