By Linda Merrill, Networx
Is it time to shake things up? A simple re-arranging job is all you may need to do to breath new life into tired rooms, without spending a dollar.
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First Assess Your Space
First, you want to assess how functional your current arrangement really is. Do you find yourself bumping into furniture, or straining to have a simple conversation with another person in the room? Often, once we plunk our furniture down in a room, it never really moves again. It's literally stuck and so are we. Assess what the function of the room is - what happens there and who uses it and determine if the furniture currently in place support those needs. Often, we don't need to buy furniture, but we actually should get rid of items. If you are not using something -- a television set, Grandma's wing chair or a small table for instance -- then consider if they can be used in another room of the house for another purpose, or donated to a local charity.
Next, Plan Your Space
Once you've gotten rid of the extras, you will have more room to breath and to create new arrangements. Create cozier conversation areas, or a private little reading nook with a comfy chair, lamp and footstool. Become a creative space planner by considering your needs and using your furniture to support those needs.
Use the Unexpected
One of the most effective tools in the interior designer's tool belt is the use of the unexpected. Have you ever thought about employing this tactic to furniture arranging? How about placing a small sofa in the kitchen with a round table in front of it for a cozy breakfast nook? Or, if you have an open kitchen/family room combination and a separate dining room, have you ever considered turning the family room area into a large dining area and the dining room into a quieter space for television watching or reading? If you don't do much formal entertaining, the dining room likely sits empty most of the time. By swapping the two rooms around, you are creating a large multi-use living space of kitchen/dining/family area that can be used for casual dinner parties (after all, doesn't everyone congregate in the kitchen anyway?) AND you will have a new quieter family room for reading or movie watching.
Swap Accessories Around the House
Consider swapping accessories and art around the home. Just because the painting you have over the fireplace has always been there doesn't mean it has to be there. Maybe it will work in a bathroom or in the front hall. A trick is to gather all your decorative items off the walls and shelves and from the attic and basement into one space and lay everything out. You will quickly see new groupings of items that you may not have considered before. The quilt you have stored in the back of the linen closet may make an excellent wall hanging in the kitchen, or the pillar candles normally forgotten on the mantle will add a romantic touch to the bathtub area.
"See" your belongings with a new eye and you are sure to breath new life into your entire interior.
Source: http://www.networx.com/article/rearrange-your-furniture-for-a-new-inter
