INNER SPACE TV'S POPULAR SHOW ``TRADING SPACES'' TEACHES DO-IT-YOURSELF DECORATORS A FEW CHEAP TRICKS.

Byline: Barbara Correa Staff Writer

Redecorating the bedroom or living room is the kind of undertaking that can be delayed indefinitely as either too expensive or too much work.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Painting a room a different color is the most dramatic change would-be redecorators can make, and it only costs about $60. Rearranging a room to reduce clutter and create a focal point is free. Better yet, clean out that overstuffed closet, rediscovering the perfect piece of furniture in the process.

No taste? No excuse. Home Depot offers free classes on faux painting and other decorating techniques. Or hire a designer - it's cheaper than you think. Improving a home aesthetically does require something besides a little cash or willingness to learn: inspiration.

For Lisa Andreadis, a stand-up comic in Van Nuys, it was an asthma attack and some very helpful neighbors that pushed her to finally redo her bedroom for the first time in a decade - and get on The Learning Channel show ``Trading Spaces'' in the process.

After years of letting her three dogs and two cats sleep in the bedroom, asthma sufferer Andreadis decided to move to the living room couch while her husband, Teddy, was away on tour as Alice Cooper's keyboardist.

Knowing Teddy wouldn't like the idea of his wife sleeping on the couch, concerned neighbors - who are big fans of ``Trading Spaces'' - decided to redecorate Andreadis' bedroom themselves.

``We got really into it,'' said Rick Nguyenhuu, a math professor at Citrus College in Glendora. ``We painted the bedroom walls sage green and did the carpet, too.''

Rick and his partner, J.T. Smith, went to work, staying within a $500 limit, money that mostly went for the carpet.

The experience taught them that they could do a lot more than they imagined, for a lot less money. It also prompted them to apply to be on the actual TV show and they taped a segment last month at the Andreadis house.

For the uninitiated, ``Trading Spaces'' features two sets of neighbors who redecorate one room in each other's homes - with the help of an interior designer and a carpenter - over a two-day period. The neighbors are limited to spending $1,000 per room.

And while the free labor of a carpenter isn't something most decorators can count on, the show does give encouragement to aspiring do-it- yourselfers.

``It's like a mini crash course in interior design,'' said Nguyenhuu, who said he never would have thought of building simple storage shelves in his neighbors' living room, another ``Trading Spaces'' idea.

Indeed, a little vision is the secret to making home improvements cheaply.

Genevieve Gorder, the designer for the Smith/Nguyenhuu living room, said Southern California is a great place to cultivate creativity because there are so many furniture and vintage stores. ``I try to find as much vintage as I can because I get more bang for my buck,'' she said.

She also recommends scouring regional flea markets, especially the Long Beach Fairgrounds and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

``It's overpriced, but great,'' she said.

A new room for $60

Of course, new furniture, even bought at a flea mart, might be above the average redecorating budget.

No problem, says Gorder, who saved hundreds of dollars on her budget by using a couch and painting she found in J.T. and Rick's garage to make over their living room.

She also suggests paint - about $60 for one room - and light as the two most dramatic changes and the cheapest to do.

``Be creative with doing faux finishes'' on furniture and walls, said Diane Paul, owner of the Inland Design Center in Upland, a showroom for the interior design trade. ``Take something that's ugly as sin ... Give it a facelift.''

People with no experience don't have an excuse because do-it-yourself emporiums like Home Depot and Lowe's sell kits and hold free Saturday classes in woodcutting and faux-finish painting.

Also easing the burden for the inexperienced is the trend toward eclectic mixing of all sort of styles, which has been evolving for a couple of decades, said Paul.

``Forget matching,'' said Paul. ``Now you can mix plaids with florals with stripes with textures ... It makes it very interesting and warm.'' The eclectic-mix approach to home decorating does require one important ingredient that can't be bought: taste.

There are plenty of people who really don't have any, and that's where a decorator or interior designer comes in. Paul argues that those without taste or money still shouldn't have to live in an ugly or boring environment.

Bring in a pro

``You can hire a designer for an hour for $65,'' said Cynthia Tesar, a design consultant in Loma Linda. ``They can give you ideas and maybe pull together a concept that works with things you already have.''

Arlene Pimentel, a social worker at Loma Linda Medical Center, hired Tesar last month to regroup and rearrange the objects and furniture she already has, including a collection of decorative plates from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico.

``The first thing I told her was I wasn't getting any new furniture and I wanted to enhance what I had,'' said Pimentel, who just moved to a small three-bedroom home in Rancho Cucamonga from a much larger house in Florida.

Tesar started by pulling the couch away from the living-room wall (stacking furniture against walls is a common error), which helped hide the husband's La-Z-Boy chair in a corner, much to the wife's delight.

She then threw down an area rug, moved a buffet piece into the living room and put it where a fireplace would go if there were one. She added a mirror, placed vertically on the buffet, creating a focal point in the room, one of the keys of good design.

``I never thought about that. Those little details give me a new scope on what I have,'' said Pimentel, who paid $600 to keep Tesar as an ongoing consultant over the next several years.

Tesar also suggested changing the way the plates were hung.

``One mistake people make is, if they collect plates, they'll put them all over instead of putting them together to make an impact. It looks like a Hallmark store,'' says Tesar. Another faux pas she sees frequently is cramming too many things onto the walls.

Clutter is bad in all kinds of ways, said Jeremy Belmont, a feng shui consultant in Los Angeles. Feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement, has become more integrated in interior design in the past decade as a way to improve organization. Belmont, who charges $125 for a consultation, points out other feng shui no-nos: dead flower arrangements, weird angles (they should generally be 90 degrees) and too much space in an entryway.

One consultation with a pro may be enough to inspire prospective decorators to totally revamp living spaces without spending a lot.

For J.T. Smith and Rick Nguyenhuu, the ``Trading Spaces'' participants, the show sparked a latent urge to redo the whole house.

``We did so much in those two days, it gave us a taste for a little bit of everything,'' said Smith, who's now planning to paint his bedroom the way he did the Andreadis' living room. ``Because of the show, I won't be afraid to tackle any project.''

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) BEFORE: It was furniture up against the wall in a traditional, but boring arrangement, for Rick Nguyenhuu and J.T. Smith.

(2 -- color) AFTER: ``Trading Spaces'' designer Genevieve Gorder puts the final touches on the newly remodeled Smith/Nguyenhuu living room, giving it a fresh, new look.

(3 -- 6 -- color) Teddy and Lisa Andreadis are reflected in a mirror, top, as they paint a section of crown molding in their neighbor's house as they participate in an episode of The Learning Channel's popular show ``Trading Spaces.'' Above, designer Genevieve Gorder stitches pillows as the transformation continues in the Smith/Nguyenhuu living room. Below, ``Trading Spaces'' designer Laurie Smith watches the transformation of Lisa and Teddy Andreadis' bedroom. Bottom, Rick Nguyenhuu and Jay Smith move furniture back into their neighbors' bedroom.

(7) J.T. Smith of Van Nuys sweeps neighbor Lisa Andreadis' floor after a redecorating project captured by The Learning Channel's ``Trading Spaces'' program.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) ANDREADIS' EXPENSE SHEET

(2) DECORATORS' SITE DIRECTORY