If you want to make a difference in your home's look, decide what it's going to take to get it. There are so many different ways that you can change the look of a room:

• Painting the walls
• Rearranging the furniture
• Changing the "bones" or architecture of the room, e.g. new molding, new windows, or adding or subtracting walls

If you want an easier way to decorate your room, way before going to drastic professional decorating or DIY measures, then try changing your accessories. There are countless ways to decorate any room with a few pieces of what we in the industry call room jewelry. Not just any accessory will do, however. There are some very important pieces that will have dramatic impact.

First, assess your room and decide what it's going to take to get you to the desired look. Should you rearrange the existing furniture, pick accessories that introduce or reinforce specific colors, or add missing layers to the room (examples: throw pillows on a sofa, art on a wall, a table runner on a dining room table, and so on).

Art can really make a difference in the look of any room. Artwork and other wall accessories can be distracting or relaxing. Choose artwork that captures the look of your room without necessarily being the focal point, unless you've got a Picasso in the attic that nothing else in your room can touch! Your largest piece of furniture will become the focal point, so you don’t want or need more than one strong focal point. That's not to say, of course, that the art you choose shouldn't add to your room's color scheme, reinforce its mood and vibe, and display something that you really love and can relate to.

Remember that art doesn’t just hang on the wall. Create an artistic look by placing art on your tables, shelves, and floors. Look for sculptural pieces that can sit on a coffee table. Pick a beautiful needlepoint pillow for a chair. Beautiful glass serving pieces look great displayed on breakfront or server. Dramatic candlesticks add sculpture and beauty to a tablescape.

 And if you want to create art on the floor, look at the variety of floor rugs that are available today. There are literally thousands of designs to choose from. If you have a special theme you're trying to create, or if you need to add more color to your floor then area rugs can serve all purposes. If you want your room to look old-fashioned or spice it with an Asian look, try using so-called oriental rugs.

Decorating your home with accessories is more affordable because you can carefully select what you're looking for. For example, if you want to go with a particular color or theme, you'll be able to incorporate that into your current decor instead of redecorating the entire room. Display your travel treasures, like photos from your recent vacation or collectors plates from around the world. Perhaps you'd like to start a collection so you can fill your bookshelves and cabinets with meaningful objects - and also give your family and friends a theme for gift giving when it comes to holidays, birthdays, and parties. Change your accessories to harmonize with a holiday or season, like going with lighter, brighter colors in summer.

Keep in mind that accessories aren't mandatory or permanent in a room. If you can't find the right look you want in a room with your current accessories, consider de-accessorizing your room and see if you can find a good place to start over. It may take eliminating one or more itemss, perhaps storing them or switching them to another room, in order to create the right balance and look.

Make any room brighter by adding mirrors of different shapes and sizes. There are so many different designs in mirrors today that you can find anything that you want. If you are going with a theme you can find a mirror that will blend in with that theme, like a mid-century retro piece or something from the Jazz Age.

No matter what you want to do with your room, try starting with the accessories before jumping in to some major decorating. If you don’t like the look after you've purchased some new items, raid other rooms of your home to find the right colors, placement, and balance. The possibilities are endless.