You don't have to spend a lot on every piece in a room to make it pop

Julie McDonald's decorating technique is the epitome of the 21st century woman.

She didn't want to spend a lot of money on her family room sofa, and she wanted slipcovers because she knew her six children would be hard on it. But the accent pillows she selected probably doubled the price.

Behind that couch in her Lake Barrington home McDonald covered a wall of windows with $10 linen-look panels from IKEA. They replaced expensive window treatments she had installed years earlier.

And this is the story of the 21st century home design, said Gail Kueker, owner of Finishing Touches Studio in the The Arboretum of South Barrington.

"Shop at TJ Maxx or Pottery Barn and save money," said Kueker, "but then they want a couple of wow pieces, statement pieces you can get at my store or an art gallery or another boutique."

It's an evolution that brought us to this point at the end of the first decade of the new century, she said.

In the 1980s decorating was all about conspicuous consumption - having brand name art and furniture or getting everything from the "right" store. Call it the showroom look.

Then came the '90s, a warehouse and outlet era where people wanted the same items or something that looked as good, but at a lower price. At first homeowners were secretive about getting bargains, then that became part of the cachet.

And now we can mix the two, she said.

Even if your budget dictates the furniture comes from a bargain store, the piece on the mantel can be special.

"They want their fingerprint to be their own, not a showroom or carbon copy," Kueker said.

But sometimes putting items with different pedigrees together can be a challenge. And that's where designers - or stylists as Kueker calls herself - can help, especially in this day of mixing traditional and contemporary looks.

Kueker helped Debra Atkins plan her North Barrington kitchen without ever setting foot in it.

Atkins brought samples of stone for the countertops and backsplash to Kueker's shop. She charges $35 for a consultation with swatches or pictures and $125 an hour if she goes to the home.

Kueker even designed a chocolate rectangle on the green wall to set off decorative plates that Atkins loved.

And Kueker moved one of Atkin's star purchases, a red ceiling tile, from a wall in the family room to anchor an arrangement on the fireplace mantel.

Her service was a great value for the money, said Atkins.

It's all about people not wanting to make mistakes with their purchases because that costs money, said Kueker.

McDonald's dining room offers its own lessons. Kueker designed floral arrangements in two vases that sit on the table just beyond the edge of the large chandelier.

"Typically people put things on the table right under the chandelier," she said. "And that's wrong with a grandiose chandelier like this."

McDonald does much of her decorating on her own. For example she found two dining room chairs at Les Tissus Colbert in Geneva. She paired them with wood chairs, then at another time found two more at the shop with a different fabric. These were also inexpensive because there were only two of each and they were already made up.

But she did pay quite a bit when she bought a third pair, custom covered with fabric and trim to tie together the four chairs she already owned.

Paying a lot of money isn't always necessary to get the item that you believe will be the finishing touch to a room. Even wealthy people want to save money and will reject an item if they think they can get it at a lower price.

In the end, people want their homes to look nice.

"You want to be comfortable in your own home," said Kueker. "It's a crazy world. You want that 'aah' factor so you can relax and find comfort when you get home. It should be your sanctuary."