<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  Ah, winter. Time to hunker down inside\u2014and realize that you never tackled half the projects from your 2012 New Year&amp;#039;s to-do list. Feel guilty? The best cure for that\u2014and cabin fever\u2014is to get busy. Here are the home-savvy shortcuts that&amp;#039;ll help. A little bit of painting goes a long way. [1] Clean up those scuffed walls in high-traffic areas, such as hallways and foyers, with a fresh coat of semigloss or satin finish. You can also [2] turn up the volume in a drab room by painting just one wall a different color than the rest. Use a piece of artwork or upholstered furniture as a cue for which hue to choose. And who says that an overhead surface needs to be white? [3] Paint the ceiling a darker color\u2014again, coordinating with furniture or artwork\u2014to provide contrast and cozy up the room. We think wallpaper gets a bad rap as old-fashioned. [4] Give a room an updated look in a flash with temporary wallpaper. The peel-and-stick application makes it easy to put up (and take down, if you don&amp;#039;t like the effect). Use it to cover up a naked backsplash in the kitchen or give new life to bland entryways, or stick it above a shelf to draw attention to your great book collection (like you, we still believe in the printed word). So you&amp;#039;ve been wanting to replace the kitchen floor for about a year now, but you can&amp;#039;t swing a big cash outlay. No problem. [5] Try laminate-plank flooring. The modular, snap-in-place veneer\u2014with fetching brand names such as TrafficMaster Allure\u2014is easily installed right on top of your existing floor. We tried it and in a matter of hours had the warm look of a hardwood floor sans the cost or the labor of putting down a subfloor. We won&amp;#039;t criticize your taste\u2014but we do recommend you take down that tired framed print of a fruit bowl and [6] amp up your kitchen storage by installing simple shelving. Put your plates and mugs on display; they&amp;#039;ll be useful and decorative.  The most visited rooms in the house deserve a faucet-lift. [7] Replacing fixtures in the ol&amp;#039; latrine or kitchen can add a much-needed reboot. If you doubt your set of skills or tools, find a friend who can show you the ropes, er, pipes. [8] A much simpler task\u2014recaulking a bathtub or shower\u2014will freshen up a bathroom fast. After removing the old stuff, use professional-quality silicone caulk, not a latex blend, which has a much shorter life span. Other quick bathroom brighteners: [9] Mount a wine crate on a wall for storing rolled towels. [10] Get an old five-rung ladder, paint or stain it, and lean it against an empty wall as a towel rack. [11] Install a glass shelf above the sink to hold your grooming goods\u2014and a scented candle, too, which will add a zen-like ambience to your washroom.  [12] Swap out venetian blinds for a simple roman shade\u2014and create an elegant look that Caesar himself would be proud of. [13] For windows with curtains, install new rods for maximum impact with minimal labor. Extend the rod 3 to 6 inches beyond the frame to make the window look more expansive. To add a classic look to any room [14] install chair rails and moldings around ceilings and doors. Prime the materials before installation, then add a coat of paint to finish the job. Last but not least, put a handle\u2014or a knob\u2014on it: [15] Adding fresh hardware to drawers and cabinets makes &amp;#039;em look like new. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/interior-projects/how-to/a8514/15-easy-upgrades-for-your-home-interior-14880058/>