After you've cleaned your rugs, shined up your bathroom and done a full spring cleaning throughout your home, you may get inspired to reward yourself with some improvements to the décor! But, before you start replacing pillows, lamps and furniture, HGTV's host of Curb Appeal, John Gidding, shows you which items are worth an extra investment in a home edition of "Spend vs. Save"!

Living Room

• Sofas: Spend. "The butt is the most important body part and it sits on the upholstery - and that’s why this is the first thing you’ve got to spend on!" John says. He suggests a neutral-toned sofa for the living room from Crate & Barrel (price: approximately $1,500). "This is something that will last you 10, 15 years." If you want to add a second sofa elsewhere in the house, that's where you can save money.

• Throw pillows: Save. Once you've got the sofa, give it a fresh look each year with a funky throw pillow! John suggests a $30 pillow from CB2.

• Throw rugs: Save. "These show wear and tear very quickly," he says. "Get something inexpensive, clean it when you want to and replace it when you have to."

• Window Treatments: Spend. When you're not buying a custom window treatment, John says even the pricier versions are pretty reasonable, so this is a great place to put a little extra money if you find something that you love. "If you're spending $140 dollars on this and it's such a visible part of your living room, it's worth every penny."

Bedroom

• Wall Paint: Spend. "The bedroom is an intimate space," he says. "Spend on the paint for the bedroom!"

• Linens: Spend. "You guys are worth it! This is something that you’re slipping into, typically, a little naked," he jokes. The place to save is on inexpensive throw pillows and blankets for your bed.
• Lamps: Save. "The bedroom is about the softness of the light, not necessarily about how much money you spend on a light fixture," he says. "If you want to spend on a light fixture, there’s other rooms for that." He suggests investing in a dimmer switch to use with the lighting in your bedroom, but to save money on the lamp. "You can easily go to Crate & Barrel, Ikea, Target - so many options to buy this kind of stuff!"

Home Office

• Desks: Spend. John suggests investing in a comfortable desk, like one for $1,300 from Raymour & Flanigan. "If you're spending seven or eight hours a day working from your home office, this is the way to go," he says. "Half the word 'home office' is 'home!'"

• Desk Chair: Spend. "If you’re spending a lot of time in those chairs, it's definitely something to spend on," he says, such as a $900 chair from Ethan Allen. Look for chairs that are ergonomically correct, John suggests, to get good back support as you sit and work for hours at the desk.

• Lights: Spend. "Why not get a floor lamp for the home office?" he says, suggesting one for $440 from Ethan Allen. "It’s a decorative item that’s going to make a huge difference for how you feel when you enter the office and at the same time it’s going to tie in the office to the rest of the house!"

Related Links

ABC Carpet & Home

Bed Bath & Beyond

Bergdorf Goodman

cb2

Center 44

Crate and Barrel

Ethan Allen

HGTV's Curb Appeal: The Block

IKEA

JCPenney

John Gidding

Jonathan Adler

Just Shades

Kmart

Pottery Barn

Staples

Straght from the Crate

West Elm