What are the hot new trends for the new year/new decade? We asked local designers for their insights on how to jazz up our living spaces without having to pay the piper.

The easiest way to get more bang for your buck is a splash of color.

To most of us, retro furniture is the kitchen set of the 1950s. Think chrome legs, a Formica table top and shiny vinyl on the chairs, often in red and white or teal and white, although yellow, green and other colors were popular, too.

Living Spaces is a new monthly publication of the Rockford Register Star. It is your guide to the latest in seasonal and trendy designs and decor, and local businesses that provide such products and services.

Coming up in Living Spaces:

October: Furniture, especially retro themes

February: Hottest tips for 2010 from local designers

March: Closets, organization and spring cleaning

April: Kitchen transformations

For many folks in the Midwest, fall is the favorite time of year. The climate becomes “just right” with no bugs, no humidity and no scorching heat.

As the weather turns cooler, we also feel the urge to nest and to make our homes “just right” for the change of season. No matter your budget or decorating style, you can make simple alterations that cozy up your favorite rooms for fall.

Fypon, a Baltimore company that makes urethane and PVC products, suggests “20 home improvement projects in just 20 minutes” each.

I’m pretty sure it will take most more than 20 minutes from start to finish, but the ideas are interesting. Here are a few that might work on your abode:

Wrap metal supports in a finished basement with PVC column wraps.

Use Victorian-style nips and spires to accent exterior areas, fencing and gated areas.

Upgrade the look of a boring kitchen island with decorative brackets or corbels as accent pieces.

NEWELL, W.Va. — Born of the Great Depression, it was a glossy, color-saturated line of cups, bowls and plates meant to affordably brighten lives and dinner tables. Seven decades later, Fiesta dinnerware is still designed to send a subtle message of optimism, but it’s no longer quite so cheap.

Yet Fiesta’s enduring popularity and strong sales even as consumers cut back are helping to keep struggling Homer Laughlin China Co. afloat. It’s the last major dinnerware producer that makes its products in the U.S., as competitors have shut down or moved offshore.

We’re not young forever. Think about your home with generations in mind.

When it comes to redecorating, renovating or designing a home, personal space, needs and tastes vary from person to person.

“The concept of ‘universal design,’ which strives to make living and work spaces as usable as possible for as many different kinds of people as possible, might just be the design philosophy that will bring us all together,” says Lynn Schrage, a design expert with The Kohler Store.

From aboutmyplanet.com, here are tips to reduce water use:

Consider cutting a little water use from your morning routine. Keeping a timer in your bathroom will remind you to wrap up and get out of the shower faster.

If a home renovation is in the cards, splurge on low-flow and water-efficient appliances — they’ll save you money in the long-run. A front-loading washing machine, for example, uses 40 percent to 60 percent less water than top-loading machines.

Moen has created ioDIGITAL, which allows you to customize shower and bath settings so bathing is perfect every time.

You can set and maintain water temperature and flow, and recall your favorite settings with the touch of a button. There’s even a remote control.

There’s no better time than now to lessen your home’s effect on the environment and change the way you decorate and live. It’s not nearly as difficult to become earth-friendly as you might think.

These days, you can find stylish, eco-friendly design elements for every room in the house. And, contrary to popular belief, going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style for sustainability.