A few easy ways to transform a room with fabric or wallpaper

Does your living room need a makeover? Use these clever designer tricks to transform a dull room using pieces of fabric or wallpaper.

In other words, cover it in a colour you love to wear instead of in a neutral — what most people choose — that disappears in the room.

• If you choose your favourite colour, one that looks best on you, the sofa will take centre stage. You'll never get tired of sitting on it or looking at it.

A little pattern on a footstool or accent pillows will go a long way.

• It won't overwhelm, but it will still stand out.
• This is a good way to use an expensive fabric you love without having to break the bank buying several yards to cover an entire couch.

If you're covering a large chair, like a wingback, choose a small-print fabric.

• The chairs are dramatic enough. A small print helps balance that drama and looks more sophisticated.

Got kids? If so, choose a forgiving sofa fabric.

• Patterns help hide spills and crumbs. You probably know that by now.
• Did you also know that a fabric with a texture — a cotton velvet or some other textile with a pile — will do wonders for masking the mess? Try it. You'll worry less and enjoy more.

Those vanilla-coloured roller shades are about as blah as it gets. They're inexpensive and they do their job. For a few dollars more, you can transform the shades — and an entire room in the process — by gluing a bold wallpaper print to the insides of the shades.

• This works best with shades 68 centimetres(27inches) wide or less — the width of a standard wallpaper roll.
• Measure the length of the fully extended shade and cut the wallpaper to fit, leaving an extra five centimetres (two inches).
• Roll out the shade and cover it with wallpaper adhesive using a sponge roller.
• Lay the wallpaper on the glue, letting the extra five centimetres (two inches) wrap under the bottom of the shade.
• Use a rolling pin to smooth out air bubbles. Trim away any excess wallpaper.
• Because the wallpaper makes the shade a little harder to roll up and down, this trick works best on windows where you don't mind leaving the shade partially down.

Large acoustic ceiling tiles — the kind of thing you see in office drop ceilings — make great inexpensive bulletin boards.

• Go to your big-box home centre. Look for the size tiles that appeal to you; 60-centimetre-square (two-foot-square)tiles cost about $25 for a box of four.
• Wrap them in the decorative fabric of your choice (leave a slight overlap and glue the edges to the back). You can tack these directly into your wall or paint a lightweight hollow-core door and attach the fabric-wrapped tiles to the door in a neat row.
• Lean the door against the wall — and voilà! — you've got an inexpensive message board.

All of these simple tips can help liven up a dull room without being overwhelming. Try a few of these tips and see what combinations work for your taste.