Those stacks of Pottery Barn and West Elm catalogues beckon from your mailbox, suggesting floorboard-to-chandelier redos of your pad. But the last time we checked, the stock market was as down and out as your stained, sagging sofa. Before you nail up a cross-stitched sampler that says "Home Dated Home," you might want to read a few tips from local and national buck-stretching design pros. Because redecorating and a recession needn't be mutually exclusive.
Detox Your Digs
Ironically, getting a posher look might involve shedding stuff, not shopping for it. "Weed out the junk," says Erin Mara (pictured), designer and co-owner of Capitol Hill's Homebody http://homebodydc.com (715 Eighth St. SE, 202-544-8445). "You may love it, but if it's not working for you anymore, it's time to donate or throw it away."
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Translation: Toss the dentist-office-ready "artwork" from Target and give that funky oil painting of Old San Juan you picked up on your honeymoon a well-deserved stint on the wall.
"A lot of times we accumulate, accumulate, and then the things we were so drawn to get lost in the shuffle," says D.C. interior designer Lisa Cannon. "Identify the key pieces you really love, and find a way to highlight them."
Conquer the rest of your clutter with painless organization tactics, such as lassoing your toppling magazine collection into cheap, attractive files (try Thomas Paul's line http://www.seejanework.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=1492 at http://www.seejanework.com).
Go Natural
You know how you tend to judge a restaurant by the freshness -- or, uh, plasticity -- of the flowers on the table? That's the same way your friends feel when they go to smell your "orchids" and get a big whiff of synthetic. Sure, the fake stuff is cheaper. But fresh-cut flowers from Costco ($8.99 per variety bunch; $15.99 for 18 rose stems) or, better yet, your local flower shop radiate a level of class that can't be forged.
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"A well-placed plant can provide color, life and sculptural interest," says Homebody's Mara. Or, amble through Rock Creek Park, picking up sticks of varying sizes as you go. Get creative with your plunder; try adding metallic spray paint and displaying the organic-looking finds in a simple vase, like Papaver Vert's felt model http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/tall-dot-vase-pr-22218.html (pictured; $156, http://www.velocityartanddesign.com).
Lighten Up
Can't afford that drum-shade chandelier you've been dreaming of? Glamming up your lighting can be as easy as installing dimmer switches, which you can pick up for a few bucks at a hardware store. The result can "totally transform a room," D.C. interior designer Matt Swingly says. "I dim everything except the refrigerator light."
Another bright idea: Swap tired lampshades for new ones from Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/range/10371/10803/ or Restoration Hardware http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/category/category_w_products.jsp?categoryId=cat1019001&navAction=jump, which offers posh yet not overpriced ones in colored silk or neutral linen.
Refresh Furniture
When you're looking to buy a dresser or bed, your dollar will stretch further if you shop for used pieces, which also are likely to last longer. "You can find some really extraordinary pieces that may need a relatively inexpensive facelift, from a chair being reupholstered to a cabinet that may be revived with paint," D.C. designer Darryl Carter says.
Give a frumpy chandelier or dusty stool a mod look with orange or white lacquer. Browse Craigslist, or the estate-sale hodgepodge at Ruff & Ready Furnishings (1908 14th St. NW, 202-667-7833).
Trick the Eye
Boston interior designer Taniya Nayak is a master of illusion, as she shows on such budget-minded HGTV shows as "Designed to Sell" and on HGTV.com Web videos http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/decorating/channel/0,1000138,HGTV_32665_17081,00.html on half-day projects under $100. Her favorite trick is faking a vaulted ceiling. If your ceiling is square, create the look by marking off a square within a square within a square, with each outer tier painted one shade lighter. Another of Nayak's ideas: Deck a blank stretch of wall with an application such as Wallter's paintable 3-D teardrops http://2modern.com/designer/Wallter/Wallter-Teardrop-Wall-Application (pictured; $42, http://www.2modern.com).
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Corral Collections
You don't want to live in a stuffy museum, but you'd be wise to think like a curator and coalesce your curios. Whether your baubles are divine (Richard Avedon photos) or so-so (old rolling pins), the secret lies in presentation.
"Look at things you have. Can you group anything together to make it a collection?" says Roslyn Ashford, a Silver Spring interior designer with Ra ReDoes Rooms. "If you put everything on one wall, it looks more intentional. That cuts visual clutter." Ashford did that in a Bethesda client's den, positioning similar framed posters on a red wall (pictured).
Don't collect anything? Scour flea markets and thrift shops and see what appeals to you, whether it's apothecary bottles or old-timey toys. (For inspiration, go to http://www.lostfoundart.com.) Swingly suggests going for "fewer, finer, funky things," such as hand-painted Mexican pottery or a stack of well-worn books.
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Rock a Roller
"The best way to freshen a room is with paint. It's a huge bang for your buck, way less than a dinner out in the city," says Swingly.
Opt for a lush, saturated hue. Or accentuate what you have with a splashy top coat such as Ralph Lauren's iridescent Candlelight paint ($47 per gallon, Home Depot), which richens dark colors while making light colors airier, says Sarah Fishburne, Home Depot's manager of trends and design.
Katie Knorovsky, Express
