Home Decorating: Accent Pieces Spruce Up Room

Dear Dr. Dave & Dr. Dee,

We're on a limited budget, but need to spruce up our apartment ASAP because my in-laws are visiting next month for the first time. Basically, our living room is boring. We painted the room beige a few years ago, and our couch and recliner are darker beige. The carpeting is wall-to-wall light gray. Upholstering is too expensive, so should we get a couch/chair cover, or what can we do that is quick and cheap?

Signed,

Anxious

Dear Anxious,

If the fabric of your couch and recliner are in good condition, there is no need to cover them up; just add colorful accent pieces. For example, a simple and relatively inexpensive way to spruce up a room is to add colorful pillows, accent rug, and flowers.

For under your coffee table, place a colorful area rug, perhaps an Oriental rug if your budget allows. Make sure the area rug is large enough for all four legs of the coffee table to fit onto. Scatter several pillows around, at least two at each end of the couch, plus one or two on the recliner, picking up the colors of the area rug. Finally, arrange a nice vase of silk flowers on your coffee table.