Making the Most of Your Living Room Space

Does it ever feel like your living room gets smaller every year? As the kids get bigger and the family accumulates more “stuff” it just seems sometimes like your house is shrinking. But before you start looking to knock out a wall, follow some of these tips to maximize the space you’ve got.

 

1. Find Functional Furniture

Look for furniture that can multitask. Use end tables to strategically hold lamps or accent pieces but also as a means of storage with shelves or drawers underneath. You can also place magazine bins or baskets underneath open tables. Similarly, look for ottomans or couches that can double for additional storage spaces to keep kids’ toys and television remote controls out of site.

 

2. Don’t Add On, Build In

Rather than adding more furniture or shelves to a room, think about building into the space you already have. Built-in cabinets can add dimension to a small room and double as both a display space or for added storage. A recessed day-bed or window seat can eliminate the need for added couches or chairs while still allowing for plenty of seating options.

 

3. Think Big

Sometimes there is the idea that if the room is small, you need to fill it with small furniture. However, several small pieces can make a room feel cramped. Opt instead for one or two larger pieces that serve as a main focal point and keep the room feeling clean and clutter-free.

 

4. Go Vertical

Rather than several shorter shelves or tables, choose taller pieces that take advantage of the height of the room. Look for tall book shelves and store your “already read” books on the uppermost shelves. Add a hutch with drawers and shelves to your desk or workspace rather than cabinets that take up more floor space and look for shelving with an extra tier or two to hold those picture frames and accent pieces you accumulated over the years.

 

5. Find Your Own Nook

If you haven’t a separate office or den, avoid making the living room your workspace. Not only is it important mentally not to work where you rest, but you’ll find the room will quickly fill with extra office clutter. Instead, find an unused corner to create a workspace all your own where papers, computers, books and other office supplies can be kept. Utilizing space by a window will allow you to use the natural light and keeping your desk facing away from a television will keep you from getting distracted.

I Need My Own Office!

I spend a lot of time on my computer, as a blogger and I don’t have a home office desk. I have a laptop so, I blog where ever I end up. I would like to have an office where I can go and work and have all of my stuff in one place. I would love to create my own office with Noah’s artwork on the walls. Noah loves to draw me pictures. I would like to have a brightly colored room with a cd player, so I can listen to music while I work. I would also have to have a TV. I would love to have some really nice office furniture. I used to have a computer desk that was extremely flimsy. It had a top on it that was really loose and would move if I touched it. I didn’t really like it because it wasn’t ideally what I wanted. There wasn’t a lot of space to put things. It did last a long time though. I need a lot of space on a desk where I can organize my things and spread out.

I think that atmosphere is really important too. I would definitely have a few candles in there that I can light to relax while I am working. I would love to have a huge desk chair; it must spin and roll around. My aunt and uncle have a desk in their house and it is on a track. It looks like something out of The Jetsons. You just push off and you go flying. I am pretty sure I hurt myself on it once. I am definitely going to think about creating a little home office for myself soon. I think it would be really cool to get one of those desks for small spaces for Noah, so he could do his projects next to me while I work. He does have a little table that my dad made when I was like his age, complete with a chair with the stickers I stuck on it from when I was little. Those stickers must have been stuck with super glue because they have been there for over 20 years. It is crazy to see my son sitting in my old chair at my old little table, I should be used to it, I mean he eats off the same yellow plates that I ate off when I was his age.

I guess I should start looking at computer desks for home,since my space is limited. so maybe someday, my dream of having my own home office will come true. I have a small half room that I could use. That room has been many things, like my scrapbook room, oddly enough it started out as a den. Now it is kind of a storage/guest room. We have lived in our house for three years and every year, it is made in to a different room. Maybe 2011 will be the year for my office for my blog.

Do you have a home office? What kinds of things do you do to make it more comfortable?

Get Printing with Next Day Flyers

Postcards used to be something you only would receive from a friend or family member when they were on vacation. I remember the joys of both sending and receiving postcards to friends and family. Now postcards have a different use, and you receive them a lot more often from businesses as ads, from family members as birth announcements, invitations and even in place of holiday cards. My cousin always sends a photo postcard at Christmas of her kids. Noah loves to get mail. Since he is almost 4 he doesn’t really get any mail but I always give him the postcards to look at and he studies them and talks about what he sees.

Next Day Flyers has many different printing needs for everyone, no matter what task you are trying to accomplish. Are you having a special birthday for someone and you want a poster of your favorite goofy photo? Next Day Flyers can help. Other products Next Day Flyers offer are business cards, brochures, flyers, tickets, menus, bookmarks and more. I don’t know how many times I have tried to order something that needed to be printed and didn’t know where to start. Next Day Flyers has a design library where there are tons of templates so, if you are like me and have no design skills you are taken care of. You don’t even have to have your own design software to use it. You can wow your friends and clients without embarrassing design errors.

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