Spacing: The Non-Dental Kind... Just For Fun

Make the most out of what you have and then subtract!

Some say perception is more important, at times, than reality. That couldn't be truer than in the case of interior design. Here are some tips to beat the system and use what you have with flair! Visual Tricks of the Trade

• Paint your walls in neutral or lighter shades. (Neutral meaning off-white, light gray, beige, taupe and dare we say plain white.) The lighter the colors, the larger the room will appear. Also, if your purpose is to make it more pleasing for a buyer, it will help them visualize their floor plan easier!
• Make sure your woodwork and trim are the same color and shade as the walls and use a higher-gloss finish on them for an added touch. Contrasting wood defines visual boundaries. This will be obvious to the naked eye and may reverse the bigger room' illusion you're trying to achieve.
• If you must put up wallpaper, select open-spaced or subtle patterns and try to go with lighter tones sans conflicting colors. Use solid colors for your furniture fabrics.
• Recessed shelving or display alcoves are wonderful space savers. They not only free up space, but add to the depth of the room! Imagine a table-less living room and all that wide open area to move about!
• If location is the dominant factor for real estate success, then lighting is interior design's core. Maximize and exploit it and use as much as the natural stuff as you can. Remember to always have good lighting when showing your house to prospects and keep curtains at bay by gracefully tying them back to let the full affect glow!
• Choose bright white for your ceiling so that it reflects that wonderful light and appears much higher than it really is.

Less Is Definitely More

• Get the lead out or in this instance, the furniture! It's a simple physics rule, the more stuff that occupies a space, the less room you have to move around in same area. The naked eye will pick up on this immediately. Scale back on the number of pieces to a comfortable minimum. Try not to place them in storage but if you can't live without them, that's a better place than everything in your living area.
• Think small when it comes to choosing pieces. Large, overstuffed furniture makes a small or medium-sized room look over-crowded. A drop-leaf table would be a better addition than the full-sized buffets that are near impossible to maneuver in smaller areas. Do you really need that full-sized couch or would a love seat be just as comfortable, if not more convenient? Secretaries are also a better choice than their counterpart full-sized ones.
• Knick-knacks are a no-no?! They may be cute, but boy, do they make an area look cluttered! Remember, simple is almost always a better route to follow.
• Here's one you may not have heard of; cluster coordinate. If you have to display your chotskies, don't spread them out. Place them in condensed areas in lieu of spreading the wealth. Compare the difference and see for yourself!
• Area rugs were once a big fad but all they seem to do is visually divide a room. Minimize them or use neutral colored wall-to-wall carpeting when possible. Bare floors are best!
• Don't go over board with heavy draperies with zany patterns or strong conflicting colors. Avoid contrasting wall shades and consider cornice boards or valences with your blinds and shutters, in lieu of none.

You're Going to Put That Where?

• Re-locate your larger objects, like the bed and couch, on the wall opposite the entrance way. You should be able to walk into a room without bumping into things.
• Create a central open space by placing the furniture against the walls. Don't allow things to protrude into the room's core, free space.
• Un-clutter your walkways. It's important for cosmetic, as well as, safety reasons why you should make your passage ways obstruction-free. One should be able to go from one area to another in one straight shot. Also, being able to move from the entrance to the main room fixture (bed, couch, table) without having to walk around something should be a given. Be kind to your shins and knees and help avoid the inevitable accidents waiting to happen!
• Unused wall or floor space is very rare and very, very attractive! (Hint.)
• Using mirrors is one of the oldest tricks of the trade! They reflect good lighting and deepen the area visually.
• Keep the circulation going, open your doors thus making the rooms inviting and free flowing!

Please continue to enjoy your Holiday and be safe!