Tricks For Sprucing Up Your Living Room For Under $50

Spruce up your living room with tone to harmonize with the desire for relaxation. These under-fifty-dollar artistic additions can do the trick. Keep personal your intent to relax in your dream home with little homey touches. In order to feel most comfortable in your surroundings, just a few simple alterations to your living room space can fulfill that personal need. Settle into your comfort zone with the use of tone.

1. Color
Choose a color to reflect light even if you simply paint one wall. Color will soften your room tone so you can feel more relaxed. The most serene and comfortable rooms are designed with analogous color schemes. These are the colors that match well and are found next to each other on a color wheel. You should have a dominant color, a supportive color and an accent color to make your living room harmonious.

2. Clay
Place a clay flower vase or any clay vessel in the room. Clay art can be purchased as one piece or produced by a manufacturer in more subtle pieces scattered throughout the room. Whatever you decide, when you use clay to decorate, a feeling of earth touches your decor. The tone of clay provides a connection with the ground which works to minimize stress from a computerized work world. Clay also serves as a sound absorber, so the addition of a piece could muffle any unwanted noise.

3. Ceramic
Various places in the living room use hardware. Lights, drawers and hinges on doors have hardware that can be changed to produce more soothing effects in your living-room environment. When using ceramic as your replacement element, choose an accent color conducive with your color scheme to maintain balance.

4. Photography
You probably have a sentimental selection of pictures to display, and the positioning of those will be inspired after you sit in the room a few times. Choose frames that add a bolder color in a subtle way. This will brighten up the room, allowing for a burst of color that doesn't overwhelm.

5. Bamboo Carpet
Bamboo carpets have been a Chinese traditional carpet for ages, and select bamboo will continue to create tone in surroundings for generations to come. The colors of bamboo range from deep brown mahogany to more natural tones like tan. The more tranquil you would like your room to appear, the darker the color you will need. If your furniture is light or bright in color, then use a light-colored bamboo carpet.

Below are some local businesses that may be able to help you get started.

Chatham Pottery
2058 Main St
Chatham, MA 02633
(508) 430-2191
www.chathampottery.com

Margaret Wilson-Grey and Gil Wilson have been in the pottery-making business for twenty years. They have the perfect pieces for your living room upgrade.

Johnson Paint Company
355 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 536-4244
www.johnsonpaint.com

Johnson Paint Company has every color you can choose from for the ideal transformation for your living room. Ask their advice on what would work best.

Wilmot's Decorating Center
149 Everett St
Middleborough, MA 02346
(508) 947-3370
www.wilmotsdecorating.com

This independently-owned store selling Benjamin Moore Paint has experienced color experts who can help you choose harmonious paint to complement any room style. Your project is important to them.

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For more great tricks, tips and advice about your home, visit CBSBoston.com/YourHome.

Maryann Scheufele is a Childrens Book Author, Children's Literature Examiner for Boston, Massachusetts licensed English Teacher grades 5-8 and 9-12, mother of five grown children, grandmother, Bathroom Designer by Trade, and resident of Plymouth in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.