Hardware Knobs And Pulls for Your Home

Your kitchen ceiling needs repaired. You'd love to knock out a wall. The bathroom floor won't come clean no matter how hard you scrub or what you scrub it with. There are some home improvements that just aren't going to happen this year. You've gone over the budget and sorry, Charlie, there's just no room. So, you're glum. You clean the house floor to ceiling (you were already scrubbing the bathroom, why change out of those grimy jean shorts now?), and it's a little better. Sunlight can actually penetrate the windows now, that's nice. One soft golden ray lands on your shiny mahogany coffee table and you feel ever so slightly inspired, but still pretty darn broke.

This is where you pull out the little tricks, friends. You know the ancient Chinese proverb, "You may not be able to afford a new sofa this year, but by Jove, you can splurge on a couple yards of fabric to freshen up those pillows," right? Or the Viking one about "Everything's more fun with different hardware knobs and pulls"?

In a down economy, we need all the cheer we can afford. Here are a few ideas you can pull off and still...oh, you know. Order pizza! Get a manicure! Whatever it is you like to do with what you saved making these few small changes.

1. Think like an art gallery. Rotate the art on your walls. Those pictures aren't carved in stone, are they? Also, swap out photos in frames. It's amazing what a little rearranging can do to lift the spirits. The eye craves comfort and surprise.

2. Make it smell purdy. Ahem, pretty. Candles, yes. Or open your perfume and shove a chopstick in--the wood leaches the smell out and wafts it through the room. Or burn sage! "Smudging" -- the burning of dried sage sticks, is a Native American trick for purifying spaces. Smudge a little near the cat litter, while you're at it, or burn a stick of incense right in it for a few minutes each day.

3. Recover pillows. This refers to that ancient Chinese proverb we brought up a few paragraphs ago. Even if you don't sew much, pillow covers just take straight seams. Fabric stores are a playground for rejuvenating the imagination and the living room. Or if you simply don't wanna, or don't have a sewing machine, inexpensive ready made covers are easy enough to find.

4. This could go with #3, but it makes such a difference that I'm giving it a number all its own. Ditch the ratty old throw blankets, people. The dust carrying afghans? At the very least, launder them! But you'll be amazed at how much fresher your couch appears with a neater new throw.

5. Use softer light bulbs. This may or may not apply to you, but check your lamps. What's that, you use overhead lighting? Whoa, Nelly! Switch to lamps. With warm, soft light bulbs. Sigh a breath of relief.

6. Clear off the fridge. Here's a novel idea. Chuck the magnets, carefully tuck away the drawings, check off the chores on the lists. A clean surface eases the mind.

7. Be like the Vikings, change up the hardware knobs and pulls in various rooms around the house. New hardware knobs and pulls can instantly update a tired bureau. You can go sleeker or more romantic. You can store the old ones in a drawer, make it a seasonal shift.

Think of it this way. The devil's in the details, that's why they're so much fun!