Want to change the look of your house quickly? "Look at the fabrics in your home," Lowell says. If they're dated, "those are easy things to swap out."
The easiest and least-expensive switch to make is with pillows.
To re-cover pillows, you can use fabrics you have (like that wine-stained tablecloth or a ratty old bedspread you still love) or pick up bargain-bin scraps. A tailor or dry cleaner might charge less than you think, if you're not a do-it-yourselfer.
New curtains or drapes can bring a big change. And "it's not a big investment to swap out drapes," Lowell says. Drapery sets can start for as little as $10 at big-box stores.
A lamp that screams "bedroom" or "kid's room" can be recast with a new shade. Opt for straight geometric shapes -- cylinder, square or rectangular with straight sides.
Want to unify a collection of mismatched lamp bases? "By changing the shades to make them identical, the eye will go to the shades and not the base," Lowell says.
New shades cost as little as $10 to $15. New lamp harps start at $5.
Lowell advises focusing on texture-driven fabrics rather than print-driven fabrics.