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Got a Minute?
Quick Fixes for the Home
By Kelly Burgess
One great idea Taylor has is to get the whole group involved in rearranging a room. She suggests having children help choose a focal point from items that are already in the room. (A television is a common focal point, but it could be a favorite table to play games on.) Then, give the kids pencil and paper and have them sketch out a new room arrangement. It can be as simple as squares representing chairs and a rectangle for the couch. They can also help measure to see if something fits in a particular spot. Once the plans are on paper, try out some of the ideas until you find something that everyone likes.
"The bonus, of course, is that you end up moving furniture around and looking under pillows and cushions," says Taylor. "It gives you an opportunity to maybe find some things that were lost and to get rid of some of the cobwebs."
Top this family project off by tossing the curtains in the washing machine and running throw pillows through the dryer for about 10 minutes to get out any stale odors or dust. In just an afternoon, your room can have a whole fresh view.
Home improvement expert Danny Lipford, host of Today's Homeowner, a weekly, syndicated TV show devoted to home projects, has a myriad of great suggestions for quick home-improvement projects – both inside and outside the home. Try one of the following for a terrific new look that won't take long to execute, but one that you'll enjoy for a long time: