Ideas For Making Over Your Home In A Flash

Everyone wants to redecorate at one time or another. But time and budget constraints often have us putting redecorating on the bottom of our to-do list. If you can't wait another minute to add new life to your home, check out our 10 quick fixes that you can put into action right now.

Toss, toss, toss
Nothing revives a space more than digging it out from under a pile of junk. "Donate old books and magazines to a hospital, send clothing you haven't worn to a charity or a women's shelter, have a garage sale and toss things that are broken," says Carole Cohn, a Montreal-based designer and home fluffer.

Bring in new life
Plant life, that is. "We don't use plants as much as we used to and it's a shame. They really bring a room to life," says Carol Thomas, owner of Carriage Way Interiors in Lake Echo, NS. Collect plants from other rooms in your house and group them together in varying heights - one on a chest, one on side table and one on the floor, for example. Add unlit candles or beautiful blue and white china between them to add interest.

Colour your world
Strip old wallpaper, then go all out with a new colour scheme. Cohn likes metallic paints and suggests applying them with contrasting colours for walls, doors and moldings; for example, a silver door with black molding and lime or aqua walls if you like to experiment with colour; or a copper door with taupe molding and ivory walls. "Once you're going to change it, get a little crazy - it's only paint," she says.

Out with the old
If you have remnants of fabric lying around, put them to good use: cover cushions (just fold and tuck, no need to sew) or drape them over a sofa arm. You can also use fabric to embellish cabinets or bookcases, says Thomas. Cut fabric to size, wrap and staple around a thin piece of board, then place it at the back of the cabinet. Add a small lamp to spotlight the fabric's colour and sheen.

Bedeck the bathroom
Update your bathroom by removing the medicine cabinet and replacing it with a large mirror in a gilt picture frame, suggests Cohn. Add matching towel bars and even new taps for your sink. Drape fluffy towels in wonderful colour combinations like aqua and chocolate. Most importantly, if you don't have an exhaust fan, get one. It will eliminate the possibility of mold and mildew.

Warm up the room
Place an ottoman by the fireplace and top it with a short stack of books or magazines, an English teapot and a teacup, says Thomas. "It looks like you were just cozying up by the fire."