Give Your Room a Lift

Just as our body must have a cleansing, so it is with our homes. Over time, we bring in more and more stuff. If we do 
not take the time to take some things out occasionally, things begin to pile up. Sometimes we just get used to 

looking at something and ignore that it is even there.

When I begin to decorate a room using what I have, I begin by working with one area at a time. Here are some steps I use when I want to give a room a lift:

Detox...Get rid of all the clutter. Go through every drawer, corner, and shelf, and get rid of things that you do not need. Every item should be either beautiful or useful.

Rearrange...Move everything from it’s original place. You will never be able to really clean the room if everything 
forever stays in it’s original place. You will want to keep moving things around until you get the arrangement that you 
like. In the living room, your room needs to be in cozy conversational areas. My philosophy is, nothing is permanent. If I move it and it does not look good, it can be moved back or explore a new idea. Trust me, your couch can be rearranged
in many ways. You can make new arrangements work.

Cleanse...Clean the room from top to bottom. Starting with each area, clean windows, baseboards, curtains, blinds, 

accessories, everything in each area. Your room will get a fresh lift just from being totally cleaned.

Use balance...Don’t line up all the furniture against the walls. Generally, you will work with several key pieces of 
furniture. Balance them in the room, then add small tables, etc. to complete the arrangement.

Pull together focal points by using a strong color scheme in each area. You may use a framed art picture as your 
inspiration and pull colors from there. Display things that you love. Accessories should always be personal. Even if they are store bought, they can reflect your personal taste.

Tips:

One way to give a room a new look is to drastically reduce it’s contents.

Honor favorite photos with good quality frames.

Go easy on symmetry - more than three matched pairs in a single room is too much.

Five minutes before guest arrive, spray your favorite perfume in the foyer.

Sweep all small decorating items in a drawer and take one out at a time. It’s

like discovering that object all over again.

Use baskets lined with fabric to gather up key, change, wallet, etc.

I encourage you to take a small step and try one of my "give your room a lift" ideas.  Even if you take a small area at at 
time, inch by inch anything is a cinch! You will be amazed how much your home will give you a lift just by taking small steps over a period of time.