I recently visited a friend who had gotten her own place after a long-time relationship. When I walked in her room I thought I had walked into a recreation of a small town thrift store. You know the kind, lots of odds and ends but nothing that really caught your eye. Now I'm no decorating queen, but even I know gaudy and mismatched when I see it.

The trick to making a living area express you, is not to fill it with simply "things you own" or "like". Rather, choose a few things that have contrasting yet complimentary colors to each other.

I encouraged my friend to maybe put some of the knick-knacks away and even rotate her collectibles if it made her feel better. After a whole day of helping her, we were able to turn her living room into a haven that really expressed who she was. It wasn't necessary to display everything she owned. We placed some of her candles on a few shelves, put her tea-cup collection on a shelf and added a floral print pillow collection to the furnishings. That, and a few of her lamps, and her room looked completely different, better, and really let her style shine.

For more decor help go to www.frankandmickey.com

Thank you, Mickey www.frankandmickey.com