De-clutter and Reconsider Furniture for a Space-Conscious New Year by Christine Brun on Creators.com

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De-clutter and Reconsider Furniture for a Space-Conscious New Year

A new year approaches, so this is an ideal time to think of fresh ways of living in your space. I'm not talking a remodel or a major investment here. Rather, I mean simple ways of looking at your rooms differently so that you can enjoy the essence of each space more easily.

The first and most critical step is to make a hard and realistic analysis of a room and de-clutter it! This is the most tedious and boring part of the recipe. In fact, this morning I moved a small table in my husband's office because I'm loaning it to a friend for a few days while she has out-of-town guests.

First, I was shocked at how filthy the carpet was behind the table, and next, I realized that once I removed the rattan piece, maybe I didn't really need it in the area in the first place. Originally the purpose of the table, which has three deep basket drawers, was for holding CDs, but I honestly don't think either one of us has played one of those CDs in years. So I'm going to find a way to store the CDs elsewhere and thereby eliminate one object from the tiny space.

Sometimes we just leave things the way they are because we fail to actually "see" what is before us; we no longer perceive our environment in the way a stranger entering the room for the first time does. See if you might replace existing furniture items with one that will perform double duty. The pictured bench acts as a coffee table and includes a lower shelf that might be useful to hold things you wish to keep close. This might be a basket with mail, a satck of magazines you'd like to inventory (e.g., National Geographic or The New Yorker) or photo albums.

Ask yourself if you might replace an end table with a piece that also can offer you hidden storage. Maybe the end table could be a hamper or ottoman with a lid, and you can stash blankets and pillows inside. Remember that closed storage is always preferable to the visual noise that's created when we store many items in plain sight, such as books or a collection of little objects.

Decide whether you can replace a furniture item that's really too large for the area.

Perhaps it's a hall table that is actually too deep and is uncomfortable to pass by with regularity. Maybe it's a sofa that's 18 inches too long for the room. Do you have too many small pieces in your home just because they were affordable? Often, we're better off having one larger cocktail table that could cost a bit more than you normally would spend, rather than three petite ones filling up the space.

Turn your attention to what's on the vertical planes in a room — the walls. My rule is this: If you have many small items, try to group them into a collage that functions and is seen as a whole. Less is more when you're attempting to enlarge a room or make it feel more serene. Often, smaller art is more affordable, and so many people find themselves with things to hang that are no bigger than 8 by 10 inches.

Realize that a room can become anchored by one larger piece of art. Alternatively, a piece that is about 16 by 20 inches and is commanding because of color or image can perform the same function. Clean up the walls in the same way that you might reduce the number of objects taking up floor space.

Finally, examine the lighting in your room. A dark room is not inviting, and lighting designers recommend different light sources to bring a room to life. For example, try a little light in a floor plant. It will deliver dreamy shadows on the walls and ceiling. Make sure that you have some way to light the entire room. We call this general lighting. Then find a way to introduce task lighting through a table lamp or a floor standing reading lamp. Look for a floor lamp that incorporates both an upward facing torchere light and a downward facing reading light.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.