Just about every home has an eyesore.
Maybe it's a wonky window or flooring that's seen better days. It grates on your nerves, but fixing or replacing it is too expensive, too impractical or too far down the priority list.
Still, that doesn't mean you have to look the other way. We've gathered a few solutions for disguising some common decorating problems, so put on your can-do attitude and get ready to tackle that trouble spot.
Cruddy carpet
Renters, in particular, are often stuck with carpet that doesn't suit their taste. You can cover part of it with a rug, but it's pretty hard to blanket an entire room without spending just as much as you would to replace the carpet.
That's when a little distraction is called for.
Interior designer and home stager Lynn Koerner of Interiors by Lynn in Streetsboro, Ohio, recommended starting by anchoring a seating area with an area rug. Choose a solid-color rug if the carpeting is busy, or a patterned rug on solid-color carpeting. A budget-friendly approach is to buy a carpet remnant and have the carpet store bind the edges to create a rug, Haught said.
Then perform a little sleight of hand, Koerner said. Create interest higher in the room to draw attention up and away from the floor. She did that in one client's living room by covering a fireplace wall in a subtle patterned wallpaper and creating an eye-catching arrangement of artwork and accessories on the mantel.