Older relatives can be a great source for quality vintage pieces. If they're simply storing furniture or conversation pieces, perhaps they'd be happy to loan you some unique decor.

When Jonathan Fong decided it was time for a new end table, he skipped the furniture store and went instead to his storage closet. There he found an old mirror and a plant stand and glued them together, and within minutes a one-of-a-kind accent piece was born.

“I just love reinventing what you have,” says Fong, an interior designer whose own home in Santa Monica has a look all its own.

Reinventing is the key to updating a room when money is tight, Fong says. A budget of $250 won’t get you much in the way of new furniture, flooring or window treatments, but Fong believes you can still come up with a dramatic new look for a room for that amount or less.

“When you’re on a low budget, that’s when you get to be creative, and that’s when it’s the most fun,” Fong says. “You don’t have to start from scratch, and you shouldn’t.”

Here are 10 tips from Fong and other decorating experts for rejuvenating a room on limited funds:

1. Eliminate those white walls.

Painting is one of the simplest tasks for the do-it-yourselfer and has the most impact. The bolder the better, say the experts. Paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore & Co. predicts the hot color for 2006 will be Queen’s Wreath, “a chameleon-like purple,” says Eileen McComb, the company’s director of communications.

But subtle shades work, too. “It’s a very personal choice,” McComb says. “It has to resonate in the environment you want to create.”

If you’re not picky, check out the “oops paint” colors that have been mistinted or returned, and are available at most paint and home improvement stores at a reduced price.

Whatever you choose, make sure the color gives new life to your furniture and accessories, says Diane Boyer, an interior designer in Verona, N.J.

And don’t forget to paint the ceiling, Boyer advises. “When you carry it through, it actually makes the room look bigger,” she says.

2. Go for the “wow factor.”

Paint isn’t the only way to spruce up walls, says Fong, whose book, “Walls That Wow” (Watson-Guptill Publications, 2005), gives step-by-step instructions for wall treatments made of fabric, metal and paper, among other things. Such materials can provide patterns and textures you can’t get with paint, he notes.

If you’re tired of your wallpaper but don’t have the desire or energy to tear it down, go over it with a glaze to create a vintage or sun-washed look, says Tim Fooks, a kitchen and bath designer for Home Depot in Atlanta.

3. Create a “conversational space.”

In other words, says Minneapolis interior designer Peggy Sellwood, move furniture away from the walls and rearrange it to create an intimate area where guests won’t have to shout at one another to be heard. If you don’t like it the first time, keep experimenting, she says. The best part? It doesn’t cost a dime.

4. Give old furniture a new look.

This can be as simple as adding new cushions or a slipcover to your couch, changing a lampshade or putting new knobs on an armoire. “You can bring a whole new look to things by changing the things that are inexpensive and easy to change,” Boyer says.

Other projects require a little more creativity. Sellwood, a frequent guest on HGTV’s “Decorating Cents,” suggests dressing up old coffee tables or chests by gluing on maps, posters or even sheet music. Allow the glue to dry for a day, then cover it with sealer.

“The sealer makes it looks lacquered, like it was painted on,” she says.

5. Go furniture shopping at Grandma’s.

Relatives, particularly older ones, can be sources of high quality furniture that simply needs to be refinished or reupholstered. “Everybody’s got stuff that they are storing but may not be using, and it may work for you,” Boyer says.

Thrift shops and garage sales also have great finds, but Boyer warns you should have a “plan of attack” to avoid impulse buying.

Scour discount fabric houses when changing upholstery or draperies, which can eat up a budget quickly, Fooks says. The fabrics you’ll find are similar in look and quality to those of high-end manufacturers, but they cost a fraction of the price. You can also buy colorful trims to embellish your current draperies, Sellwood says.

6. If you love it, it matches.

Don’t worry if your coffee table is oak and your armoire is cherry, or if your couch and loveseat are from different decades, Sellwood and other designers say.

Sellwood says matching furniture is a “June Cleaver image” best left in the 1950s and ’60s. “You have to bring out the personality of the individual,” she says.

Fong agrees. “If your room is filled with things you love, it will match, because it’s all you,” he promises.

7. Fix up the floor.

Boyer suggests placing a new area rug over an existing carpet or floor. Remnant pieces from carpet or home improvement stores can save you even more money.

Sellwood goes a step further, noting that you can paint a faux area rug over a wood floor with latex or acrylic paint, and then seal it with several coats of varnish. “I like breaking the rules and always add something unpredictable,” she says.

8. Assess your art.

People tend to take what little artwork they have and spread it throughout the home, Boyer notes. “Instead, create a collection in one room,” she says.

This applies not only to paintings, but also to ceramics and other collectibles.

An elegant vase or another beloved item can become your focal point, Boyer says. “Somehow that one really good piece sets the tone for the room,” she explains.

9. Don’t underestimate the power of accessories.

Little things like votive candles, plants and even colorful switch plates for lights can add a final flourish to a redesigned room.

“It’s the finishing touch,” Sellwood says. “Put that bow on the package, make it warm and enjoyable.”

10. Light it up.

Once you’re ready to show off your new room, make sure it shines day and night with lamps, wall lights, hanging fixtures or a combination, the experts say.

“You can change the entire mood with lighting,” says Karen Cobb, a spokeswoman for Lowe’s.

A ceiling fan with a light kit looks nice and helps increase your home’s energy efficiency, Cobb notes.