Here's a strategy for figuring out what changes to your rooms will make the most difference, and some ideas for solving some common interior design problem areas.

Figure out whats really bothering you.

When you look at a room and feel the need to change it, take a deep breath and try to understand what it is that you really dislike. Is it a fabric? Is it a color? Is it a piece of furniture from your grandmother that you think you should love, but have always hated? Does the room feel cold? Does it feel cramped? Does it feel empty? Is it missing ambiance? Is it too modern, or too old-fashioned? Is it too dark or too light?

How you would like to feel when you enter that room? Do you want to be cozy? To be light and airy? Do you want to feel encompassed by the space or freed by it? Should it be stark and white, warm and subdued, or flamboyant and bright?

Solutions:

If you look at the above questions, some of the answers are pretty easy. If its a fabric, change it. If youre handy, its easy to drape a new valance over a window, or make your own covers for straight dining chairs. A rectangular piece of fabric thrown over a small round side table, along with a few coordinating pillow covers (4 straight seams), and your whole room is new. With todays fabric glues, you dont even need a sewing machine for simple projects; all you need is a pair of scissors.

Slipcovers have come a long way. Manufacturers even provide individual pillow covers, not just those big throws. Their products are so much more sophisticated these days then just a big bag over your furniture.

Curtains are available everywhere you turn. A pair of sheers can provide privacy without filtering out the light. And theres a certain romance to the silhouettes of the outside world through the transparency of the sheers.

If youre looking for ambiance, what about trying one of todays new jel or electric fireplaces. Jel fireplaces have the charm of a real fireplace without venting or chimneys. These fireplaces use an isopropyl alcohol in a jel base and come in countless styles. Each can of fuel burns for 2 to 3 hours with the crackle and pop of a real fire, hidden behind ceramic logs. The fireplaces emit minimal amounts of heat, but will warm a cool room. They require nothing except about 4 of wall space. Many have bookcases, storage, or entertainment units built above the mantle of the fireplace.

If the room looks too small, mirrors always help reflect light. Its amazing how a mirrored wall can double the size of a small room.

Another way to open a room is to create a fake window, or even a pair of French doors. A window can be built from simple pieces of wood, surrounded by trim or shutters, have a sill, which can be used as a ledge for plants or accents, and either a section of a wallpaper mural, photograph, light box or another interesting image behind it for the view. To find plans for a window, follow the link at the bottom of this page.

Color and lighting make enormous differences to a room. If your room is too cold, deepen the colors, or add a band of another color. A wall is a wonderful canvas. You dont have to be an artist to paint giant circles, or stripes, in colors that complement your fabric or rugs. Wall sconces can add a row of lighting without the necessity of an electrician, and many of the newest floor lamps combine a side table and light all in one.

Adding deep pile flokati rugs creates lushness on the floor, while newly waxed wood floors give a gleam, and a feeling of space. Picture a faux fur rug in front of a jel fireplace, a strategically placed dimmer and a few candles, and your ordinary room has been transformed into a romantic lair.

Define space, even in small rooms. Silk plants are now very elegant, and they don't have to be watered. A beautiful arrangement on a small console table with spot-type light,can focus attention on a area. Adding pairs of pilasters or half columns down a dark hallway can separate the space into sections which can contain art on the wall, and museum type lighting.

Wallpaper has come such a long way. These days there are many wallpaper murals, which can be as large as 9 high and 12 wide or more. Made to look like everything from paintings of the English countryside to photographs of snow boarders, they change your room in an instant. For a child, why not consider a Cinderella border 4.5 high by 12 long on one wall, or a scene of a baseball stadium 9 high by 12 long. And there are many wallpaper appliqus these days. They are often self-stick and are made to be removable. They can be 3 by 3 decorative squares, which match new fabrics, or a giant baseball player or flowers, or the look of a log cabin window, so the choices are endless.

Lastly, one of the new hot words is declutter. Its often a hard thing emotionally to declutter. It can mean getting rid of pieces of your past, even if its a napkin with a phone number, clothes that no longer fit, or photos of something that didnt end happily. Cut the ties and get rid of them. Space is as much about feeling as anything else, so keep what feels good in your space, and get rid of the rest. Throw out shoes that don't fit, things that looked good in the store, things you can use when you finally acquire your country house, papers that you'll never look at again, and everything you're saving for "when".

For an illustrated copy of this article, to try your hand at designing, furnishing and wallpapering virtual 3d rooms, or to find product types mentioned in this article, please visit www.3dhomedecorator.com.