From a fresh coat of white paint to choosing comfortable, neutral furniture, decorating experts share their advice on how happiness starts at home.

Mix It Up

“The most interesting rooms mix cultures and periods,” says real estate broker Royce Pinkwater. “I like to juxtapose high and low. It makes it more casual and homey.” Collaborating with the designer Eric Cohler, she decorated the living room of her New York apartment with a 1930s coffee table by Jean Dunand, ’40s armchairs by Andre Arbus, ’50s Swedish slipper chairs, and a ’70s mirror by Neal Small.

Choose Colors That Flatter You

“I think I speak for all women — and probably men — when I say I want a room to show me off at my best,” says Pinkwater. She decided on lavender to complement her green eyes. Michael Taylor chair. Karl Springer dressing table.

Decorate With What You Love

When painter and stylist Craig Schumacher moved from a 10-room Dallas house into a four-room apartment, it didn’t hamper his style. His decorating look became layer upon layer: “I bought things I knew I’d never tire of, and I’ve found out that if you love something, you’ll find a place for it.” His living room is furnished with antiques and vintage pieces, including a faux fireplace added for its architectural interest.

Remember the Power of White Paint

“White reflects light, so it sends off a wonderful energy, a prism of color that you aren’t necessarily aware of,” says designer Susan Noble Jones. In this 1820s New Orleans cottage, the designer used the hue to transform the formerly dark dining room into a space that’s light and cheery. Walls are Frostine by Benjamin Moore. Ligne Roset Tania chairs ring a table made of reclaimed cherry wood.

Choose Furniture With Curves

Round shapes, such as the living room’s drum shade and coffee table, make a space feel inviting. “They soften a room and make a house more lovable and livable,” Jones says. Dessin Fournir skirted chairs. Fambuena Dress pendant. Minton-Spidell coffee table.

Keep Seating Neutral

Stay away from large pieces upholstered in a bold color or busy pattern — it will make a room feel heavier. “When the sofa is white, it feels lighter, more conducive to conversation,” says designer Pat Healing, who decorated this home for a young family in upstate New York. Bird’s Nest Cocktail Table by HB Home; Campion chandelier, Urban Electric.

Make a Colorful Statement in the Entry

First impressions count. “I think you need to make a strong statement in entry halls — to give an indicator of what you’ll see in the rest of the house,” Healing says. “I use color because to do that creates happiness.” Custom bench in S. Harris’s Calypso. China Seas’ San Marco wallpaper.

Include Some Whimsy

“Little surprises keep a house from becoming too serious,” says contributing editor Frances Schultz. “It’s fun to put items in unexpected places.” In her Long Island cottage, she perked up the foot of the stairs with an inherited collection of Staffordshire figures.

Go Bold in a Small Space

“The smaller the room, the more drama you need,” designer David Netto says. In this East Hampton beach cottage, a graphic botanical pattern perks up the guest room. “The Svenskt Tenn Hawaii fabric by Josef Frank is so bold, it creates a little world within the bed alcove.” Frette bedding

Create Beauty by Contrast

The juxtaposition of humble and fine materials creates intrigue and keeps a room feeling interesting and attractive. “The most vivid example of combining humble materials with precious ones is in the kitchen,” Netto says. He tucked Nero Marquina marble under a white Corian island, “concealing it for maximum impact and surprise.” Barstools are by George Nakashima. Pendant lights from Circa Lighting.

By Bill Briggs of SwitchYard Media

Hey, it’s your castle. You have the right to pack your palace with all the domestic toys you can afford.

Of course, if and when you decide to sell, these novelties may fail to return your original investment or make your place harder to unload.

For now, bask in your baubles. But here are 10 home projects that may someday induce a cringe from your real-estate agent and potential buyers.

Backyard turned sports court

Cost: Hoops fanatics could dish out as much as $68,000 to convert their yard into a 105-foot-long, 52-foot-wide concrete basketball court with two hoops and painted lines, says Patriot Court Systems in Houston. This renovation includes a 5-inch-thick, post-tensioned slab. The project’s cost may be higher or lower depending on the slope of your yard, excavation, zoning fees and your access to concrete-churning and earth-moving equipment.

Recoup rate: Less than 10%, “if anything,” says Karyn Anjali Glubis, a real-estate agent in the Tampa, Fla., area.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: “Up to a year longer” to find a buyer who would enjoy the court, Glubis says.

Motorized stairway chair lift

Cost: Jeff Buckley, co-owner of H.E.S. Elevator Services in Englewood, Colo., says a homeowner would pay $10,500 for a lift that can carry a person up 20 stairs with a landing and turn at the middle of the rise. The cost includes equipment and labor.

Recoup rate: 10% to 20%, says Marissa Garone-Blatz, a real-estate agent and mortgage lender in Jupiter, Fla. She adds that sellers may be competing with housing complexes built specifically for special-needs buyers.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: As long as four months, Garone-Blatz says, because of removal costs. Buyers who use wheelchairs are apt to focus their search on one-story homes that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Steam shower

Cost: In our ultrasweet, fantasy bathroom, we envision eight to 10 shower heads, several towel warmers, a waterproof television and the sumptuously soggy centerpiece: a sit-down steam shower. These upgrades would lighten your bank account by at least $20,000, says Chantay Bridges, senior real-estate specialist at Clear Choice Realty & Associates in Beverly Hills, Calif. The steam shower alone could run anywhere between $2,000 and $15,000.

Recoup rate: $5,000 or more, Bridges says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Several months, Bridges says.

Your sole heating source: A wood-burning stove

Cost: Installing a wood stove to heat a two- to three-bedroom home will set you back about $3,600, says Angie Hicks, co-founder of the service-review website Angie’s List. If you are considering mothballing a traditional furnace for this cheaper form of warmth, be sure to check your local building codes and air-pollution laws, because some areas ban wood burning at times.

Recoup rate: Zero, Hicks says. “Wood stoves are like swimming pools,” she says. “Some people love them, (and) some don’t want the fuss, work, cost of wood, mess and liability.”

How much longer your home will stay on the market: This woodsy feature could cause your house to “stall” on the market for a year or more, Hicks says. Some people love the crackle, glow and aroma of wood embers. But “even homeowners who like the feature will likely want a backup source of heat,” she says.

Extreme home office

Cost: The price for an upscale work space can rise rapidly, depending on its size and the materials you select. For a memorably opulent office, think in the neighborhood of $20,000, Hicks says. This would include custom lighting, built-in cabinets, special molding, paneling, granite counters and high-tech gadgets such as flat-screen TVs and an entertainment system.

Recoup rate: 57%, Hicks says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Depending on the market, this addition could cause a home to sit for six to 12 months longer compared with a similar home without a swanky office, Hicks says. If you make it impossible for the room to be converted back to a bedroom, this could hurt your resale value.

Car collector’s garage

Cost: If you can afford to collect a bevy of vintage cars, the price of your own showroom or oversized garage may not be an issue. But expect to pump out about $50,000 for this addition, Hicks says.

Recoup rate: 25% to 40%, Hicks says. If you live in a well-heeled neighborhood where a few homeowners already have car-collector garages, the return on your investment will edge higher because prospective buyers may choose your area specifically for this specialty feature.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: 12 more months to find a buyer who is seeking a mega-garage, Hicks says.

Highly personalized hobby room

Cost: Crafters may dedicate a certain nook to their favorite pursuit, be it beer-making, sewing or painting. But when this hobby requires converting a bedroom into a room that’s hard to change back, it can be costly. For example, converting an existing 8-by-10-foot room into a potter’s dream — complete with a pottery wheel and kiln — would run $4,000 to $6,000, says Mel El-Farouki, who operates Mel’s Pot Shop in Erie, Pa.

Recoup rate: Any homeowner who installs a pottery room will see “very little” of that investment back, says Wendy Slaughter, president and owner of the Wendy SlaughterTeam at Re/Max Advantage Realty in Fulton, Md. “It could negatively impact the sales price,” she says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Several months, Slaughter says. But if you have a pottery room, marketing your home through pottery stores or offering free pottery lessons could entice prospective buyers.

Home theater

Cost: Hankering for some Hollywood at home? Be prepared to pay “upwards of $9,000″ for this type of glitzy space, Glubis says. That’s assuming your flick-watching room includes special speakers, lighting, seating adequate for a small group and a large viewing screen. You could pay more if you add velvet curtains, a large popcorn machine and top-notch acoustics.

Recoup rate: 50%, Glubis says, but only “if you were budget-conscious while installing it.”

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Typically, a fancy media room isn’t a deal-breaker, Glubis says, but it may set the price of an otherwise-average home over some buyers’ budgets.

Barn or stable

Cost: The price for an animal-only structure depends on the depth of your love for critters and how many you have. In South Florida, for example — where properties can have horses as well as donkeys, cows, peacocks and more — homeowners spend anywhere from $45 per square foot to several hundred dollars per square foot on barns and stables, Garone-Blatz says. Prices increase when homeowners choose “high-end décor materials compatible to that of their residence,” she says.

Recoup rate: Even in equestrian communities, homeowners who erect barns should expect 50% to 67% return on their investment, Garone-Blatz says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: In nonfarming, nonequestrian locales, barns can stick out in a negative way. Time on the market might be prolonged until the seller finds a buyer who wants to house livestock.

Urinal

Cost: $150 for a basic version and $1,000 for a fancy urinal, Garone-Blatz says.

“We once had a listing (in which) the man of the house was very proud of his urinal in the master bathroom,” she says. “I have to say, quite a few other men thought it was an upgrade, but most of the women did not find it too appealing.” Labor for installation would run a few hundred dollars.

Recoup rate: Zero to 20%, Garone-Blatz says. It can have a negative effect if your home has no toilet near the master bedroom.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: In the aforementioned scenario, it delayed the property’s sale a month or two, Garone-Blatz says. “Many women thought it was just another fixture to have cleaned.” she says. “On the flip side, many men thought it was a great, convenient idea and something neat to show off to their buddies.”

Here’s a look at price trends and how they differ between distressed and nondistressed homes.

By Nick Timiraos of The Wall Street Journal

Home prices are falling again, but some analysts see a silver lining because the prices of homes that aren’t selling out of foreclosure have been holding steady.

CoreLogic reported that home prices in October declined by 1.3% from September and by 3.9% from a year before. A separate index released in early December by LPS Applied Analytics showed that home prices in September had dropped by 1.2% from August

“Many housing statistics are basically moving sideways,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist at CoreLogic.

Still, the CoreLogic index shows an important emerging trend in which home prices — excluding distressed sales — are stabilizing.

What’s the difference between distressed sales and nondistressed sales?
Unlike traditional owners, banks are often faster to cut prices in order to unload properties quickly — or what are called “distressed” sales. The upshot: The more homes being sold by lenders in any given month, the faster prices tend to fall.

This was clear throughout the initial years of the housing bust. Prices declined most sharply in 2008 as banks dumped foreclosed properties at fire-sale prices. Owner-occupants are less likely to list their homes for sale in winter, too, which means that each winter prices drop because distressed sales account for a growing share of sales.

Are prices of distressed homes falling at the same rate as nondistressed homes?
That’s been the case up until recently. While home prices overall were down 3.9% from one year ago, prices excluding distressed sales were down just 0.5%. In September, total prices were down 3.8% from one year ago, but nondistressed prices were down 2.1%.

This shows that while price declines are resuming, they are not yet falling from one year ago for nondistressed homes. In fact, during the first nine months of 2011, prices of nondistressed homes remained relatively stable, with year-over-year declines between 2% and 3%.

Analysts at Barclays Capital, in a report published in early December, called this “the most important trend in the housing industry right now.”

Why would any stabilization of nondistressed prices matter?
If it’s true that prices of nondistressed homes are stabilizing, even as distressed homes continue to fall in price, it would mean that a distressed home is “increasingly being seen as a poor substitute for a nondistressed home,” writes Stephen Kim, a Barclays housing analyst. He says it’s possible that the “bifurcation between distressed and nondistressed homes will only widen with the passage of time.”

Won’t the overhang of foreclosures put pressure on nondistressed prices anyway?
That’s all too possible. More than 2 million loans are in some stage of foreclosure, and it may be too early to argue that those won’t in some way affect the sale prices of nondistressed homes. For one, homes that sell out of foreclosure at significantly lower prices could be used by appraisers as “comparable” sales, which may make banks less willing to lend at an agreed sale price for a nondistressed home.

In certain markets where many homes are selling out of foreclosure, it’s hard to simply set aside distressed homes. “You can’t deny the fact that if half of homes that sold in San Diego in a given year were distressed, that is the trend,” said Kyle Lundstedt, managing director at LPS.

What could happen if this trend holds up, with distressed prices falling and nondistressed prices staying flat?
It could stabilize something else: homebuyer confidence. “There is nothing that strikes fear in a homeowner’s heart than to hear that his home value has declined,” Kim writes. “But if it was home-price trends that got us into this funk, it stands to reason that a recovery in sentiment will be similarly ushered in once price declines have abated — which is precisely what the CoreLogic price data shows us.”