Unless you're currently living in your dream house, chances are you had to make some compromises when you chose your current digs. Maybe you sacrificed square footage for a dishwasher, gave up outdoor space in order to be right in the middle of the city, or put up with drafty windows and creaky floors in exchange for your home's vintage charm.

Once you've moved a few times, you get a sense of what you're willing to sacrifice for other benefits, and what you won't budge on. Everyone's dealbreakers are different; what are yours?

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Decorating and arranging a new space is a pretty exciting prospect for any home decor enthusiast. But the act of physically moving out of one home and into another generally doesn't top anyone's list of favorite activities. While there are no real shortcuts to changing spaces, there are certainly things you can do to make the process as smooth and painless as possible. Read on for eight easy tips.

1. Save your friends for later. Enlisting the help of friends and family when you move is to be expected. But instead of having your loved ones do the heavy lifting, consider saving their help for when you'll really need it. Hire movers to handle the boxes and furniture on moving day, then open a bottle of wine, turn on some music, and have your friends and family help with the daunting (but fun) task of unloading some of those boxes. As long as you're a little flexible with how your kitchen drawers are organized, you'll save yourself days of tedious unpacking.
2. Move your most prized breakables yourself. The biggest drawback to using movers, aside from the cost, is fear that your possessions will be damaged in the move. Pack up a box or two with your most expensive and breakable items (your grandma's china, your Riedel wine glasses), and move just those boxes yourself.
3. Label every box with its destination and contents. As you pack and seal up each box, write its destination room and a fairly detailed list of its contents on the top and sides. That way, the movers can deposit your boxes in the right rooms, and you'll know exactly where to find everything.
4. Pack for a short trip. As you're packing everything you own into boxes or bags, set aside a suitcase and toiletry bag, and pack those as if you were going away for the weekend. Your new home may be a mess for a while, but at least you'll be able to shower and get dressed each day without too much hassle.

Keep reading for four more tips to make moving less painful.

Now that you know where to find hip but affordable artwork online, it's time to get to hanging. Decking out your rooms with artwork can be a daunting task, especially once you've invested in some special pieces — you're not just tacking posters up in your dorm room anymore! But don't let that keep you from finally getting art up on your walls. Follow these five tips for gallery-worthy displays in no time.

1. Choose a theme. To keep your artwork from looking haphazard, settle on some kind of theme before you select which pieces to hang. Your theme can be a color, subject matter, style, artist — anything, as long as it ties all the pieces together in that room.
2. Let your artwork guide your frame choices. If the style and color of your artwork is all over the place, choose coordinating frames to keep it cohesive. If you've chosen multiple similar pieces from the same artist or the same series, try mixing up your frame color and shape so the end result isn't too matchy-matchy.
3. Consider the vibe of the room. Your space is your own, and you can choose to hang whatever artwork you like. But in order to keep from regretting your decision a month or two down the road, bear in mind the vibe of each room as you're selecting pieces. You may want to avoid hanging grotesque pieces in the kitchen, racy pieces in the living room, or creepy pieces in your bedroom.

More tips, right this way!

Neighbors are a fact of life, but if you live in tight quarters or a noisy area, it can sometimes feel like they're ruining your life. While there are plenty of soundproofing options out there, many of them are, shall we say, less than chic. But even if you share space with a musician or live next door to the neighborhood bar, you don't have to sacrifice style to get a little peace and quiet. Here are five ways to soundproof your space that are so discreet, no one will even realize you've done it. Except you, as you're snoozing blissfully.

• Heavy curtains: If you're dealing with noise issues, it's time to stow away your light, airy curtains and invest in a heavy-duty set instead. These thick, cotton-lined Pottery Barn Velvet Drapes ($109-$369) will help block out outside noise drifting in through your windows, and will help absorb noise within the room.
• Thick rugs: If the source of the problem is below you, add a layer of insulation between you and your noisy neighbor. Look for a thick, high-pile rug that covers as much floor space as possible, and if you have hard floors, add a thick rug pad underneath. The big, plush loops of West Elm's Pebble Rug ($70-$550, reduced from $89-$699) should do the trick, plus it'll feel heavenly underfoot.
• Build a barrier: If the offending sound is coming from a shared wall, create a barrier along that wall. Install floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and fill them up, or if you really want to fight back, consider building a wall of speakers like this room from the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse.

More tips after the break!

Remember when you were a kid, and carving words and pictures into your school desk was an absolute no-no? Well, good news: you're a big kid now, and those rules no longer apply! As long as you do it tastefully, that is.

At Clif Winery's tasting room in Napa Valley (run by the family that invented Clif bars for cyclists), this dining table features a winding path carved into its top, an homage to the switchback-filled roads that avid cyclists often tackle. And at Homeroom restaurant in Oakland, CA, each table is engraved with the restaurant's logo, a tiny paper airplane. In both cases, the artfully done carvings add a subtle, personalized detail to otherwise plain pieces of furniture.

Try it yourself to spice up a tired piece of furniture or a flea market find: just trace your free-handed or stenciled design onto your work surface, then lightly carve into the wood with a sharp X-acto blade. If you're happy with your creation and want to preserve it, apply a stain or sealant over the design.