If the faltering economy has caused you to modify your plans to (literally) move up in the world, perhaps a little redecorating will make your home turf more accommodating. But with the loss of Domino magazine, resources for hip decorating ideas are a little harder to come by - and that's where blogging comes to the rescue.

The first item I found this morning was a story in The Moment (the fashion and design blog of the New York Times) about Tom Delavan. The former Domino's editor-at-large just renovated his studio apartment, which was featured earlier this week. Even the cash strapped can take inspiration from his approach, which began with selecting just the right paint. As everyone knows, paint is the cheapest way to instantly upgrade your digs.

Left: Maxime's apartment, on Apartment Therapy. Right: Tom Delavan's apartment, photos: Rita Konig.

Delavan says, "I wanted something that was between gray and brown: too gray and it goes battleship; too brown and it goes too early '90s. I took two days of looking at colors to find the right one, but when you do, it changes everything." In short order, his formerly pale green space was transformed into a certifyably chic setting, using the furnishings he already had. Read the entire story.

You can't miss with Apartment Therapy, which offers "house tours" of redone digs by professionals as well as people who simply have a good eye. I toured a sunny 650-square-foot one-bedroom in the Gramercy Park area. Its occupant, Maxime, an architect and interior designer, took a completely different approach. He decided to live with the standard apartment-white paint already there and focus his resources on furnishings and objects.

Like Delavan, Maxime worked within a monochromatic palette, which ensured that his furniture and objects, in many different styles, work well together. He cut a wide swath, sourcing most of the big stuff from Ikea, West Elm and neighborhood thrift shops, thus saving dollars for high-impact objects like a vintage leather settee. The entire project was done in his spare time in less than a year. Take the house tour yourself.

Last and equally top notch, was an i-commerce blog called Spoonflower, a South Carolina outfit that will custom print decorating fabrics from your designs - with no minimum order. This mom-and-pop operation was launched online in May 2008 by refugees from the IT world. As of December, there are over 15,000 crafters signed up to use their site and since then, they've sent fabric all over the world. The founders tapped into today's DIY explosion, noting that for a variety of reasons more and more people are drawn to the idea of creating things that are uniquely theirs. To order your custom-designed fabrics, go to Spoonflower.

This is just the tip of an iceberg that deserves continuous surveillance. As one who could use some refurbishing at home, I'll stay on it and keep you posted.