How you would like to feel when you enter that room? Do you want to be cozy? To be light and airy? Do you want to feel encompassed by the space or freed by it? Should it be stark and white, warm and subdued, or flamboyant and bright?

Solutions:

If you look at the above questions, some of the answers are pretty easy. If it’s a fabric, change it. If you’re handy, it’s easy to drape a new valance over a window, or make your own covers for straight dining chairs.  A rectangular piece of fabric thrown over a small round side table, along with a few coordinating pillow covers (4 straight seams), and your whole room is new.  With today’s fabric glues, you don’t even need a sewing machine for simple projects; all you need is a pair of scissors.

Slipcovers have come a long way. Manufacturers even provide individual pillow covers, not just those big throws. Their products are so much more sophisticated these days then just a big bag over your furniture. They come fitted and tailored to individual sizes and styles of furniture.

Curtains are available everywhere you turn. A pair of sheers can provide privacy without filtering out the light. And there’s a certain romance to the silhouette’s  of the outside world through the transparency of the sheers.

If you’re looking for ambiance, what about trying one of today’s new jel or electric fireplaces.  Jel fireplaces have the charm of a real fireplace without venting or chimneys. These fireplaces use an isopropyl alcohol in a jel base and come in countless styles. Each can of fuel burns for 2 ½ to 3 hours with the crackle and pop of a real fire, hidden behind ceramic logs. The fireplaces emit minimal amounts of heat, but will warm a cool room. They require nothing except about 4’ of wall space. Many have bookcases,  storage, or entertainment units built above the mantle of the fireplace.

Lastly, one of the new hot words is “declutter”.  It’s often a hard thing emotionally to declutter. It can mean getting rid of pieces of your past, even if it’s a napkin with a phone number, or a dress with a memory, or photos of something that didn’t end happily. Cut the ties and get rid of them. Space is as much about feeling as anything else, so keep what feels good in your space, and get rid of the rest.

About the Author:

Susan Rosenstadt-Bresler is an architect, with a master in business administration from a well-known eastern business school. She works in real estate development, architectural visualization, 3d model creation, and website and software development. Her software and website can be found at http://www.3dhomedecorator.com/ and her renderings and architectural visualizations can be seen at http://www.3dhomedecorator.com/render.htm