The secret to a sensational room, using the redesign process of using what you already have is not only easy, it’s fun. Your friends will wonder who you hired and how much you spent, when your living area looks new and cozy like a show home.
Redesign is Green, it is using what you already own, rather than purchasing a new look. It saves money, and is a fabulous way to show off your design abilities.
Step 1. Eliminate
The first step in having a sensational room is to look through your space, and eliminate anything you don’t absolutely love. Is it a gaudy piece of art an aunt gave you? Your husbands home made table he made in high school that has seen better days? In my case it was a couple of marble top tables, that although I appreciated them when they were donated to my cause, they no longer fit my décor.
Step 2. Find Inspiration
The second step is to find an inspiration piece within your room, something you absolutely love, and work off of that with color and accessories to make the room feel special to you.
Step 3. Clear Out
Next you will remove everything possible from the room. This means every accessory, wall piece and furniture. Once the room is cleared you will be able to assess the space with a fresh look, without being influenced by the way it was.
Step 4. Shop Your Home
Shop your home, you may not always bring back the same items you took out of the room. Often you can repurpose items from other areas of your home. You might find a collection packed away in storage that you have always wanted to display.
The non functioning room
Step 5. Find a Focal Point
Find your focal point. Is it a fireplace, a wall of windows, or an entertainment center? Face your largest seating piece facing your focal point. When placing your largest seating piece in front of your focal point, it draws your eye to the focal point when entering the room. Bring in your other seating pieces and form a U or and L shape with these, to create a conversation area. Whether you have 2 chairs or a chair and a loveseat to add. .
Step 6. Tables
When considering tables, make sure every seating piece has a table next to it. I often recommend an area rug under the coffee table, no smaller than 5X7 larger is better, putting the sofa on the carpet as well. This helps define the space and make it feel cozier than not having a rug. I put rugs on hardwood floors as well as carpet. The coffee table should be no more than 15 inches away from the sofa.
Step 7. Art
Now we will hang art. It is ok to have negative space, or a wall with no art on it. I find so many people feel that if there’s an empty wall there should be something hanging on it no matter the size. Make sure what you hang over the sofa, if there is a wall there, is no more than 6 inches above the sofa, and is within the confines of the sofa. Large art or mirrors work best, if you do not have a large art piece, consider using a couple of smaller pieces close together to give the idea of a larger piece. Hang art low, so that it may be enjoyed in the seated position. Most art is hung way to high, maybe because the husband is tall, or there is a very tall wall. Bringing art lower helps the art become connected with it’s surroundings, whether that be a furniture piece or other art, or a stairwell. Always consider the wall you are hanging art on. Try to find something that is proportionate to the space it is being hung on.
Step 8. Accessorize
The fun starts with accessorizing. This is where you personalize your space with what you love and with things that mean something to you. You should have a lamp on the side tables or the sofa table. Usually tall skinny lights work well on sofa tables, make sure you have 3 sources of light, windows, overhead, and indirect. Always use like with like, if you have a round table, find a lamp with a round base, square with square. Remember to vary the heights of your accessories, tall middle and low for pleasing affect. Place items in three’s and fives on tables. If you have a mass of family pictures and the frames are relatively the same size, vary the height by placing books under a couple of them to raise them. Remove the book covers so that the texture of the book is showing. Add plants in a zig zag pattern through the home for texture and warmth.
Step 9. Birds of a Feather…
Use like with like again. If you have a picture of sunflowers, you might find a vase of sunflowers to put on the table by it for impact. You might use dishes for wall art, or architectural pieces. Repurpose your belongings, a sleigh, or old suitcases can be used for coffee tables, and if you have a picture or a sleigh ornament or accessory, placing this on the sleigh table has huge impact. Paint a brass lamp to renew it and bring it up to date. Think out of the box to stretch your dollar and create masterpieces
Just look what a day can do
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Enjoy your new space.
