1. Frame illustrations from a book or magazine. Art magazines and vintage books are great sources of frameworthy illustrations — just cut pages out neatly and pop them into any blank frame you have lying around. Once I framed a whole series of '70s surfing photos from a feature in The Surfer's Journal (a particularly artsy surfing mag) for a cool retro take on the beach theme. Look through your stacks with a fresh eye; you never know what you may find.
by Kerrisdale Design Inc
2. Repurpose fabric remnants as art. If you do any sewing or crafting, I am willing to bet you have some pretty fabric pieces in your stash, just waiting for the right home. Stretch a larger piece over a blank canvas, cut a piece to fit in an embroidery hoop or place a small swatch in a frame.
3. Use vases to display jewelry. Instead of hiding extra vases in a cupboard (which is probably overcrowded as it is), put them to work displaying your favorite necklaces and bracelets atop your dresser. So easy!
by Shoshana Gosselin
3. Use vases to display jewelry. Instead of hiding extra vases in a cupboard (which is probably overcrowded as it is), put them to work displaying your favorite necklaces and bracelets atop your dresser. So easy!
4. Use your throws in a fresh way. Instead of always folding them at the foot of the bed or over the arm of a chair, try using your throws to change the look of your furniture with a bit of strategic folding and tucking. Try wrapping the loose cushion of your sofa with a throw, or lay a throw folded in thirds across the back and seat of an armchair, as shown here.
by Domicile Interior Design 
5. Swap out accent furniture from room to room. Small furniture (side tables, stools, slipper chairs) is easy to move, and a simple swap can completely change the feel of a room. Try a side table from the living room in the entryway and a narrow entry table behind the sofa. Place an upholstered chair in the mudroom, where it will feel extra luxurious, and bring an outdoor café chair into the dining room for a flea market–chic vibe.
by Lauren Leonard Interiors
6. Revamp old jars as fun storage. Have a tiny bit of paint left over from another project? You'll need only a dab to bring color to an assortment of jar lids. Use open-top jam jars to hold pens or paintbrushes, and larger jars for storing anything from buttons to laundry soap. Gluing small plastic animals to the lids is the perfect finishing touch if you will be using them in a child's room. (Just remember to keep jars on a high shelf until your child is old enough to handle glass.)
by Caitlin Wilson
7. Color code your bookshelves. Bookshelves looking a bit boring? Spend a winter afternoon rearranging your tomes by the color of their spines rather than the contents for a change. Bonus: It will give you an excuse to peruse all of your favorite old books!
by Carol Vaughan-Davis
8. Turn a crate on its side to hold books. An old wooden crate is perfect for keeping books neat and tidy. Crates look fabulously rustic on their own, but if you want to spice one up, try lining the back in a pretty patterned gift wrap.
by Holly Marder
9. Hang artwork on your shelves. A favorite of decorators, this simple trick can make a room feel more sophisticated in an instant. A small painting allows you to still access the books around it.
by Tim Barber LTD Architecture & Interior Design
10. Style your open shelving. If you have glass-front cupboards or open shelving in the kitchen, consider it a styling opportunity not to be squandered. Take a look at your shelves as they are now, putting function aside for just a moment. Can you spy any clashing colors or patterns? Remove those first, then step back and look again.
Do you see a theme emerging among what's left? White and silver, for instance, or blue and white would work well. Search your other cupboards and storage areas for objects you use that fit the color scheme, and work them in.
by Centsational Girl
Do you see a theme emerging among what's left? White and silver, for instance, or blue and white would work well. Search your other cupboards and storage areas for objects you use that fit the color scheme, and work them in.
11. Put the silver on display. Whether or not you have silver, most of us have something we consider "too good" for everyday use. I say use what you have and enjoy it. If you are worried about breakage (small kids in the house?), at least consider putting some of your favorite pieces on display where you can enjoy looking at them daily. Float a flower in a teacup by the sink or gather fruit on a pretty cake plate on the counter.
by tumbleweed and dandelion.com
12. Reuse glass jars for flowers. Embellish small glass jars with colorful washi tape to make an instant collection of bud vases. Line up three, five or more down the middle of your dining table for an easy, casual centerpiece.
by Lisa Nieschlag "Liz & Jewels"
13. Paper a wall in old maps. Make your own wallpaper by decoupaging maps directly onto a freshly cleaned wall. Use maps of your area or nautical maps, or mix and match maps from places you have traveled to.
by Sandvold Blanda Architecture + Interiors LLC
14. Fill an unused frame with fabric-wrapped cork. Cobble together a pinboard with whatever supplies you have lying around: A roll of burlap, fabric scraps or even an old tablecloth can be used to cover your board. No cork at hand? It may not last as long, but in a pinch you can even use foam-core board (like the kind used to display science projects).
by Holly Marder
15. Remove a door and create a hideaway office. Even a tiny closet can be transformed into a workspace. Replacing the door with a curtain will help the nook feel more inviting and give you a bit more space — and you'll still be able to close off the room.
by The Old Painted Cottage
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Another good one... furniture swapping on craigslist. Sometimes when I'm tired of a chair or a frame (etc) I put it up on craigslist and ask for a trade of a similar item. I got a GREAT "new" mirror that way, when I got tired of my old one. No negotiating prices, no money changing hands, just a straight trade with other people bored of their things!
Okay, but please polish it first.
I don't care for the look of art hung on bookshelves. It makes it appears that the shelves are merely decorative, and I like a library to be used.
Also, I see this idea of turning a closet into an office frequently. How many people have extra closets that they can do away with? Much more sensible to get a small office armoire than to lose all that storage space. Something like this:
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/eastman-secretary/12202
would fit in even a small room.
Did like photo/suggestion #7 about colour coding the covers of books but have a question. How many books with book jackets in a given subject have the same book jacket colour? Being serious bibliophiles we have thousands of books arranged by subject, not book jacket colour. Thus the suggestion shown may work ok for someone who doesn't actually use their home library.
10. Style your open shelving is excellent and works best when someone has the forethought to only buy matching coloured items, since these are easier to keep colour organized. Just remember unpolished silver may work better in a shabby chic setting than in a sleek clean looking design area.
However I love the idea of displaying hanging art on you bookshelves but I understand the concern some may have about accessablility.
Here's how I made it work: I mounted two small L-shaped brackets to the back of the frame so the exposed part of the L-bracket can slide under the books like an inverted book end. That way you can just pop it out if you need to get to a book. Also you can move it around anywhere you feel like it because there's no holes to patch.
However, I grew up with whites and beiges EVERYWHERE, and for years my mother's fear of being "locked into a color" dominated my psyche. Now, I love color, interesting prints/fabrics, etc. I found that with careful planning, you can do the same with COLOR. My favs right now are deep red and a rich yellow (the right shades become their own "neutral"). Easy in the fall to pull/accent from those colors with browns and greens. At Christmas, I add golds/silvers. In the spring/summer, I pump up the volume with bright greens, lighter reds, sunnier yellows, and even red/oranges. Throw in pops of white - perfect!
Don't forget to accent with flowers/vases - I use big sunflowers in fall, gerbera daises in spring/summer, and poinsettias, et al in winter. I even change out for Valentine's Day with carnations. Use linens and throw rugs the same way. Don't be afraid to color your home - it CAN be refreshed and changed up, too!
Color coding your bookshelves may LOOK great, but it's rather ridiculous if you actually read your books. As for looking creating a list of books by location or googling a picture of the book you want to locate - I don't think so! I'd prefer just going to straight to the book rather than wasting my time with some search I had to invent just to work around my decor!'
Anyone who actually uses the many books they have on their bookshelf knows you organize by title/subject not the colour of the book jacket. The way the books are displayed in the photograph made me think those were display shelves not book shelves.