8 Decorating Hacks to Make Your Home Feel More Unique

Displaying multiples of a collectible, like all those cool globes at right, is the easiest way to lend your home a unique look. Albano suggests interestingly shaped objects: ceramic animals, silk fans, lanterns. She likes hunting tag sales as well as sites such as chairish.com, Craigslist, and eBay. "Bargains are out there!" she says.

You know how throwing on a stylish scarf makes jeans and a tee chicer? The same applies for interiors. Albano took a white sofa and draped it in exotic textiles including Turkish towels, a sheepskin throw, and a printed quilt. The result is a plush resting spot that lets you pick up each item and clean it when stains happen. On the floors, she combined two midsize rugs that share a well-worn feel but have slightly different patterns to give o a worldly, bohemian vibe.

The secret to this trick is not limiting yourself to one design style. Pair modern pieces with traditional ones, Asian touches with rustic fabrics. The effect is fresh and makes a room feel special. Here, Albano combined toile drapes, a Southwestern rug, an Indian painting, and a Victorian velvet bench. "They all harmonize because one item doesn't outshine the others," she says.

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One great upside of vintage- focused decor: You can break rules about what types of furniture work together. Here, Albano mixed two non-matching pieces, the buffet and the glass-front case, to niftily double her storage.

Weave a Common Thread"One cohesive element, a strong color in particular, can keep an eclectic home from feeling like there's too much going on," says Albano, who used pops of red throughout the dining and kitchen areas in the form of the drapes, throw pillows, pendant lights, and this glossy painted table.

When there's this much color and pattern — see the cute pillows in the breakfast nook, or the Mexican tile behind the stove — make sure a few things are dead simple. The unfussy stools at left, for instance, are as basic as can be and give the eye (and your guests) a place to rest. Score similar ones for about $30 a pop at an online school-supply retailer such as schooloutfitters.com.

There's plenty to love about vintage wallpaper — the whimsical designs, the one-of-a-kindness — except how stressed you'd be if it got stained and you couldn't patch it. Consequently, Albano opts for vintage reproductions (a great resource: designyourwall.com). Bear in mind that you don't have to cover the whole room to get major impact. "Wallpaper can nicely de ne a space, like the framing e ect it creates around this bed," she says.

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Any electrician can handle a basic rewiring job like the one done on this oral-etched light texture. So if you spot a knockout piece that wasn't made in the last 50 years, don't pass it up, says Albano. Same goes for the little wooden chair and sweet iron bed frame, which are painted in shades of blue to play up the space's fun energy. Albano does warn that many antique bed frames are sized differently, which is why you should measure before you buy so you can get the right mattress; some dealers will adjust the frame to standard. Because, like Goldilocks, all that matters is that the piece is just right for you.