Karen Hysell: Think in terms of feel when designing a kid's bedroom

QUESTION: My daughter who is 5-years-old loved her room when she was younger. Then the inevitable happened ... she outgrew the décor. How do I decorate her room in a theme that will grow with her and not have to be redone as she gets older? -- Debbie, Huntington

ANSWER: First of all, let's change your thought process a little. Don't think in terms of a theme. Think about how you want the room to feel. Once you decide on a wall color, how the room actually feels will depend primarily on fabric choices (draperies, bedding) and accessories (pillows, accent furniture, wall art). For instance, you know that you want the walls to be yellow and right now at 5 years old, you want her room to have a cottage feeling. Floral bedding or a quilt with a coordinating bed skirt and window treatments will help you pull this off. Fabrics are also an opportunity to introduce accent colors to use in the room by way of art, accessories and lighting. A white chandelier would look great.

In a few years, simply replace the bedding and draperies with a black and white toile accented with yellow and white striped fabric for the bed skirt and as an accent on the curtains. Change the art and accessories, think about a wrought iron chandelier to replace the white one and you've given your tween-to-teen a French flair she'll love. Don't forget to add plenty of open shelving with baskets to hide toys, treasures or just plain clutter.

Q: What can I do to an outdated kitchen that wouldn't cost a fortune? The cabinets are solid wood and very well made with an outdated, very worn finish on them. The countertops are hideous, but I don't want to spend the money for expensive replacements. The rest of my home is very pleasing to me, and then I when I come into the kitchen, it feels like I'm in another time zone. We did replace all the floors with new laminate wood flooring and put in the kitchen also. -- April, Proctorville

A: Take some comfort in knowing that you're not alone and though the solution may not be costly, it will require some effort and elbow grease. I'm a big fan of painted cabinets. This is how you can take a so-so kitchen and make it your own. But remember, the final result will depend on how much prep work you do to the cabinets before you paint. All of the old varnish should be removed before you paint them. So, a good sanding is in order followed by a good cleaning to remove all the dust you created. If the cabinets don't have much in the way of a shine, I have also used Liquid Sand applied in a circular motion to give the paint some tooth to stick to. Simply follow the directions on the back of the bottle.

I painted my own cabinets celadon green on the bottom ones and cream for the wall cabinets, applied an antiquing glaze over all of them and changed the hardware. I couldn't be more pleased with my "cheap" fix. As for countertops, there are many laminate options that won't break the bank. You will be amazed at the difference, and the color choices are virtually endless. Pick up a kitchen magazine for inspiration and get those creative juices flowing.

Q: We're trying to sell our house and while several people have looked, nobody is making any offers. What can we do to make our home more appealing to prospective buyers? -- Jeannie, Huntington

A: You have one chance to make a first impression, and that begins with curb appeal. Make sure the first thing a buyer sees is a clean, uncluttered and well-cared for house and yard. Inside, while some buyers can see beyond personal items and clutter, most are looking for a home that is move-in ready, a place where they can imagine themselves living. Your home is on the market and people aren't buying your "stuff" so make sure you de-clutter and de-personalize so your house and it's possibilities can be front and center. Rent a storage unit if necessary and try to keep a less-is-more mindset when it comes to furnishings and accessories. Leave enough furniture to showcase a room's purpose so buyers won't have to guess what the room is used for. Buyers love to open closet doors and cabinets, so showcase these areas also. Overly stuffed closets and cabinets say to a prospective buyer that there's not enough room for storage. There are lots of Web sites that address home staging and may be of help to you, so let the Internet be your guide if you plan on doing the staging yourself.

Karen Hysell is the owner The Finished Room in South Point, Ohio. Her columns will appear each Thursday in The Herald-Dispatch. E-mail her your decorating questions at decoratinggal1@aol.com.

writes the "Dear Decorating Gal" column for The Herald-Dispatch.