Changing up the look of your place seasonally is a great way to follow trends without spending a lot of money; a few tabletop vases, some pillows, candles and throws and you can easily change the look of a room for the cold weather months.

If you buy good decor basics like a neutral sofa, proper sized dining table and some favorite artwork, you can easily accessorize seasonally without breaking the bank. Many people try but only a few can accessorize to make their place look like it belongs in a decorating magazine.

Being a design and style editor for many years taught me not only about good-looking decor, but also about how to style and transform a place into a seasonal retreat worthy of a magazine cover. Here's a few common mistakes people make when attempting fall/winter decorating. Hopefully you are not guilty of any.

1. Trying to hide your television: The television is most-watched during the fall and winter months and is a necessity when it comes to audio/visual entertainment for most homes. Hiding it out of sight does nothing for its self esteem; I suggest celebrating the television by displaying it in an appropriate manner. If hanging it above a fireplace mantel, make sure to attach it to a swivel bracket so the television can slant down into the room for easier viewing. If choosing a console, get a useful yet decorative console that looks like a piece of matching furniture in your room. That space machine/modern thing that came free with the television (usually lots of chrome, frosted glass and black plastic will only make your television look cheap.

2. Displaying family portraits: Unless you have famous or royal family members then I suggest enjoying all those framed faces in a more private setting like a bedroom (although do you really want them all looking at you?), hallways, office or den. Thats all to be said.

3. Lack of proper lighting: Cozying up with a chenille throw and a good book gets you nowhere if the lighting sucks. Overhead lighting to far too bright and undirected, while an occasional lamp creates too dim of a light source for reading. Invest in a good swing-arm, floor-standing reading light to stand beside your favorite chair or bedside.

4. Plastering furniture along the perimeter of a room: "What? are you having a town hall dance in the living room"? Bringing the sofa in from the walls a few inches and arranging furniture in more intimate groupings will create a more personal seating arrangements and actually make a narrow or small room feel larger. Rule of thumb: no seating arrangement should separate people more than 14 feet apart from one another. a good lesson for those with the long living or giants family rooms.

5. The row of 3 uptight candles: You know those candles; the ones that must be displayed in a perfect row, spaced exactly 4 inches apart from one another. What you are left with is 3 bright flames gathered to draw your eyes to one side of a room. Separate and scatter candles to create an even glow around the room. Use flameless led candles to add ambience on bookshelves, window sills and picture ledges; most now come with an automatic 3 hour shut off so the battery doesn't wear out.

6. Floating a tiny rug in the middle of a large room: Rugs are meant to tie furnishings together, not to sitting lonely in the center of the room to be admired. If the front legs of the sofa and chairs are not sitting on the are rug in your living or family room, then the rug is too small for that area. In the dining room, the rug should be a minimum 18 inches larger on each side of the table.

7. Displaying family heirlooms that do not reflect your style: How many times have you made excuses for unmatched hand-me-downs? If you have a piece of furniture that doesn't follow suit with your decor scheme, then have it refinished to a wood stain colour or upholstery fabric that helps it blend in. If it is artwork that looks outdated then consider having it re-framed with a more up to date frame that blends in with your decor. If that doesn't work there is bound to be some jealous relative that wants it more than you ever did... pass it along.

8. Hanging artwork too high: You know when someone has hung their artwork too high; the paintings look like they are creeping up the walls away from the sofa; your head is angled toward the ceiling and when you sit in a room you stare at the bottom of the picture frame. The rule of thumb is that your artwork is hung about 10-12 inches from the top of the sofa, credenza or desk. If the art is not hung above a piece of furniture then on an empty wall the middle should be a 66-70 inches off the floor.