Shelter in place, much?
While our current reality is setting in, so is my awareness of the excess in our home. Naturally with seven people, five which are growing children, we have more items than the average family. However I’ve been exploring The Luxury of Less Principle, one that emphasizes quality over quantity. With each passing day, I realize our possessions are occupying too much of our physical and mental space. This doesn’t mean I’m joining the Minimalism Movement, but I am taking the steps to make room for what matters most, clarity. Here’s how:
#1 Use oversized art to make a statement.
When designing a room with a high ceiling or lots of wall space, I prefer to feature a captivating art piece like the one we used in this Sandy Springs great room. Flanking the artwork are two sconces, showstoppers in their own right. Made from acrylic and brass, these sconces offer chic mood lighting for cosmopolitan-style entertaining.
#2 Choose Dual Purpose Furniture
Shop smarter. Choose furnishings that serve two purposes, i.e. an ottoman that serves as additional seating as well as a coffee table.
# 3 Seek Help With Space Planning
The wrong furniture arrangement can kill a space. Employ designer tricks to find optimal seating arrangements and traffic flow in the room. For example, in large rooms keep the seating arrangement pulled away from the walls. Creating spaces beyond the furniture adds volume to the room. Secondly, use a combination of furniture with skirted or hidden alongside furniture with exposed legs. This creates air space and a feeling of openness you cannot achieve if all the upholstered items are close to the floor.
#4 Inject Interest with Color and Patterns
Color and pattern really draw you into a space. Bold colored drapery, patterned rugs, and soft fabrics do the heavy lifting in bringing the room to life and displaying the personality of its owner.
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Great post! I cannot stand clutter, so I have a tendency to purge often. I find that it makes me appreciate the things I have much more!
I can't stand clutter either. The problem is I have so much of it:-)
Anywho, great post!
I do believe with good design a much smaller home can work just fine. I look around at my house and if only I could move sf from one area to another and eliminate sf from other areas, the home would function even better while being slightly smaller. And dual purpose areas and furniture, very smart!
Janell
I've found that you need to be mercenary when it comes to purging. It's hard to take the personal out of it, but you must close your eyes and do it. Clutter really is stressful. And….what I wouldn't give for that closet, and a personal organizer to go with it.
This was a very great post and it's so very true – we are so attached to our stuff and "less is certainly more"!
XOXO
Kiki
Yes this just happened to us. The huge house we were renting for 2yrs is no more. The landlord lost his other property and had to move back in the house we were living in. We had to move pretty quickly too. We went from a 6 bedroom to a 2 bedroom, not fun! I'm trying to make due but it's very hard and tight quarters now.
@Tami, I'm sure it's a hard adjustment but you will definitely be spending more quality time with each other even if it is by default!
Very good post, I really loved the magazine article about smaller spaces since we live in a small 1950's house (the norm for the era) Since we bought a small house we really have had to buy smart when buying items and get rid of stuff we no longer need. I also used certain paint colors to make our space feel larger, we also plan on re-staining on our hardwoods deep walnut, to ground our home and make it appear larger.
@Mrs. Chic: Your family has done amazing things with your home. I love to see what projects you have up your sleeve!
Erika, great tips. I have a 2 bedroom condo; editing and purging is continuous, as I am always making changes!!
Karena
Art by Karena
Love your post! Small or Big is what you make of it…
All really great points- I think could do better with the organization if I had a closet like that one- I am obsessed with that whole house- its like decor porn times 100
Great tips. I agree less is more even in a larger space. Try as I might to edit,edit,edit sometimes I need a little inspiration like this post to get me organized, again.
Thanks.
Beautiful pictures….great post. I actually just read that magazine front to back on the beach this weekend…I fell in love with the purple nyc space…how about her red closet?
Anyway, can i have the first photo as my office? Love all the pictures you shared.
Hope you are enjoying your summer!
Heather
Waiting for my turn!!
-Nesby
These really are wonderful tips. I agree, a lot of us have too much furniture for our small spaces! And organization is key…my apt. is very, very, very, very t-i-n-y.
like really tiny.
Yes small is the new big…!! I recently downsized and I did it by choice. I figured out what I wanted quickly, by keeping only what I love and it was super simple. I donated tons of furniture and now I feel more relaxed and have more money! Great post
love it, love it, love it!
xo,
cristin
Thank you Erika for all the great advice you share with us on your blog! I love reading your blog posts =D
Thanks everyone for your feedback. So glad to be able to provide you with some useful info! Happy Decorating!