• The editors of Better Homes and Gardens believe that good taste has little to do with how much you spend.vase with buds image by Robert Kelly from Fotolia.com
  
  Better Homes and Gardens is an interior design magazine that exists both online and in paper form. For years, they have been one of the forefront sources in America for decorating advice and ideas. The editors of Better Homes and Gardens once stated, "Basic good taste has little to do with price tags." In many ways that quote summarizes a great deal of their decorating advice. They encourage you not to spend a lot, but to decorate strategically.
  
  

Contrast

• Contrast keeps a room from looking dull and generic. It allows your eye to notice and appreciate particular decorative accents in a room. For example, pair a shabby chic table with cracked and peeling paint with an upholstered leopard print chair. Or mix an antique screen with a faux, technicolor Louis XIV-style chair for s striking effect. Two separate pieces of very different styles spotlight each other by showcasing how different they are from each other. You can achieve enough contrast just by mixing a country French table with country-cottage style accessories for subtler distinction.
  
  

Non-Traditional Placement

• Part of creating a very personal style is decorating strategically and giving things new life by placing them in out-of-the-ordinary spots. For example, for a fireplace that you don't use very often, place a big bouquet of flowers or a statue in the middle or place a vase of upright logs or twigs. Be really bold and place a model sailboat or an antique model airplane in that space. Make use of the area underneath a coffee table. Place a statue there or a small decorative stool underneath the table for an extra decorative detail. Take an old wheelbarrow from the garden or an old tea cart from the attic and use it as a coffee table.
  
  

Symmetry

• While complete symmetry isn't necessary in a given room, a certain degree of symmetry can be quite useful in pulling a room together. Achieve this subtly by placing a chair on either side of a fireplace. Alternatively, highlight the identical windows in a room by hanging a sconce on either side of them. Place a vase or urn on either end of a fireplace's mantel. These small gestures will make a room look more balanced. Keep in mind that you don't need to do this for the entire room, but it should be present to some extent.