Looking for inexpensive, easy ways to spruce up your home?  There are many ways to make your home look as if you’ve done a major renovation without spending major money.

• Paint.  A new coat of paint can run as cheap as $20 or even less if you’re just painting an accent wall.  It’s also probably the biggest change you can make in a room.  The difference between a yellow room and a blue room is huge; everything from the temperature to the mood changes, and all for the price of one gallon of paint.

Photo: The Daily Green

• Lighting.  A couple accent lamps can be picked up cheaply and make a world of difference on the ambiance within a room.  Set a few lamps with low wattage bulbs around the room and you’ll instantly have a cozier, more romantic feel.  Or, if you’re feeling brave, become a do it yourself-er for a weekend and install some sconces to add instant sophistication.

Photo: House Beautiful

• Accent Pillows. Bright, colorful pillows make a big statement on a neutral sofa.  Either custom made with inexpensive fabric or found for a bargain at a discount store, accent pillows are a great way to perk up a room.  You can splurge on an investment sofa and give it a new life every year or every season with inexpensive accent pillows.

Photo: Real Simple

• Artwork.  If you think it looks fabulous on your walls, then so will everyone else.  Hang up your children’s artwork or create some “modern” pieces of your own.  Frame the works as if they were a Monet and you’ll have an instant wall upgrade.

Photo: Real Simple

A few cheap, cosmetic touches can make a huge impact on a room.  Color, art, light, and fabric are inexpensive ways to make a tired room into one that is a breath of fresh air to your home.

With September quickly approaching, Ciao Interiors continues work on the new construction home that will display talented design and local craftsmanship in the Parade of Homes.  We’re in preparation for the lighting to go in and can’t wait to see how these new fixtures will look.  See below for images of where the lighting will go in.

Sconces Outside the Garage

Sconces on the Deck Outside the Living Room

Sconces on the Deck Outside the Dining Room/Kitchen

Front Entry

Interior or Front Entry

Stunning View out the Living Room Window

Dining Area

North Bedroom

South Bedroom

Staircase down with Spots for Sconce and Ceiling Mount Fixture

Bar will have Over the Bar Ceiling Fixture

Bright Family Room with 2 Sconces

With two months to go, we’re anxiously awaiting the completion of this beautiful home.  Stay tuned for more pictures and updates throughout the construction and design process.

It’s easy to throw a bunch of hand me downs into an extra space, call it a guest bedroom, and create a perfectly fine place for overnight guests to stay, but with a few small touches, you can create a room that is a wonderful and welcoming place for your guests to spend the night.

• Keep sentimental belongings to a minimum and limit any knick knacks or overly personal touches.  Just the bare essentials creates a more restful room.

• Stick to neutral decor.  Use taupes, beiges, and calming blues to create a universally appealing room.  While trendy, loud colors can make a big impression, they may not be what every guest wants to see first thing in the morning.

Photo: My Home Ideas

• Store extra linens in the room and make sure to let your guests know where they are.  If they need to replace the sheets or grab a new towel for any reason, they won’t have to disturb you at an inconvenient hour.

• Use the best quality sheets that you can budget for the guest room and find a pretty coverlet with complementing throw pillows to create a comfortable, relaxing bed.

Photo: Coastal Living

• A small sitting area is the perfect place for your guests to retreat at night.  They can read a book or newspaper before bed without feeling like they are getting in the way of your nightly routine.

• Good lighting is essential. Don’t leave your guests in the dark for bedside reading or getting ready in the morning.

• Since we don’t often spend time in the guest bedroom at night, we may not realize that the room is visible to the street or neighbors at night.  Make sure to provide privacy in the windows.

• Leave a small tray with toiletry essentials and a few snacks so that your guests won’t feel like they are bothering you if they realize that they left something at home or find themselves hungry.

Photo: My Home Ideas

Basements are a tricky space to light.  Typically, a basement is not limited for square footage, however, it is extremely lacking in windows, natural light, or ceiling  height.  The trick becomes to light the area adequately while making it appear naturally brighter and taller.  A careful combination of general lighting for practical purposes and accent lighting to make it seem more homey is necessary to successfully light a basement.

Photo: HGTV

• Recessed lighting is ideal for creating a blank canvas of light.  Make sure every corner is lit to provide a backdrop of artificial light that mimics the natural light in your other living areas.

• Mount upward lights towards the ceiling.  If you have built-ins or bookcases, this is the perfect place to incorporate upward lighting.  Soft, diffuse lighting is best for this purpose.  The more lighting towards the ceiling, the taller your room will seem.

• Add task and accent lighting to make it seem more homey.  View this part of lighting the basement as similar to the entire room of an upstairs space. Steer clear of chandeliers and pendant lights because they will distract from the ceiling lighting that is meant to make the ceiling look higher.  Table lamps and floor lamps with low wattage bulbs provide the perfect touch of warm lighting.

Photo: HGTV

Successful lighting does not begin and end with one overhead light or just table lamps.  To create a room that uses lighting in a way that enhances your space, you must learn that layering is key.

• Use a variety of fixtures all intended for different purposes.  Make sure each and every room has ambient, task, and accent lighting.  With the exception of extremely small spaces, such as a powder room, almost every room requires various lighting depending on the time of day and activity.

• Vary the heights of lighting throughout the room.  Use floor lamps, ceiling fixtures, sconces, table lamps, accent lamps.  Place lighting on the side table, on the mantle, on shelves.  The more places that light is radiating from, the more interesting your room will appear.

Photo: My Home Ideas

• Create shadows and drama.  Spotlight conversation areas while leaving others in the dark.  Use lighting to create mystery and romance in your room.

• Illuminate bookcases, cabinetry, and molding with accent lighting.  Use a ceiling fixture to provide a more overall  lighting so that these areas can serve as an interesting side note that adds dimension and beauty to the room.

• Use recessed lights in addition to a chandelier.  The chandelier will cast a soft glow while the recessed lights provide a functional lighting of the entire space.

Photo: My Home Ideas

• Stick to 60 watt bulbs in your table lamps and floor lamps.  Anything higher is too bright and not flattering.  These light bulbs will create  a warm glow that makes your space inviting and cozy.

• In your entry way, use a gorgeous pair of sconces but complement them with table lamps on a console.  The lamps will bring the light lower into the room to avoid casting a dark shadow on everything below the sconces.

Photo: My Home Ideas

• Sconces are also functional in the dining room where they can light the areas of the room that are missed by the central light of a chandelier.

Lighting is an inexpensive way to completely makeover a room.  By adding layers of different kinds of lighting and various fixtures, you can create depth and interest in a room.

Our bedroom is the one room that can completely make or break our day.  A good night’s sleep is so important for our waking hours,  it seems logical that the bedroom would be one of the most important rooms to decorate.  Beyond just making the room look pretty, it is essential to make it as restful and relaxing as possible.  The tips below will help you create a calming retreat in your bedroom (however, you can certainly apply these principles to any room where you would like a bit of serenity!)

• Use restful colors and a limited palate.  Stick to neutrals and muted colors.  Steer clear of reds, oranges, yellows, or anything too bright.  Though these colors are wonderful in other, livelier parts of the home, they will only serve to create energy and keep you awake. Try to use colors from nature.

• Calming colors will be most effective when used in large expanses, so make sure that your walls and rugs are pretty and subdued.
• Stick to symmetry.  It creates a sense of balance and order; think two nightstands, two lamps, matching pillows.
• Consider textures. Soft silks, cozy knits, rough sisals, and faux fur all contribute to an organic, tactile experience.  Use a variety of colors and textures in your bedding.  The sheets, duvet, coverlet, shams, and blanket should be a mix of fabrics that complement each other beautifully.

• While an overhead light might be functional, it is certainly not the most relaxing way to light your bedroom.  Use a variety of lamps and sconces to create an intimate feeling.  Pink, low wattage bulbs are the most flattering.
• Hang artwork that is peaceful.  Landscapes are the best option.  Limit photographs and mirrors; these pieces are too high energy for somewhere that you should be relaxing.

• Make sure to keep your nightstand uncluttered.  The last thing that you want to do is go to sleep to and wake up to a pile of to-do’s and mess.  This could mean using a nightstand that is too small to fit clutter.  A small vase of fresh flowers is a lovely thing to wake up to.

Use these tips to create your own version of the perfect restful retreat and remember that creating a calming bedroom is one of the best investments that you can make in your life and home.

Extravagant Closets are one of those interior spaces that we can never get enough of. Endless space for expensive shoes, shiny marble floors, and flattering lighting.  If only we could all live like movie stars.

Photo: The Nanny Diaries

Photo: Sex and the City The Movie

Though we may not all be so lucky as to have closets the size of a bedroom or enough shoes to fill an entire wall full, there are ways to make your closet so organized and pretty, that getting dressed will be simple indulgence every single day.

Photo: Real Simple

Take advantage of all of the organizational tools that are available at discount stores like Target.  Matching plastic hangers, clear shoe boxes, and hanging sweater organizers are all useful and attractive ways to give your closet a dose of organization.

Photo: Real Simple

Use pegboards to organize everything from belts to jewelry to scarves to any accessory that can hang.

Photo: Real Simple

Though shoe racks are functional and a great option for closet organization, a graduated shoe rack such as this gives a look of luxury and display to your prettiest shoes.

Photo: Real Simple

Adding a mirror and a place to sit can take a simple walk in closet from a normal space to a lovely dressing area.

Photo: Coastal Living

A chandelier adds a touch of whimsy and character to your walk in closet.  Even if your closet is small, a beautiful piece like this can make a huge impact.

Choosing a lamp for your living room can be tough.  It’s easy to go too big or too small, too much light or not enough.  These tips will help you make the right decision and end up with a lamp that is both attractive and functional.

Photo: House Beautiful

1. There should be a lamp every 10 feet to provide adequate light for the room.   Wherever someone will be reading or making conversation, place a lamp of 60 watts.  In areas where people will gather, opt for glass or crystal bases.  They will make the area seem open and inviting.

2. Choose lamps with heavy bases.  Living rooms are high traffic areas and there are many opportunities for lamps to be knocked off tables by mingling guests, rowdy children, pets, etc.  Lamps of substantial weight are less likely to be knocked over.

3. Living Room lamps should be 24 – 36 inches high, however make sure that you can not see up into the lamp when seated next to it.  Looking at hardware is not appealing!  Also, make sure the proportion of the lamp does not overwhelm or become dwarfed by the surface on which it sits.

4. A fabric shade will cast the warmest light and will be the most flattering to those in the room.

5. The living room is somewhere you can use unique, statement lamps.  Feel free to be bold and pick an interesting vase, an unexpected color, a one of a kind shape.

Following these tips will help you choose a lamp that will add both light and aesthetics to your living room.

This article on Flattering Lighting has great tips on how to make sure the lighting sets the intended mood and creates ambiance.

This mirrored lamp will reflect light around the room at eye level.

Some of the tips include:

1. Avoid harsh shadows and use soft light whenever possible  Harsh lighting and areas of high contrast are not friendly to faces.

2. Use the lowest wattage bulb possible, ideally with a blush tint.  The pale pink color is flattering for all skin tones.

3. Avoid bright white shades. Opt for opaque shades that will cast a softer glow or dark shades that will filter and cut down light.

4. Aim for several points of light around the room at eye level.  Above or below will create awkward and unflattering shadows.

Candlelight is the most flattering; this lamp creates the illusion of candlelight.

Though it is one of the most essential parts of a room, lighting can be one of the trickiest.  It is all to easy to pick a light too bright, too dark, too focused, or too general.  To make the decision easier, you must consider the different types of light.

The three types of lighting that are used in the home are task, ambient, and accent.

Task lighting lights the way while you cook, read, sew, etc. This can be a desk lamp, a bedside sconce for reading, or a pendant light hanging over a kitchen worksurface.

Photo: Cottage Living

Ambient lighting is the general lighting cast over a room from an overhead light or chandlier.  You will find ambient lighting in every room of the house, from a closet to the dining room.

Photo: Southern Living

Photo: Sunset Magazine

Accent lighting is the pretty light that sets the mood in a room. It adds drama and glitter, though is not necessarily meant to serve a utilitarian purpose.

One, two, or all three types of light can be utilized in one room, however it is necessary to figure out which ones you absolutely need in your room so that it will be adequately lit.