Less is More

Design Tip: Less is more-pare down what you have. This enables you to really enjoy the furnishings you do have, and it feels cleaner and crisper. So don't be afraid to remove a piece of furniture to open up the room a bit, at least for the summer months when we spend a lot of time outdoors, and want our homes to be easy to care for.

Paring Down

Happy New Year 2009! There is always talk in each new year about slimming down our waistlines and clearing out the clutter, but how about paring down on your home furnishings? I know that whenever I clean out my closet and get rid of clothing I no longer wear, it is exciting. Exciting because I find things I've forgotten about, and when I have less, I use more. Does that make sense? It works the same way with our home furnishings. That may sound weird coming from a designer (you're probably saying, "aren't they always trying to get me to buy new furniture?") Not necessarily. I think that when we have less (less space, less furniture...etc...) that we use more, and we can see what we have and really enjoy it. For instance, when I was pregnant, I had this great maternity wardrobe. Yes, it was a very limited wardrobe, but things mixed and matched, and it really felt freeing. The same way works with our homes. I love a small home verses a big home, because I feel our space is better utilized, and we use and enjoy our things, rather than take them for granted.

So, take a look around your home. How can you make it more beneficial? Is there too much furniture? Do rooms need to be changed around to better accommodate your family? Think about it as we start the new year.