TIPS FROM DESIGNERS...

Local interior designers Terry McDowell and Jackie Reese offer these tips for homeowners.

- Color can be one of the best design elements in a home. Designers advise choosing colors you feel comfortable with. If you pick trendy colors, be prepared to change colors often, probably in less than five years.

- If you aren't sure what you want, invest in neutral furnishings and floor coverings. Add design touches with accent pieces. It's much less expensive when you change your mind.

- Don't forget the accents. McDowell allots about 30 percent of the project budget for accessories: pillows, sculptures, etc.

- When buying carpeting, spend money on the pad, McDowell advises. "I can almost guarantee you will change the carpet at some time. But a good pad won't have to be changed, and it will take an inexpensive piece of carpeting and make it walk like a more expensive piece."

- Window treatments can make a big difference in a room, Reese said. With the right fabric, you can tie together a lot of different pieces and textures.

- Look at your wall hangings and pictures. Perhaps they can be grouped together differently - in a collage or museum-like arrangement.

- People tend to hang pieces too high. Generally, wall-hangings should be at eye level or three to four inches above a piece of furniture.