January A Good Time To Make Decorating Changes

Yup. And yup again. It’s January. If there’s a down month in the entire year, this one has got to be it. The holidays are over. The credit card is maxed. The weather is iffy. There’s snow in the mountains, but you don’t ski.

Time to look inward - at the living room, bedroom, kitchen, kid’s room. January, with all its down time, is the perfect month to make little changes at home that aren’t costly, can be done in a short time, and can have an immediate impact. Some suggestions:

Bolster pillows. They’re tubular, decorative types. You might have a few you want to re-cover or, if not, shop for blanks (uncovered pillows) at bed-and-bath shops. Then round up some pillowcases. They’re always on sale. Be sure the cases are longer than the pillow - a good 6 inches at each end.

Next, place the bolster into the pillow case. Wrap the case around the bolster so that you have a neat package, then crimp both ends and tie with decorative cord or ribbon. What you end up with is a fresh decorative pillow that can be placed just about anywhere you would like. No sewing required.

Interior doors. Give the suckers a hit of paint. This works best on paneled doors. And please: Do use color. An arty approach is part of this little game.

Choose your colors. They might coordinate with what’s already in the room or you might want them to make a statement that’s completely their own. For paneled doors, first paint the moldings around each panel, then the panels themselves. Follow up by painting the surrounds a contrasting color. Very cool stuff.

Cork walls. Cork tiles are what this trick is all about. Might be the perfect choice for a child’s room. Gives you plenty of space to hang all the art work kids do, plus anything else that can be pinned up.

Cork tiles are available at home centers. Consult with your salesperson to determine the best way to mount the tiles on your particular wall. Glue will work in most cases.

You don’t have to do an entire wall. A portion of a wall will suffice. You can also apply cork to a short wall in most any room as a decorative accent.

Pictures, frames. Think lean instead of hang. Very designer-correct these days. On a fireplace mantel, for example, stand a framed picture on the mantel and lean it against the wall. Larger pieces can work the same way standing on the floor and leaning against a wall.

If you have a small collection of interesting picture frames (gold finishes, weathered paint finishes, heavy carving) consider hanging them blank - no art included. Let the frames be the art. It works.

Knicks ‘n’ knacks. If you have a highly modern or contemporary kitchen, grab a highly polished, galvanized-steel garbage can and set it right out there in front of everybody and use it as your trash container. Chic.

Bring terra cotta pots (the more distressed, the better) indoors and use them as containers for house plants. Adds a nice country or continental/English touch.

Use a flat-seated, wood dining or kitchen chair as a small display piece. Place the chair in a corner or wherever, then fluff it up with a small collection of books, perhaps a vase of fresh flowers, collectibles, whatever you would like to display. Paint the chair a kicky color for even more visual impact.