Paint is considered one of the quickest and least expensive ways to add color to a room, but your palette doesn't have to stop in the paint pail. Here are some alternatives, room by room.

Richly colored fabrics, area rugs, bouquets, artwork, and tableware are only a few of the elements that can be used to perk up a decor with color.

Living Room

• Cover folding screens with panels of a favorite fabric, or combine several colors, solids and patterns.
• Revive sofas and chairs with slipcovers.
• Light up dim corners with new lamp bases or shades. Or try a colored light bulb in an existing fixture.
• Toss around throw pillows. These chunks of color come in all sizes, shapes, and patterns.
• Drape a beautiful throw on a neutral-colored sofa or chair.

Bedrooms

• Replace faded bedding with cheerful new sheets and comforters.
• Use colorful sheets to create no-sew window swags (draped over a curtain rod).
• Warm up a chaise or ottoman with a plush throw.
• Freshen the room with a big bouquet of flowers, one of the must-have luxuries of life. The beauty of bouquets is that they require no color coordination, and they need not match their surroundings.

Dining Rooms

• Place mats, napkins, and table runners can compensate for what a room otherwise lacks in color.
• Display decorative and colorful dinnerware in a china cabinet or in plate racks.