Staying in Tune with the Change of Season

Staying in Tune with the Change of Season (ARA) - Now the summer is winding down, leaves will soon start turning color and falling from the trees, signaling the change of season. We'll enjoy brilliant colors for a short time, then there will be no color at all.

"Outside anyway," says Terri Mattson, an interior designer who works for Fifth Avenue Design in Minneapolis, Minn. This time of year, her company is overrun with phone calls from people looking for ways to bring color inside.

"Color plays such an important role in our lives," says Mattson. "It helps boost our spirits and keeps us going through good times and bad. I'm not sure if it's related to the economy or something else, but a lot of people are coming to us asking for ways to brighten up homes."

Mattson says the one of the best places to start is in the bathroom. "Earth tones are big this year. We've painted a lot of bathrooms that used to be white either cinnamon, ginger or terra cotta with blue and red or green and gold accents," says Mattson. "The transformation is amazing."

Painting the walls isn't the only update you can do in the bathroom. Some people also change out fixtures or re-tile. "Both expensive propositions," says Sue Kelley of Environmental Graphics, a Minnesota based company specializing in decorative products for the home. "There's a much easier, less expensive and less permanent way to get a new look."

Kelley's company manufactures a relatively new home decorating tool called Stick 'n Stile design appliqu