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If you have ever seen an episode of a home makeover TV show, you can’t help but dream of freshening up your own home. Try our eight quick tips for redesigning your space with eco-style and you won’t have to be a home improvement junkie or a green design devotee to create the home of your dreams.

What exactly is eco-style? Susie Matson, professional organizer and owner of Savvy Spaces in Greeley, defines eco-style as natural, affordable and realistic. “For me, the basis of eco-style is redesign—using a combination of natural elements with items that you already have to make your home more beautiful, comfortable and functional.” In this era of green washing and high-end design, we have come to expect a high price tag attached to anything associated with the terms green, sustainable or ecological. “Not so,” claims Matson. Even though she doesn’t market herself as an eco-organizer, Matson has always had a passion for reusing and repurposing. “When my husband and I first started dating, I didn’t tell him that I did most of my shopping at thrift stores and flea markets. One day, I had my head down in a bin at the Salvation Army when I looked up and spotted him on the other side of the store sorting through his own pile of stuff. Our eyes met and we both realized that we had met our match.”

When redesigning your home, Matson recommends starting with one room at a time. “When I am decorating a room, I like to take time to sit in that space, be still, clear my mind and feel the energy of the room. It helps me define what’s missing and what needs editing.” Ask yourself if it’s too dark or too heavy on one side? Are there too many plants or not enough plants? Does the room get enough light? What is the purpose of this room going to be? Matson believes that these questions will help give you direction. “I feel that your home should restore, rejuvenate and energize you. When you walk in the door, you should feel that it’s good to be here.”

Matson’s eight quick tips for redesigning your home with eco-style:
1. Get inspired
Find an inspiration item that will help you visualize a theme for your redesign. Matson suggests choosing something that will work well with the purpose of the room. For example, a vintage postcard from Hawaii could be the inspiration for a bathroom redesign.

2. Shop your home
Most of us tend to scatter the things we love throughout our living space. By shopping our home and gathering together items that would work well with our theme, we can actually create a fresh look for that space. Matson recommends choosing items based on texture and color.

3. Repurpose
Visualize Aunt Martha’s old, blue suitcase as a table top for a nightstand. Don’t be afraid to break the rules and use a bedroom dresser as a buffet table or mix things up a bit by displaying antique gardening tools in the kitchen. By using things that you have collected throughout the years, you make a statement about you and your family.

4. Find your soul color
Matson advises decorating a room with colors that restore you. “I have this theory that we all have our own soul color. I tend to love Earth tones but the color that restores me is green.” She suggests using furniture or carpet with neutral colors. “You can always change out pillows or art work to give your room punch.”

5. Stylize
Decorate your home in ways that really suit you, that speak to you. “When you come in to my house, although I love rocks, you won’t find a granite countertop anywhere. It’s not my style. That’s not to say they’re not stylish but it’s not what my style is really about.” If you need help defining your style, visit HGTV at www.hgtv.com and search for style quiz.

6. Keep it natural
Matson suggests using natural elements like wood, stone and shells to create your eco-style. “I try to keep plastics and appliances put away because they make a room feel cold.” Natural decorations bring the outdoors in and make you feel close to the Earth. “I have this bowl in my living room that I change out all year long. I put sand in it with seashells, pinecones, Christmas balls, or seed pods. It’s an interactive accessory.”

7. Trade
Trade things with other people. Matson explains, “I have friends that I am so close to that we know each other’s styles. If I have something they could use in their home redesign, I happily give it to them knowing that it will be loved and reused.”

8. Reuse
When you do buy things for your home, buy used. Buy things that speak to you and your own personal style. Don’t buy what’s trendy and decorate for trendy appeal. Trends are short lived and don’t perpetuate reuse.

As a professional organizer and amateur treasure hunter, Susie Matson has spent her life saving money and the environment. “I know some people think that they can’t afford to live a more sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyle because green products and services are just too expensive. That tells me that they are working with the wrong definition of green.” For more redesigning tips, contact Susie Matson of Savvy Spaces at http://www.asavvyspace.com.

Paige Anderson-Torgrimson is a writer in northern Colorado. For more ideas about sustainability, visit her Green Paige Web site at www.greenpaige.com.