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It doesn't take a major makeover to give your home a more polished — and personalized — appearance. One secret to making your home a sanctuary is décor that expresses your personality, passions and style — from accessories to color palette. Check out our top tips for finishing touches that will make your home primed, polished and ready to spring into a new season.

First, Rediscover Your Eye for Beauty
Try spending some relaxing time leafing through design and decorating magazines. Discover what you're drawn to. The interior spreads you linger over offer clues to what you respond to in décor. They also offer ideas for creating the effects you like in your own home. Is your eye drawn to bright, cheerful colors and patterns? Or are you more attracted to subtle earth tones, natural wood and sleek metallics? Don't be shy! Tear out pages and start your own personal decorating file.

You also may want to visit furniture stores and home-accessory departments. Study how professional stylists create their displays to gather ideas to bring to your home decorating. Pay attention to the details, such as how valances and lighting are used and which fabrics appeal to you. Model home tours also are a great place to discover both professional decorating tips and objects, textures and colors that please your eye. Take notes and file them, too.

Next, Evaluate What You Have
Are you living with things that please you aesthetically? Or has your home's interior become a place you're always moving through, rather than really looking at?

Take a good look at your living space. When you're evaluating your décor, remember to:

• Consider your color scheme. Has the understated palette you started with become drab to your eye? Or has the checkered trim and rag-rug look lost its charm? Consider ways to gradually mute (or punch up) the color scheme you're living with. Throws and throw pillows, table runners and the simple switch of an area rug can go a long way toward transforming your space.
• Look over your collectibles. From china cups to vintage fabrics to antique dolls, collectibles reveal your personality. For each collection, think about new ways, and places, to display it. A seashell collection that has outgrown its space, for example, may now better fill the top of a bookcase.
• Think about lighting. An up-lit, broad-leaf floor plant can create dramatic, heightened shadows on the walls for interest. A miniature lamp tucked into a curio displaying photos of those you love can create a warm, cozy glow. If your home has minimal exposure to the sun, consider mirrors to bounce off light and open up your space.

Time for the Finishing Touches
Fresh and clean is always appealing, so remember what's often overlooked. Keep a long-handled duster, such as Swiffer Dusters® with Extendable Handle, to keep ceiling-fan blades and the tops of draperies from accumulating dust. Lampshades also attract dust and pet hair, so keep them clean and glowing with Swiffer Dusters. And remember the baseboards and walls (especially in high-traffic areas). Keep them smudge-free with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser®.

And you're well on your way to a home that reflects your style, with décor that makes you feel comfortable and, most importantly, makes you feel good.

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Next Article: Decorating Tips for Every Room