Design Tip – Space & Editing

Design Tip – Space & Editing.  If you are like me you get attached to furniture and can’t seem to edit or part with a beloved piece.  This could be a not-so-good thing as I’ve learned over the years.

 

Honoring the space of a room is so important.  Some rooms are open and airy and some are little boxes, but whatever your room may be, honor the space the room has to offer.  When we moved into our current home, the living room space was basically the same as our previous home.  The layout was also basically the same.  However, the same furniture and accessories did not work.

This is my previous home and how it looked.

This is what it looked like when I used the same furniture and similar arrangement from my last living room.  The inset front window area wasn’t quite as wide as the previous home, so I had to switch out chairs.   This just wasn’t quite right and at first I couldn’t see what was wrong.

 

 

This living room has two-story ceilings that let you view all the way upstairs to the loft and landing.  The entry area was much wider, so the available space for furniture arrangements was more narrow.  All that dark wood and large mirror crowded the living area of the space.  The cowhide area rug got lost and didn’t help to define the seating area.   The seating area needed to look brighter, less crowded, and more in line with the more modern architecture of the room.  In general, the space needed to visually look less crowded.

The first simple change was to switch the chairs around and add a new rug to define the space.   This worked much better and gave the area a more open feel.    Now the next step was to refine the furniture and accessories in this space.

Getting rid of furniture is one of my hang-ups.  I get attached for sentimental reasons and then I just can’t part with what I think of as a special piece.  The coffee table in this room was a wedding gift, so I loved it.  The mirror was such a fantastic find and it looked so perfect in my two previous homes, so I had a real soft spot for it too.  However, as I looked at this room, those were the two things that needed to go.  They just didn’t work in this space.

My first find was a new coffee table.  This brass and glass didn’t take up any visual space and it also eliminated one dark piece of furniture.  It is perfect for this area and the space visually too.

Next was to replace the large mirror.  I tried several different art pieces but decided that I really wanted another mirror.  When I found this one, I knew it was perfect for the space.  Now the whole space looked open and airy.  Even though we used the same number of pieces of furniture, the feel and look was less heavy and more open.  I also switched the leather wingback chair with a white one I had in the master bedroom.   This made the space look even more open.

The only other thing I added to the room was a tall plant for the corner.  A plant always makes a room feel alive and inviting.  This took care of the empty space in that corner but didn’t add bulk or another heavy piece of furniture.  The plant looked open and airy so it became a great accent and didn’t command any attention from the eye.

My room is still Traditional with a leaning into Transitional so I have stayed true to my style.  Most everything stayed, only a couple of pieces had to go, so all in all this was an easy purge.  Some rooms may be harder, but if you keep an open mind for design and what makes you happy in a finished space, then a little purging can make all the difference.

The coffee table went to a friend, so she is still loving it and the mirror I gave to a friend who stages large commercial areas.  Both are in good hands with new owners and I love the new pieces that I have now.

Design Tip – Space & Editing.  Look at your space and see if you need to do a little editing too.  It really could make all the difference.