Seven New Ways to Transform a Room for Less than $100

Though it's difficult to renovate your home with the all the necessary furnishings and accessories without mortgaging an arm and a leg, you can make small, inexpensive changes that can make a dramatic difference. Below are seven ways that allow you to decorate your home, the way you want, without getting a second job to pay for it.

1. Dim your lights

Believe it or not, just changing where light shines into a room can transform the entire place. Most people don't pay attention to the lighting in their home, and opt to use the fixtures that came with it. But rather than using overhead lighting, you may want to place lamps intermittently throughout your home. Throwing light from the side, rather than from above, will cast a cozy and homey feel.

The warmest looks can be achieved with paper lamps, which diffuse and soften the light, and provide more atmosphere in your room. Minnesota-based Target, a general merchandise retailer, carries a wide variety of lamps for less than $20.

2. Paint your walls

The newest colors for this season are greens and terra cotta, according to color expert and designer Jean Van Wie of Home Depot Minneapolis, Minn. "Greens are the new neutral. Greens that are grayed, neutralized and earthy are being used quite a bit. And, I'm seeing a lot of terra cotta shades -- not the blue-reds, but russet-reds -- especially in the kitchen."

You're not limited to just brushing paint on the walls either -- Home Depot offers free training on techniques for decorative painting, such as ragging and color washes. "Decorative paint techniques are a great way to add color and texture," adds Van Wie.

Home Depot, www.homedepot.com, carries some of the largest manufacturers of interior paint, such as Behr, Glidden and Ralph Lauren, at prices you can afford (starting at under $10 a gallon, up to $26 a gallon). Of course, no one says you must follow the color experts. If green is not your favorite color, try something new. Try to stay away from plain white, however, which can make rooms feel stark.

3. Rejuvenate your bathroom

A place where we probably spend too much time is the bathroom. Walking into some bathrooms is like walking into a bad thrift store -- nothing matches, there are usually three different patterns, and toiletries are everywhere. You can take control of your bathroom by replacing small accessories, such as toothbrush holders, cups and lotion dispensers in the same design.

Bed, Bath and Beyond, a national retailer specializing in domestic merchandise and home furnishings, has a variety of bath accessories that come in matching pieces for those decorating impaired. All ensembles include a toothbrush holder, soap dish, tumbler, lotion dispenser, wastebasket, tissue covering, and in some cases, jars to hold cotton balls and cotton swabs. Prices start at $5.99 for solids and $12.99 for prints. And if you're feeling especially adventurous, they carry shower curtains to match all bath ensembles starting at just $14.99.

4. Hang prints or mirrors

Nothing opens up a room like mirrors. This is perfect for renters to make a small hallway or living room appear larger. Place an unusual mirror at the end of a short hallway to elongate it, or place a few thrift store finds in a small room to make it appear larger.

Prints and pictures are also a great idea to make your home feel like your haven. You can hang photographs of friends and family in small groups along your wall to make one large collage, or you can hang large, prominent pieces throughout your house and mix it up with smaller frames. If you're tired of banging nails into the walls to hang your frames, Pottery Barn (888-779-5176) sells shelves starting at $19, as well as unique frames (starting at $8), to lean your pictures against for an uncommon display idea.

Since a mirror or frame can be a focal point in the room, try to make it as individual as you. You can find an assortment of unusual mirrors at Medina Imports (www.medinaimports.com), an online mail order company specializing in Moroccan designs, for as little as $35.

5. Decorate with wall murals

Rather than wallpaper, why not try a wall mural? Walls murals are easier and take a significantly shorter time to put up than wallpaper. Environmental Graphics, a Hopkins, Minn.-based company, carries a wide range of designs from outdoor nature scenes to outer space, which retail for $59 to $89. Their murals have been used on the sets of numerous major motion pictures such as "Space Cowboys," "Clear and Present Danger," and "Thirteen Days."

No matter what your room color or design, Environmental Graphics has a coordinating mural. And they're perfect for nurseries and children's rooms. The Storybook Hollow motif, which looks like something out of Winnie the Pooh's Hundred-Acre-Wood, is great for children whose imaginations never seem to take a break. Or, if you're a map enthusiast, the World Map is one of their most popular sellers, which details an accurate world map in a 8'8"x13'0" mural.

Murals come with a non-toxic, environmentally safe, biodegradable starch paste that is safe enough to eat. All you need is a smoothing brush, bucket, sponge, a little elbow grease and two to three hours of your time. Visit your local Home Depot, Sherwin Williams or Lowe's to purchase murals, or go to Environmental Graphics' Web site at www.egproducts.com to view the wide variety of murals available.

6. Buy some plants

Nothing says home like green plants. If you don't have a green thumb, try a low maintenance plant like a philodendron or pothos. They don't require much light or care, and thrive well indoors. Buy several tall palm varieties to place next to chairs and windows to bring the outdoors inside. Smaller plants look great on tables, shelves, and windowsills. Adding a hanging basket with cascading leaves will add a dramatic flair in large entryways.

You can purchase plants at your local garden center, as well as receive free expert gardening tips. Or visit Planetgarden.com (www.planetgarden.com) for ideas, tips and care for your plants.

7. Move your furniture around

For those that are really on a shoestring budget, rearranging your current furniture in a completely different way will make it seem as if you've walked into a brand new home. This requires no money, and only a little bit of creativity and work on your part.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com