DECORATE YOUR HOME AND SALON WITH YOUR OWN FEELING

Start With a Clean SlateEmpty your room completely. Take everything off of tables, counters, walls, and windows leaving no evidence of your kitchen's past life whatsoever!
Choose Your Main Accent ColorYou will want to choose a neutral color, and two accent colors. Your main accent color is going to be the one you want to see the most of, after your neutral color.
Pick Your "Color Spaces"An example of a "color space" would be a backsplash wall and the soffit above your cabinets. Make sure you carry the color to another area of the room. Don't overdo by jumping all over with it. Two or three spaces, depending on the size of the room, are better than a lot of small areas. Think out of the box. A hutch in a corner can serve as your other area. It doesn't need to be a wall. Keeping your room as clutter-free as possible will help you to stay focused on keeping the colors balanced in the room. Keep your third accent color for your "eye popping" accents.
Put The Rest of Your Budget Into Your DecorConcentrate on a few really different pieces that will catch your eye and draw you to your focal points. Your window could be one, also a corner that really has no other function. Be careful not to spread things out all along the counter. This will defeat the purpose of having a clean, sharp look in the room. You want people to see the hard work you've done.
Be Creative With Your Window TreatmentsWindow treatments have gone away from the little hanging window valance. Again, use your imagination. Three cloth placemats hung in half on a small spring rod can also be carried to your table in a matching runner. It's amazing the variety and options you have in placemats. You can economically change them with seasons or your every whim for as little as $2.00 a piece. Bamboo mats can be hot glued to the back of the rod and give a great natural look. Shutters are an option that no longer has to be hung on the window. Spray paint each shutter in your third accent color and hinge them together. Stand them on your sill if it's deep enough for privacy when you want it and take them away when you want the sun to shine . I like this look with shutters that go up the window only about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the window, leaving the perfect space for your placemat valance. Narrow glass shelves are another idea if you like to have a little green growing. Herbs in colorful containers such as canning jars can give you a wonderful warm feeling even in the winter months.
(c) 2006 Terri Oh
About the Author Terri Oh is a mother and grandmother who spends her free time trying to come up with ways to make the old look new, and the boring look fresh and fun again! More tips on how to redecorate on a budget can be found on her website at http://gotter-done.com/.