“Secrets to a Sensational Room…using what you already have!” 
by Sandy Dixon, Interior Arrangements, Inc. ©2004

Are you confused as to how to ‘pull a room together’? Do you want your home to feel more spacious, warm and inviting? You might be tempted to add another chair, piece of artwork or accessory hoping it will magically transform the room---instead the space feels more disjointed and cluttered. The thought of buying all new furnishings is not only daunting from a time perspective, but a very costly endeavor.   

The solution is literally surrounding you!  By creatively using the possessions you’ve accumulated over the years, you can make your home more visually appealing and comfortable---a place where your family will want to spend more time. 

By showcasing your home’s best features and maximizing the furnishings, artwork and accessories you already own, your home will reflect who you are and provide an inviting and interesting environment for your guests. 

First things first: Dealing with your ‘stuff’:

To give a room a fresh, new look and feel, clear all surfaces AND clear your mind as well…completely forgetting the way the space looked before.  Use an adjacent room’s floor or a large counter or table top to sort the items you remove from the room. Sort ‘like’ items according to function, theme, color, or substance.  For example, put all candles together in one area, all greenery in another and follow the same guidelines for glassware, pottery, books, collections, lamps, etc.

Next, evaluate and remember… less is more! Use what you like and what you have, but take a hard look at what you’ve got.  Be critical. Ask yourself which pieces you still really need and love---the remainder can be donated, taken to a consignment store or sold at a yard sale. 

Tips for ‘Rebuilding’ Your Room:

•  Group like items. Cluster like objects -- they’ll stand out more and make a more dramatic impression. Group them according to color, finish, or theme, instead of having items spread throughout the room.
   

• “Tack” your lighting. Much like a sailboat needs its sails tacked in a triangle in order to achieve balance and flow, your rooms will benefit from a triangular placement of lamps in order to equally distribute light throughout the room.
   

• Free Zones. No matter how much stuff you have, you need to have some surfaces free of objects---especially windowsills. To fully appreciate your collections and treasures, there needs to be alternating, empty areas to balance the accessorized areas. Create important ‘pauses’ by utilizing negative space when hanging artwork and arranging accessories. Place artwork or photos on every other wall, and notice the increased focus on the objects.
   

• Cluster plants and pillows. Instead of spreading plants individually throughout the room, group them together for a more dramatic effect. Gathering pillows together on sofas, beds and chairs adds more color and interest to the room.
   

• Furniture finesse. To maximize flow, resist the urge to push all your furnishings against the wall. Pull the big pieces away from the walls, you’ll be surprised how much more spacious it makes the room feel.
   

• Cross-utilize and rotate items. Just because something has always been in a particular room, doesn’t mean it can’t be ‘reinvented’ and revitalized in a new setting.  Think outside the decorating box! A bench found in the basement becomes a side table to accent the couch. Bookshelves, once cluttered haphazardly with an assortment of knickknacks, become a display area for a collection of teapots and jars.

In the next edition of Mountain Homes, my topic will be “Shelf Esteem…creatively accessorizing bookshelves, mantels and display cabinets”. 

Sandy Dixon, owner of Interior Arrangements, Inc. is a Professional Real Estate Stager and former Realtor.  In addition to her redesign services, she offers training workshops, business coaching and speaking engagements nationwide. WB2 Television recently did a 2-part series on one of Sandy’s Staging projects and she is frequently featured in industry and real estate publications. Sandy can be reached at toll free 1.877.674.8667 or visit her website at www.interiorarrangements.com .