| After my move, I began to notice that several | | | | a luxurious, more traditional look. |
| pieces of my furniture were just “too big” | | | | 3. Create the illusion of higher ceilings: Paint ceilings the |
| for my living room. My over sized overstuffed sofa, | | | | same color as the walls - or a slightly lighter tone. |
| chair, and ottoman are comfortable but a bit large in | | | | This provides a more seamless, less defined visual |
| scale for my new space. While I love my | | | | transition from the walls to the ceiling. Hang |
| entertainment center, it takes up too much room. I | | | | draperies very close to the ceiling and this magically |
| also have a tall, open bookcase that I refer to as the | | | | gives the effect of higher ceilings as well. |
| “storage unit!” It holds an odd assortment | | | | 4. Think Carefully About the Location of the TV: |
| of items including shoes, magazines, books, receipts, | | | | The Plasma TV Stand with Mount - Serenade - really |
| and cat toys! It is somewhat functional but very | | | | caught my eye as a great alternative to the bulky, |
| unsightly! | | | | boxy TV armoire that is now taking up too much |
| 1. Shop for Furniture and Accessories that are a | | | | floor space. Ideally, TVs and computers need to be |
| Reflection of You: From Feng Shui I know that | | | | behind closed doors - or at least out of sight when |
| physically moving in to a new living space generally | | | | not in use - so they do not command too much |
| reflects an inner shift and desire for other changes in | | | | attention. Therefore, it would be best if the new |
| one’s life. With that in mind, I decided to | | | | Plasma TV and cabinet could be placed in a position |
| “window shop” on Trend Funnel for furniture | | | | such that it is not the first thing you see when you |
| and accessories that I really love; that express who I | | | | walk in the room - for example, place it on the same |
| am now and who I’m becoming. (Click here | | | | wall as the main door or entry into the room. |
| view pictures of/comment on the selections that I | | | | 5. For Multipurpose Spaces, Select Furnishings that |
| discuss in this post). | | | | Coordinate with the Rest of the Room: Instead of a |
| On a recent visit to the Baker Furniture showroom in | | | | separate room for my home office, my office space |
| High Point, NC - during the Fall International Home | | | | is now a corner in my living room! The Tribeca Loft |
| Furnishings Market - I fell in love with several | | | | Office - Writing Table would provide a great |
| Hollywood Glam living room displays. I loved all of | | | | workspace for my laptop, but wont take away |
| the luxurious textures, somewhat contemporary but | | | | overall from the visual aesthetics of the living room. |
| timeless and elegant lines of the furniture, and the | | | | 6. Have Fun with Accessories: Because I “laid a |
| unexpected glitz from a mirrored piece or shiny, | | | | good foundation” with some neutral colors and |
| baubled chandelier. In particular, I was drawn to a | | | | properly proportioned furniture, I can now have |
| mostly gray, very luxurious living room vignette with | | | | some fun and be creative in selecting accents. |
| delightful touches of yellow - very elegant, soothing, | | | | Some accessory items that would add a finishing |
| and unique! | | | | touch of panache to my all new “dream” |
| So that is what I ran with on Trend Funnel! I chose | | | | living room include: Black Majesty Bowl filled with |
| the “Timeless Glamour” trend - inspired by | | | | Granite Decorative Glass Balls, Palento Table Lamp |
| the late 1920s, 1930s, and early 1940s Art Deco, | | | | and “Traditions I” Giclee Print. |
| French Art Deco, Art Moderne, and other classic | | | | Voila!! I feel totally energized and inspired by having |
| vintage home decor styles. I fell in love with the | | | | created an all new look for my living room - via easy |
| Park Avenue Sofa Set and the Hoffman Leather Tub | | | | and convenient shopping on Trend Funnel! I |
| Chair. I really like the classy neutral tones, clean | | | | especially love the design board feature on the site - |
| lines, nail head trim on the sofa and love seat - and | | | | which enables you to experiment with |
| these pieces expose more floor space, visually | | | | out-of-your-comfort-zone choices and to see |
| making my living room look larger! | | | | everything together! If you want to share your |
| 2. Select a Color Palette that Makes the Room Feel | | | | selections with friends and family, you can post them |
| More Expansive: By staying in a neutral (but not | | | | to our blog in one easy step by clicking the |
| boring!) color palette and layering in textures, the | | | | “blog” icon on the top right side of the page |
| space appears to be visually expanded. I selected | | | | of your design board. Please feel free to comment |
| the Sherwin Williams Cocoa and Cream color palette | | | | on what I have written about my own recent |
| for my living room - along with Oyster Silk Italian | | | | downsizing experience - and I encourage you to |
| Drapes. Depending on the mood I am going for, I | | | | offer your own tips and thoughts about this current |
| would choose the Dots-Brown area rug for a more | | | | trend. I would love to hear from you! |
| contemporary style or the Symphony-Brown rug for | | | | |