Want little changes with big impact? Here, 20 easy ways to turn so-so space into your dream home.

Tabletop Tricks

1. Be creative with silk roses. Make an impromptu table runner by scattering a layer of petals over a console or a dining room table.

2. Dine with dish towels. A great napkin substitute, they'll bring fun and color to your table.

3. Give your kitchen table a lift - it's easy with a new set of place mats.

4. Table trick of the trade: Fill a wooden or metal bowl with fresh lemons or green apples.


Fake It

5. Paint a faux kitchen rug. The braided look is warm (but, in this version, not fuzzy). Bonus benefits: It won't stain or slip.

6. Fake a crown molding. Apply stamped-metal appliqués in a classic motif like fleur-de-lis or stars, from Architectural Products by Outwater.

7. Use mirrors to increase the feeling of intimacy. In a large living room, angle a wall mirror downward so it reflects the seats - not just the tops - of furniture. (To create that outward tip, hang the mirror from a slack wire that's attached to the frame at its midsection.) Cozier now? That's because the reflection gives you the sense of a lot more furniture in the room.

8. Fake a new fridge. Freshen its front with appliance epoxy paint. For a chic facade, try Rustoleum's appliance epoxy in Stainless Steel.

Quick Fixes

9. Bring on the baskets. They're the secret to containing shelf clutter, says interior designer Mary Gilliatt.

10. Get into mood lighting. Dimmers are easy to install, and they help you set the scene for your space - a cozy conversation in the living room or a quiet meal for two in the dining room.

11. Hide the home gym. All it takes to conceal your treadmill is a beautiful screen.

12. Trash the can. Retire the metal wastepaper basket and use a pretty hamper as a rubbish bin instead.

Artful Solutions

13. Give your address some dash. Replace the plain (and probably faded) numbers on the front of your house with a distinctive ceramic plaque from Santa Barbara Ceramic Design. You can grout the number tiles yourself, or they can be mortared-to-order.

14. Group botanical prints or photos as a collection for big impact.

15. Support your artist-in-residence. Have three or four of your child's drawings or paintings professionally matted and framed. Arrange them on one wall. As a collection, they'll look striking and surprisingly mature.

16. Make your own wallpaper from old magazine covers, vintage sheet music, gift wrap, maps (road or nautical) or even a stash of beautiful wine labels: Use craft glue or rubber cement to adhere the covers or labels to the wall, smooth with a ruler, let dry for 24 hours and top with two coats of water-based paper polyurethane for a waterproof finish.

Décor

17. Scour flea markets for pitchers and vases of different shapes and sizes; display them together.

18. Make wall space your showplace. Instead of paintings or prints, hang shelves to display keepsakes and collectibles.

19. Hang paper lanterns in a family room or a hallway; unusual colors and sizes will cheer up the space.

20. Stripe it rich. Blinds.com offers colorful designer blinds that match hues in most of Sherwin-Williams's paints.