Changing the look or adding a splash of color to a room doesn’t have to mean new furniture.

Start by thinking small. Really small. As in drawer pulls.

The little knobs you use to open cabinets or drawers can have a big effect on a piece of furniture.

You can theme your child’s bedroom without spending a fortune on novelty furniture or bedding.

You can pick up colors from your kitchen window treatments and use them as an accent color for the cabinets.

You can add whimsy to a traditional dresser.

And you can create one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

It’s a project that can be as simple, or as detailed, as you want it to be.

To get started, decide which piece of furniture you want to work on. Then take a look around the room. Does the bedspread have colors you want to complement? Do you like ladybugs, frogs, strawberries or other easy-to-paint objects? How about baseballs, soccer balls or basketballs for a sports-themed bedroom?

Then go shopping. Drawer pulls come in all shapes and colors. (For this project we used simple round wooden pulls.) Before you purchase them, make sure you find the right size for your furniture or cabinets. The opening sizes for the screws vary depending on the type of furniture. Also, some dressers have more than one pull per drawer, so count how many knobs you need before you head to the store.

For paint, we used acrylic craft paint with small, thin paintbrushes. If you’re using several colors, wait until each dries (about 20 minutes) before using the next coat.

If you don’t want to paint, or if young children want to be involved, you can try putting small stickers on the pulls.

After the pulls have dried (overnight, at least), coat them with a layer of polyurethane. You can brush or spray it on.

Once that dries, you’re ready to attach the drawer pulls to the furniture. And enjoy the new look.