AUSTIN, Texas — My friends Christi and Cassidy invested in a home last year. They worked at a frenzied pace painting, remodeling and tweaking the house within an inch of their sanity. They were determined to have everything finished within two weeks of moving in.

They reached their goal, and I’m amazed with the transformation. Expertly faux-finished walls, revamped and replaced fixtures and knobs, new window treatments — they even removed a wall. The new and improved space is cool, cozy and unique. Now it’s time to do some fine-tuning.

The item that has continually bothered Christi is the bookshelf. At about 5 feet long, 7 feet tall and 1 foot deep, it is easily the largest piece of furniture they own. It has a black finish and takes up a significant portion of the moderately sized living room. They recently got another roommate, Mike, so books, photos and the assorted knickknacks of three people live in the shelf’s cubby holes. This is fine, but Christi felt it was cluttered and haphazard, so she asked for suggestions on how to make it look more stylish.

First, she needed to pare it down to the items the trio couldn’t live without. For starters, she pared down the books so that only their favorite tomes were on display. It’s attractive to stack some and leave others side by side. Mike also suggested covering the books with paper to give them a more uniform look. This can be done with brown grocery bags, fancy, plain or handmade wrapping paper or even the Sunday comics if you think it would fit in with your decorating scheme.

Next, they tackled the mass of photos in different frames. It was important to everyone to keep the photos on display. The quick fix in such cases is to use frames that are all the same color or all the same style. Once again, this promotes a uniform look. Because the bookshelf is black, it might be more visually interesting to use silver frames or bring in a color from the room. The walls are painted an olive green, so that would be a good choice.

I then suggested replacing the mismatched bric-a-brac with a collection, such as small earthenware vases or Mike’s vintage cameras. Repetition is an easy, artful technique and should be used, um, repeatedly.

Christi devoted the better part of an evening to rearranging the shelves. She hasn’t covered the books, but removing items, leaving only frames that were similar and varying the orientation of the books have made a huge difference. Now Christi, Cassidy and Mike can focus on more important household matters, such as which one of them is actually responsible for breaking the front window and how they plan to disguise it. There are three versions about what happened, but that’s another story.

Hip tip

Did you know you can turn your refrigerator doors (or the entire refrigerator) into a chalkboard? If your refrigerator has an enamel finish, you can strip it away to reveal the stainless steel beneath. The level of difficulty is similar to stripping most painted furniture. Simply paint the doors with chalkboard paint, let it dry and write your grocery list or notes to family members right on the refrigerator. If you have children, they can draw pictures or practice their penmanship. Buy colored chalk for even more fun. If a chalkboard refrigerator doesn’t interest you, just leave the stainless steel finish for a sleek, modern look.

Moleskiners unite

Devotees of Moleskine (mol-a-skeen’-a) journals and notebooks, know that I am a member of your tribe. I purchased my first at a bookstore in Cincinnati and have never looked back (most bookstores carry them or get them at www.moleskineus.com). Anyone who carries these trusted companions knows that words used to describe us, such as devotee, addict and lover, aren’t used in jest. There is even a blog, www.moleskinerie.com, where we can gather with our people. Each book has a little insert that says the journals have been used for centuries by artists such as van Gogh and writers such as Hemingway. The allure, especially as a writer, is irresistible.

I’ve been using them for many years and am a sucker for the simple, black oilcloth (moleskine) cover, acid-free paper, ribbon placeholder and elastic band that keeps it closed (my fondness for them is probably connected to my list-making, stationery and pen addictions). The icing on the cake is a little pocket on the inside for clippings, photos or whatever else you want to keep. Every year my husband buys one for me either for Christmas or my birthday, and I am always thrilled with the gift. The only thing more satisfying than the almost ritualistic first mark of ink on a blank book is the last mark on one that is full.