Lauri’s Blog:

One of the most common misconceptions about interior redecorating is that ample use of color can cure any room of its ills. Many people think that all it takes is a great new wall color to make an unattractive room look fabulous. I beg to differ. To me, that idea is comparable to believing that beautiful icing can make any cake taste scrumptious.

If you are familiar with The Ten Most Common Decorating Mistakes that everyone seems to make, and which I write about in my books, you know that these are my commandments and provide the solutions to making every room that is not aesthetically pleasing or comfortable, look and feel better. And, if so, you are probably aware that color is not a factor in any one of these Top Ten. Why? Because a well-redesigned room - like cake - needs to be really good even before the finishing touches are added.

So, fixing the lighting in a badly lit room, correcting an awkward traffic pattern, arranging furniture properly and giving a place a more cohesive look - among other issues - all need to be addressed and corrected before a lot of time is devoted to selecting a fresh color scheme.

As thousands of people have witnessed, it is startling to see what dramatic change can be affected in a couple of hours just by correcting the existing mistakes. Rooms are literally transformed without a paintbrush or any new fabric in sight. That’s not to say that those things aren’t marvelous at bringing rooms to new heights afterward. It’s just that priorities must be established and color is not at the top of the list.

If you are about to embark on redecorating one or more rooms in your home, and don’t want to spend a lot of money, be sure and check to see which of The 10 Most Common Mistakes you’ve made (most people make between 8 - 10) and correct them before you pull out your fan decks and fabric swatches. You’ll be amazed at how yummy your place looks, in hours, all without a dab of new color.