Inexpensive fixes can lighten room

Originally published in the Newport Daily News, Home & Garden Spring, 2005

Kate I. Howard

Inexpensive fixes can lighten room

If you’re getting tired of your décor, take a cue from the sunshine peeking out from the throes of winter and lighten up.

When spring hits and you start pulling out your tank tops and sandals, there’s no reason your living room shouldn’t follow suit, according to Jan Creamer Girouard, interior designer and owner al All About ReDecorating in Newport.

“Sometimes, home furnishings parallel fashion and how we change our types of clothing,” Girouard said. “We can spiff up a room by reaccessorizing.

Girouard specializes in redecorating in a day, using a client’s current possessions to improve a home. The following are some of Girouard’s suggestions to make your room feel brighter easily without spending a lot of money on redecorating.

Use natural light. Put away any heavy drapes and replace them with an airy fabric to let the sun shine through. “You can keep up a valance and pick up some sheer, light drapes to immediately brighten up a room,” Girouard said.
Make the best of what you’ve got. Treat your furniture set like a favorite outfit and accessorize it. “You can make a room look fresh and different by dropping on some slipcovers or buying new accent pillows,” Girouard said. Artwork can be rotated to different walls and a lamp can reinvigorate an end table. Something as simple as a vase of fresh or silk flowers adds a touch of color, and small changes can always be rotated out when the next season arrives.
Location, location, location. Sometimes rearranging furniture can help you better utilize the space you have and make a room feel different. Buying new pieces for the season is costly and unnecessary, Girouard said, and just moving things around can make a room look new again. “When you love your furniture, you can make it fresh not matter what the season,” Girouard said.