Sunday, April 24, 2011

Refresh Your Living Spaces



      It’s time to rethink your living spaces.  Have they become dull and dysfunctional?  Maybe they’re not supporting your needs, or making you as happy as they should be.  For instance: it’s hard to spend time in rooms that are cold and uncomfortable, or guests don’t feel welcome in.  Everything may seem okay at first glance, but something just doesn’t look or feel right and you can’t quite put your finger on it.  When you try to sit down for a while, you become restless and can’t concentrate.
     Top designers know this secret: You don’t necessarily need to add more stuff to improve a space– sometimes it’s better to take stuff away. You’ll be surprised that the majority of the most satisfying design solutions come from reconfiguring cramped or unusable rooms or simply reconfiguring the furniture you already own, and removing unnecessary clutter. 
     Most people don’t think that much about the advantage of removing items as a way to spruce up a room.  If your room is overstuffed, and messy- consider thinning things out.  You’ll be amazed at how it will refresh the room.  The first step for positive change is a good purge.  Admit that some of the things from an earlier life no longer appeal to you.  Live with what you love, and get rid of the rest.   No matter where you live, in a large or small house, you’ll want it to feel uncluttered, bright and airy.  You’ll feel less anxious and more at ease in a room that breathes and has an openness about it.   
     Reevaluate the way your home does or doesn’t work now, and consider shuffling furniture from one room to another where it might function better. Consider new ways to make your rooms come alive. For the most part, revitalizing your home doesn’t necessarily mean going out and buying new things.  Often it’s just a matter of taking what you have and making the most of it. Imagination, and resourcefulness, can revive any space and can save you enormous amounts of money. 

Ann Grafton, Simon Upton photographer

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