Maintaining Your Living Room

The living room is the first place that a visitor sees when being welcomed into our homes. It is the gateway to our house and gives the first impression of what can be expected in the rest of the house. If clutter tends to accumulate in your family room, adding a wastebasket can reduce the congestion. Many do not think to place a wastebasket in the family room but they in fact can be very aesthetically pleasing. Select a basket that suits the décor of the room. If food will be placed in the wastebasket, make sure to select one with a lid and deodorized garbage bags.


The family room gets cluttered more because it tends to be the central gathering place in the house. Due to the amount of electronics in the family room, such as televisions, video game consoles, DVD players and surround sound, cords can become entangled and unattractive. You have several options for taming cords. Then most attractive option, in my opinion, is the thin Cableyoyo. It coils up to six feet of cable and comes with adhesive that sticks to most any surface. To increase storage, cubes, rolling baskets or bins can be placed under a table. Behind the sofa is a great place for a trunk, cabinet or low bookcase. A corner can be a great place for a small library or a child's corner for toys. I find that adding wheels the to the child's toy storage keeps them from feeling limited to one area.

A nice décor can add to any living area. Hiring an interior designer can help those who may not be good at decorating themselves. I can create a theme in your living room that comprises all furniture, fixtures, décor, drapery, rugs, lighting and even plants. It's ideal for the living room to be in the east, not southeast corner, or in the north. However, it's more beneficial if the room is in the north side of the house. Any sloping in the flooring of the living room should be towards the east or north. It's important to keep neutral color combinations in order to maintain decorative flow. The color of the walls and the tile shouldn't be white, yellow, blue or green. I find that a neutral feel can also be incorporated by opening up the room and letting in natural light. I designed a wood frame with a gauzy, cream fabric stretched across it for light and privacy. The television should be in the southeast corner. An air conditioning vent should be in the western part of the living room. If you're thinking of adding a fancy chandelier to the room, do not center it but keep it slightly towards the west. A desk can be a great place for paper storage and a computer monitor.

If you want to add texture to your room, I find that adding stripes from ceiling to floor gives depth. I've added banners of inexpensive cloth, like calico, and stapled or battened it at ceiling height at regular intervals along a bare wall and it will add both a lineal and textural addition to the room. One couple I worked with didn't want neutral colors but wanted something calming and uncluttered. I was able to maintain their need by using a pear hue and keeping the room's accent pieces black. I also find working with contrasts gives depth. Some ideas to keep in mind are polished stone against sub linen, rough wood against devour velvet, and wicker against muslin. If you have an extraordinarily geometrical or sharpened rimmed space, using textures to tone and soften is the way to go.

Always consider what you're working with when thinking about an interior designer. If you have inherited an old house along with old furniture and drapes then I may think about sticking to a Victorian-themed interior. The dark colors associated with the Victorian era are romantic and classy. So if you're thinking of a different style interior it may not work well with what you've already got.

If you no longer listen to the music or haven't seen the movie in ages (and don't plan on seeing it again), it's time to let go.

Dining Room Arrangements That Make Magic

 A well decorated dining room can really impress guests at a dinner party.  It is a room that is always evolving to keep the pace with changing lifestyles.  The current trend that will only grow in popularity is the return to a scaled-back, more simplified way of life.  The demand for smaller scale furniture is on the rise driven by younger consumers, baby boomers and second home owners.

To create a more glamorous dining area, I would use an elongated chandelier, a lot of glass, and painted furniture embellished with gold.  A mirror adds a nice touch and opens the room up.  A plain glass table with white leather chairs creates a captivating room.  For lighting, I would use ceiling down lights so that it focuses on the table.  Don't overdo the lighting because it can hurt the eyes.

For a modern dining room, I find that a simple metallic table with black chairs works wonderfully.  Again, I would suggest using ceiling down lighting to focus on the table and soften the surrounding areas.  A nice, delicate flower arrangement will complete the look.

Lighting is key in a dining area.  It's important to not only have carefully positioned down-lights to bathe the walls in light but also pieces like antique chandeliers or fiber optics set into the glass surface of the table.   The background should match the rest of the home, so that it creates a nice flow and consistency.

If you have a small area to work with, there are several ways to give the illusion of a larger space.  Large windows and doors allow a lot of sunlight, creating a brighter room.  So your window glass now becomes a decorating material.  Transparency creates the illusion, as the outer and inner space have no limits.  So, the room which once felt cramped, now feels more spacious.  Adding glass doors to the entrance way can allow for a larger, more open feel as well.  I would use a neutral shade of paint in a smaller room, too.

I always start the decorating of a dining room with painting the walls and skirting boards the same color.  Then I measure the room to see what size furniture will fit comfortably.  After measuring, it's important to reserve at least 2-2.5 feet of space between the walls and the edge of the table.  A round shaped table may not always be suitable in a small space.  For rooms that are awkwardly shaped or long and narrow, a bench-like table would be suitable.  Also before adding furniture, the color scheme should be taken into consideration.  I think of the rug as the first layer to consider, followed by the chair seat covers.  When picking out furniture, I always advise people to go with something that is timeless looking.

Some of my favorite looks and pieces for a dining area include; a stone floor, steel banded chairs, a glass top table, a modern metal light fixture, and granite layering the curved buffet.   All of the varying textures create a memorable room.  For an interesting divider, in a room that's large enough, a water wall fountain can be used.

The way the room and furniture is positioned is very important to its appeal.  A dining area should not be adjacent to a bathroom.  A console or buffet used for storage of crockery and utensils should be on the southern or western wall.  Ideally, the room itself would be in the western corner of the house as morning sunshine is good for your health.  Should you decide to place a refridgerator in the room, it should be facing southeast.