10 Easy & Inexpensive Room Upgrades

Achieve picture-perfect style without going through a total home decor overhaul.

Punch Up the Color
1. Punch Up the Color
Accent walls are a great way to add a little flair to small spaces without committing to the expense and hassle of painting the entire room. Paint your built-ins in an eye-catching color, such as this dining room cabinet's vibrant shade of turquoise. The bold hue will highlight the overlooked space, and your favorite china and accessories will pop against the bright backdrop.

Tip: Order your pain in a matte finish to keep the color amped but the shine factor to a minimum.

Related: Color It Coastal-Inspiring Color Palettes

Beautify with Bamboo
2. Beautify with Bamboo
Single side chairs can serve as the perfect accent in a living room. Here, a bamboo dining chair painted in sleek, glossy black brings a little of the sea to an otherwise landlocked living area. Seat cushions upholstered in a small-scale green print also complement the room's fresh, playful palette.

Related: Colorful Kids' Rooms

Frame Natural Finds
3. Frame Natural Finds
These aloe plants, mounted on luxurious linen and framed in sleek bamboo, offer just a hint of natural elegance. The grouping of frames brings the formality up a notch, perfect for entryways and formal dining areas.

Related: 25 Creative Ways to Display Your Art

Say It with Sea Grass
4. Say It with Sea Grass
Sea grass rugs are attractive, sustainable, stain-resistant, and easy on the toes. Here, pairing a chunky sea grass rug with a coordinating neutral palette brings just the right amount of style to this small, casual den.

Related: 15 Perfect Patios & Porches

Cue the Colored Glass
5. Cue the Colored Glass
Try placing colored glass jars or vases on empty, out-of-reach storage shelves. In this kitchen the jars' sparkling color mimics the hue of sea glass, yet the translucent glass doesn't block any light from the room's bright, high windows.

Related: 15 Flavorful Kitchens

Go a Little Glam
6. Go a Little Glam
The vintage sun-shaped mirror pulls the room together and adds a touch of glint to the room's vibrant orange color scheme, white accents, and streamlined midcentury furniture.

Related: 15 Ways to Get a Glam Resort Look

Fake a Remote Retreat
7. Fake a Remote Retreat
Try draping your bed in a gauzy, white netting. We'll be the first to admit that you probably don't need a mosquito net if you're on this side of the Equator, but trust us-you'll feel like you're snoozing in a romantic retreat every night.

Related: Dream Pools Around the World

Use Coral Courageously
8. Use Coral Courageously
Coral is often included in coastal homes because of its natural bone white hue and unique, sculptural shape. Here, white coral sconces pop against golden sea grass wallpaper, offering the perfect touch of natural appeal to a lofty, polished master bedroom.

Related: 21 Ways to Bring Home the Beach

Work in Woven Baskets
9. Work in Woven Baskets
To add texture and warmth to a loft-like, contemporary spaces, try incorporating one or two woven accents into the room's decor. This kitchen's cool black-and-white color palette is made more inviting with the help of giant, inverted woven baskets, used here as pendant lamps.

Related: Rich & Natural Design Ideas

Put it in Print
10. Put it in Print
Who can resist this elegant, whimsical use of pattern-on-pattern? The trick to combining multiple patters is to vary pattern scales and limit fabric to a single color scheme, like this window seat's classic nautical blue. It's an easy, inexpensive update that can be switched in and out on a whim.

See 5 More Easy & Inexpensive Room Upgrades

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