Have you ever walked into a room in your home and suddenly felt bored, deflated, or maybe even a little depressed? Your own home should never make you feel down, it should be an uplifting place that reinvigorates you. If you’ve got the home blues then it’s time for a re-do and not all re-dos need to be elaborate renovations, sometimes just a few interior decorating touches can refresh your home and your mood. Mix and match the following tips to create a new look that makes you smile.

• Undecorate. Take down all of your knickknacks and tschoskes, photos and artwork, plants and lamps, blankets and pillows. Everything must go except the expensive anchor pieces that you have no intention of replacing. Having a blank canvas lets you create your masterpiece.

• New Photos and Artwork. Replace dated photos with newer shots, select something that reflects the season or the mood you want to portray. Put away artwork and spice things up with a new canvas. Try your hand at painting, an abstract painting with bright, splashy colors instead of a traditional country scene takes your room in a brand new direction and sets the stage for more decorating risks. If you’re not quite ready to replace old artwork and photos, try a new arrangement.

• New Fabrics. Fabrics can be a pricey investment, but if you’re a good shopper you can scoop up incredible deals. Even if you can’t find the deals an investment in new fabrics is still a relatively inexpensive way to spice up your home. Fabrics to replace include slipcovers, window treatments,  throw pillows and blankets, area rugs and bedding. When replacing a fabric try something entirely different. If you normally like little intricate patterns, go for something bold with a large pattern. If your bedroom has been blue forever then bring in a new contrasting color to add excitement.

• Start Painting. You can often paint an entire room for under $100 and it’s not a real commitment. Remember, it’s just paint and if you can paint it then you can repaint it. Try a new color to bring out subtleties in your room that normally get lost, warm up a room and add oomph by using a dark color,  if you don’t want to commit then how about just painting an accent wall.

• New Lighting. Light is one of the most overlooked decorating aspects of a home. People often think of their lighting as strictly functional and not aesthetic but to get an impression of what a difference lighting makes change the bulbs in your lamps to a very low watt and see how it makes the room feel. Then put really high wattage bulbs in and take note of the differences. Lighting is dramatic. To give your room a re-do with lighting, get new lamps, something dramatically different, and put them in new locations. Maybe you even want to add new light features to some artwork or backlight your bookshelves or furniture.

• Move the Furniture. Rearranging your furniture not only gives your room a fresh, new look but also changes your perspective when you’re using that furniture. It can also change the room’s traffic flow, which adjusts the attitude the room emits. This quick fix is the most cost efficient way to rejuvenate a room but when combined with a couple other tricks you’ll have a remarkable transformation.

• Focal Point.  When you walk into a room or interior space, you’ll feel more comfortable if your eye can rest on a main feature. That main feature is called the “focal point” of the room.

If your room has a beautiful picture window looking out to a lovely garden, that’s it. If you have a fireplace, large or small, that will be the focal point in that room.

Sometimes a room has no distinguishing feature built in and you have to create one. Some ideas of focal points that you can add to a room are here:

• An armoire  or other tall, large cabinet
• A beautiful oriental or patterned rug
• A table with a collection of interesting pieces on it
• A dramatic mirror or fabric panel
• A collection hung on the wall, such as musical instruments, family photos, umbrellas, or decorative hats
• A large open storage shelf with collectibles interspersed with books and plants
• The point of creating a focal point is to select something to draw the eye and invite the visitor to linger and enjoy.

Log on to  www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com for a complete roomplan program to help arrange the furniture in your room.