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Function is the determining factor for small space decorating.  Here are 12 pieces of furniture that work well in small condominium:  They often perform more than one task.  Look for them in the decorating style of your preference and mix and match until you find the combination that works best for you.

1. Armchair:  Choose classic armchairs for a conversation group in living room.  For sleek looks, choose a chair with open, padded arms.  Arm chairs can be move to office area or to the dining room table for extra seating.  The lightweight look comes from the exposed legs.
2. Armoire:  Armoire is always a focal point because of its size.  Use it to balance a dominant focal point in a room such as big windows.  Armoire can be used as an entertainment center, a hideaway office, a family library, or an extra closet.  To reduce the visual impact, look for a three-quarter-high version.  Armoire can be found in new and antique pieces.  Be sure it fits in the door and in the room.  Adjustable shelves and dividers can change its functions within the unit.
3. Daybed:  The daybed-turned-guest-bed serves for seating most of the time but open up to sleep one or two when needed; it is always welcome for beach condominium.  Look for a style that suits your condominium décor and guest-room needs-from humble to sophisticate.  For an open piece, put it in the middle of the room to let conversation flow in all directions or place it against a wall and use plenty of throw pillows to serve as a backrest.   
4. Flip-top Table:  A flip-top table can slim down between meal and open-out at meal times.  Simply flip the top and rotate it into place.  The design guarantees that the table will be cleared after every meal.
5. Love Seat:  A short two-seater sofa is more useful and comfortable in a conversation group than the long three seat sofa.  A pair of love seats makes a nice conversation group for four in a small space.  Pullout models make room for sleepover guests.  Another option is the apartment-sized sofa which is a little roomier than a loveseat but still only seating two. 
6. Modular Shelving and Bookcases:  Bookcases and shelving units can become focal points in a room and visual reference to how the room lives and works.  Decide whether the stuff you store should be seen or hidden, close at hand, or behind doors. 
7. Ottoman:  Ottoman is an ultimate multi-tasking furniture piece:  it props up feet, serves as a place for setting books and tray of snack, and provides extra seating.  Choose ottoman that open for extra storage.  Consider the weight of it if you plan to regularly slide it from one place to another.
8. Parsons Chair:  This upholstered, armless, slim piece is also called a slipper chair.  Simple lines make them adaptable to every decorating style.  They can be used in the dining room and dining room.  For a more formal look, use a pleated, floor-length slipcover.
9. Round Table:  The round shape of dining table, coffee table, side table, or end table ease traffic flow through any room.  When a room is longer than it is wide, consider using an oval table.
10. Sofa Table:  A console table that is slightly lower than the back of a sofa or a pair of chairs can serve as a room divider or define the boundaries of a living area.  It works well in a hallway.  Choose one with plenty of storage below the tabletop.
11. Storage on Wheels:  Roll-around wheeled carts which often seen in kitchens do valet duty in the bathroom for towels and toiletries or as extra surface to put ice buckets and wine in dining area.  
12. Three-Quarter Chest:  Three-quarter chest provides an extra shelf or drawer of storage space without over-powering the room or looking like it will topple over.  Choose the chest with slim lines to keep the visual clutter minimum.  Pieces that sit up on short legs feel more open than the ones without legs.  Cabinet model with drawers and open cubed gives the right combination of storage.

Integrating your home and its landscape can be as simple as taking advantage of what nature has provided such as a distant views or a rolling hill or as complex as adding a structure. Use nature surrounding your home for clues in developing your landscape. But what if you planned and you planted, and your landscape still doesn’t look quiet the way you had imagined; here are some tips and ideas to help you to create the landscape of your dreams. 

• Find a vista: This doesn’t have to be a sweeping view of a mountain. It could be a nice tree or a fountain at the end of your garden; make sure there is a clear sight line to it.
• Create a garden room in your landscape. Think of your landscape as an outdoor living space and divide the landscape into rooms: a sitting room, a place for eating, an activity room, and an entertaining area.  By give each area a different character, it makes a small space seem larger. Avoid over-accessorize your garden room with large sculptures or ornaments.
• Incorporate native plants and local elements such as indigenous flowers or stones to your landscape. If a certain type of stone is common to your region, chances are it is appropriate addition to your landscape plan.  Use it on walls, walkways, and other structures.
• Plan meandering garden paths. A meandering approach to your garden helps create a sense of solitude and a place to go to. Paths should be 5 or 6 feet wide for two people to walk side by side without tripping over each other.
• Provide a place of destination in your landscaping. Benches in the garden should be 5 or 6 feet wide for two or more persons to sit comfortably.  4 feet is too close for comfort, unless it is for a couple or an individual. 
• Install a secret retreat in your landscape.  One way to make a garden getaway inviting is to make it feel like a room.  An open structure such as a gazebo allows plenty of light and breeze to move through the area while still providing a shelter. 
• Give part of your landscape a sense of enclosure.  Screen the garden from view using a formal or informal hedge, a loose screen of plants, or even a tall potted perennial can give you a feeling of protection and a sense of privacy you want.
• Know what you want from your trees or shrubs so you can plan your purchase and their location accordingly. Buy plants with tags stating their maturity size; individual selections vary widely. In its maturity, a Southern magnolia will grow 60 feet tall.
• Plant some edibles. The dwarf fruit tress bear fruit a year or two after planting and can be fitted into the small landscaping in many ways.  Apple, pear, cherry, lemon, figs, and berries add their own particular pleasures into your landscape. 
• Buy a container-grown tree with a 2-inch-diameter trunk.  It usually cost about 25 percent more than tree wrapped in burlaps (called balled and burlapped), but it will survive the transition faster and is less likely to go into shock when transplanted.

Successful landscaping is gained on trial and error.  Educate yourself with up to date information and learn from other people’s mistakes.  In time, you too will establish your own specialty; it takes a wide range of skills to take a dream and turn it into a dramatic landscape.

In our culture of typical 4,000 and 6,000 square feet houses, arranging furnishing to facilitate coziness can be a challenge.  A good sense of visual balance is called for to make cozy, comfortable style work. Hire professional interior decorator for advice to transform your home into a cozy, comfortable retreat. Here are some key guidelines and tips for creating the look. 

• Dimmer switches mechanically create the effect.  Use print lampshades and lamps with voluptuously curved bases. Rich colors absorb the lights.
• Create close conversation area. Move furniture pieces close together on angles and avoiding placing everything against the wall to create a feeling of intimacy. Add footstools, side tables, and a large coffee table to make lingering in soft chairs more pleasant. To feel more intimate, make sure furniture is situated so people won’t be more than ten feet apart.
• Choose rich tones and a balance of patterns. Use one or more prints, floral, geometric stripes, and plaids intersperse with solid colors. Unite the patterns with a common color. If you use red as your base color, all of the coordinating fabrics should incorporate red too. Limit the number of patterns in the room to three. Balance the distribution of the patterns throughout the room by spreading them out in at least three different areas. Rich tones and warm color make perfect palette that liven up the space while still keeping it warm and cozy.
•  Use collection of items to add warmth and coziness to a room: More photos on bookshelves, more pillows on the overstuffed sofa, and a collection of decorative plates and pictures on the wall.
• Think horizontal and soft. Many coziest pieces of furniture have full, fluffy cushions, high backs, well padded arms, and they hug the floor with ruffled or pleated skirts or have short, stocky legs. You and your guest will feel like sinking down into them, relax, and linger awhile.
•  Paint deep cove molding in a contrasting color with the wall will keep the ceiling at a comfortable height but doesn’t overly heighten it. Wallpaper and stencil borders are effective alternatives to molding.
• Give each room a focal point; a room with a lot of visual activity needs visual center. Otherwise, the room can feel chaotic.

The feeling your home conveys can be one influential factor on your emotions. You can create an environment that nurtures you by interpreting the essential principles of interior decorating such as groping furniture together and using plenty of patterns, textures, and colors. Transform your home into a warm, inviting, and snug feeling place and make sure your home takes you toward happiness and satisfaction; your home should nourish your senses and feed your soul.

Storage is a personal issue. Establish what function you need from your storage such as to display, to protect, to conceal, to store, or to organize your stuff will help you select the right type of storage for your possessions. Your storage choice should also be organized to make everyday clean up easy and simple. Analyze your storage requirement and make a plan. Your local interior decorator or contractor can help you with your storage project once you determined what storage solutions suit you best. Here are some tips to help you create practical and attractive storage needs that would fit your lifestyle and living space.

• To display objects: Any collection has intrinsic display value that can be enhanced by its setting and good lighting. Start by analyzing the items to be displayed and consider the most favorable position for the best advantage point. Recessed alcoves, shelves, and well-lighted glass front cabinets are popular choices for displaying objects. Designate the display area. If your collection is large, rotate items on display rather than having everything out all the time.
• To store or hide frequently use items: Find home for every single item. If you know where to put it, then you will know where to find it. Establish storage containers and store things where you use them to make them easily accessible; built-in-storage such as window seats that lift up can provide the perfect place to hide magazines or toys. Ottoman that pops open provides storage area for extra blankets or pillows. Armoire in the living room can house TV or stereo equipments. Custom cabinetry can be designed and made to fit the kitchen, bathroom, or even the living room allowing plenty of storage space so your house remains functional, elegant, and uncluttered. Built-in cabinets can double as a decorative feature in the room.
• To conceal potentially dangerous items: Keep medicine and other chemicals in high or lockable cabinets. First-aid kits should be stored where they are easily accessible in case of emergencies.
• To protect your belongings: Valuable items such as designer shoes or handbags need to be stored away from dust and sunlight and in sturdy boxes or bins to keep their shape. They should be stored in the same environment that you would feel comfortable in-not too hot, not too cold, not too damp, and not too dry.
•  To store out-of-season clothing: Store them in natural canvas storage boxes; breathable cotton canvas is ideal for long term clothing storage. Keep the boxes in dark and dry place.
•  To store out-of-season blankets or quilts: Store them in archival storage boxes made from acid-free polypropylene; they protect fabric from discoloration.
•  To store memorabilia: If you have limited space, use off-site storage facility to hold off season items, keepsakes, and other possessions that you don’t need to access daily.

Everybody has something to store. Hire professional to help you plan adequate, appropriate, and creative storage for your household; it makes for smooth running of your home.

An organized closet is about easy access to your clothes that will save much more than your time and sanity (from searching through cluttered); for most people, a neat closet gives a feeling of calm and orderly life. Design your closet as you would any other room in your home for function and comfort. Your closet organization goal should be easy storage and retrieval for your items. Retrofit your closet by hiring professional to install closet organizer. A closet organizer can make the most of the minimal space and is an improvement to your property. If you rent, look into the systems that can be removed and taken with you when you leave. Use these techniques to get the most out of your closet space.

• Group like items together. Sort and separate casual clothes from work clothes and formal wears. Then group garments by types such as skirts and shirts.
• Adding a second closet rod for expanding your closet function, or adjust the height of your existing one to allow for storage above and below. By installing a double-rod system you immediately double your closet space. It means you can hang pants and shirts or blouses and skirts in half the space you used before.  Double racks should be installed at about 82 and 42 inches high to make the most of your closet space. Allow about 6 inches of clearance above and below each rod.
• Have adequate lighting in your closet to help find items and match color accurately. Consider battery-operated light to provide visual access to all parts of your closet.
• Use clear plastic boxes to store miscellaneous items such as hair accessories and put the boxes on the shelf or use pre-made shelves for shoes and bags.
   
• Consider adding extra shelving for items you don’t use often, but still need to have such as bathing suits and evening shoes. 
• Use shelf dividers to keep folded stacks of sweaters and jeans from toppling over.
• Use padded hangers for more delicate items and sturdy wood hangers for tailored jacket to maintaining the shape of your garment.
   
• Keep shoes off the floor of the closet by adding a shelf for shoes on one wall or buy over-the-door shoe pockets and group your shoes together by color for easy visual and access. Ready-made shoe caddies or shoe bags are available in most department stores.
• Pack away the out-of-season clothes in a cedar chest or a box and store the box in an area that isn’t damp. You will have more room in your closet and the remainder of your clothes won’t wrinkle as much because they won’t be pressed together.

By arranging your closet for maximum space and accessibility, you will cut down on time you spend hunting for clothes and getting dressed. Even worse than standing knee-deep in sweaters or shoes at your feet is not being able to find what you are looking for; with closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.

Furniture placement often falls into the two extremes: the lineup, where every piece is backed against the wall and the obstacle course, where every piece floats in a free-flowing maze. Here are some tips to help you find the balance.

• Buy one piece of furniture at a time, keeping it compatible in style with other furnishing in your home. Avoid buying whole room sets of furniture. You will be stuck with inflexible arrangements. Before rearranging your furniture or buying a new piece, consider how you will be using the spaces; you will get a better understanding of what you need.
• Pay attention to how people move through the room and how you want them to move through the room. Create an easy path through the room by allowing a-3-feet wide path where you want traffic to flow.
•  The goal to any room arrangement is to create a simple grouping of furniture pieces that will work for the room’s purpose. Each room should have an architectural feature or a dominant piece of furniture that give the main focus point which all other items are oriented.
•  An area rug defines an island of furniture. It groups and creates a well-defined purpose of a room. By placing a console table behind a sofa that sits at a 90 degrees angle to a doorway creates a back to a comfortable conversational grouping.
• Folding screens are perfect for many decorating options. Use versatile folding screens to divide spaces, display artwork, create a focal point, and to create private spaces within a public rooms. Place a large folding screen in corner of a room to reshape the room and to add a focus and a backdrop.  Look for a model with solid footing for added stability. Consider the back as well as the front of the screen. Many styles can be found to fit any decor and budget. 

Go for simple improvements to create beautiful and well arranged living space that fit your lifestyle. The result of carefully planned rooms can give you comfort, pride, and joy. When you find it, you will know. The problem is there’s always room for improvement.

Most cooks have their favorite kitchen utensils that are time-tested, functional, and well-worn. Whether you are an everyday cook, a week-end chef, or an every once in a while entertainer, you need efficient and organized kitchen tools. The key to an efficient kitchen is to be able to find what you are looking for right when you need it. Every piece of kitchen utensil should have a home, and not a drawer that has every utensil imaginable. Here are some tips to help you organize your kitchen utensils.

• Select the kitchen tools you actually use most often by taking all the utensils out of your drawers and put them in a large clean plastic bin. For the next month, whenever you use one of those utensils put it back in the drawer. If after a month, some still in the plastic bin, you don’t need them. If your utensils are still in good shape, donate them to your local church’s soup-kitchen.
• Most people need only one each of the three types of knives in the kitchen: a paring knife, an 8-inch chef’s knife, and a 10-inch serrated-edged slicing knife. Buy top quality brands and you will have knives that will stay sharper and last longer.
• Keep some low-tech kitchen utensils available to use during power outage. They are manual can-opener; bottle-opener; zester (rasp) for citrus or ginger; fruit and vegetable peeler; mandoline (hand-operated slice equipment); and mortar and pestle for crushing, grinding and pounding your ingredients.
• If you have weeded out the things you don’t use in your kitchen and have moved seldom-used items out of the way, make sure your top kitchen tools are easy to find and easy to grab up when you need them.

Regardless of how you live, your kitchen is unique among the rooms in your home. Keep your cooking area clean, organize, and functional. It is a recipe for a healthy living.

Americans on average spend more than 8 hours sitting at their desks every single day. The desk and the chair which are the center of the work area have a big impact on your health and well being. Finding the right size desk and chair for your need to get the job done without putting your health, comfort, and productivity in jeopardy is not difficult. Browse at your local office supply centers, look through catalogs, and visit your local furniture showrooms. You will find large choices of desks and chairs for every style and budget. Here are some tips to help you choose the correct desk and chair to optimize productivity without sacrificing comfort and style.

Important features to look for in a desk: As you spend increasing amounts of time at your desk, you need to be aware of how the design and arrangements of the work equipments impact your health and posture.

• Select the desk with the right height for your body’s built. A good working desk should have adequate clearance for your legs under the desktop; it should generally be between 20-28 inches (50-72 cm) from the floor to the underside of your desk. Be sure that you have space about 2-3 inches between the top of your thighs and the underside of your desk. Remove the center drawers of conventional desk to create additional thigh clearance if necessary.
• Desktops that are too low or too high may lead to awkward postures and physical exertions. Be sure clearance spaces under working surfaces accommodates a variety of sitting postures; the most important is the upright seated posture.
• If the computer is the center of your work station, desk surface should allow you to place the monitor directly in front of you at least 20 inches away comfortably. Select the desk with rounded desktop edges to reduce contact stress (such as when your wrists or arms are pressed on sharp desktop edges for a long time) that affect nerves and blood vessels possibly causing tingling and sore fingers.
• Desktop should provide enough room to allow you to move while working, adequate placement for basic office tools, and space to comfortably write, open mail, and review works as necessary. 

Chair: Sitting is hard on your back; sitting in poor posture for a long period of time can cause added pressure on the intervertebral spinal discs-the spongy disc between the vertebras. If you spend a lot of times in your office chair, even more than in your bed, use the chair that will not damage your back. Here are what important in an office chair.

• Backrest or lumbar support: Ample lumbar support that adjusts as your lower back moves is the most important factor to look for in the office chair. You should be able to adjust the backrest recline by at least 15 degrees for different sitting positions. The angle of the backrest is subjective but your trunk and upper legs should form an angle between 90 to 115 degrees. Look for chair that has lumbar support to maintain your lower back’s curvature. Adjust the height of the backrest to support the natural inward curve of the lower back with a pillow or rolled up towel for your lower back support.
• Seat size: Sit back on the chair; if you can slide your hand in between the front edge and the back of your knees, the chair is a correct size. The seat size should also fit your frame, not too narrow and not too wide that using armrests would strain your shoulders. Make sure the edges are rounded so the chair doesn’t dig into your legs causing circulation restriction.
• Height: When you sit, your feet should be planting firmly on the floor to support proper spine position, thus, preventing potential spinal disc injury. The chair height should be adjustable to accommodate your lifestyle, i.e. in case you wear heels or flat shoes. If your feet dangle, it is harder for your back to maintain the S-shape of your spine and you could end up with a lower back pain.
• Armrest: The arms of the chair should be at a height where your shoulders are not raised up but relaxed as they would be when you are at rest. Look for the armrests that are contoured, cushioned, and have adjustable height.
• Chair base: Office chair should have 5 casters legs on the base to provide enough support and stability. The casters should glide smoothly so you don’t have to bend or reach to move around. Periodically spray compressed air into the joints of the moving mechanisms to keep them free of dust. The chair should have a tilt mechanism that control how far you can lean back and under-seat lever that help you find the perfect height.

Given how much time you spend in your office chair at your desk, you need to pay attention to how the desk and chair impact your comfort, physical health, and your productivity. If after a full work day, you experienced muscle tension from raising your shoulders or lower back pain from sitting awkwardly, may be it is time to go office-furniture shopping.

Area floor rug is extremely versatile and useful piece of home furnishing. It can spark a visual interest, muffling sounds of foot traffic, increasing the life of your hardwood floor from heavy use, and much more. Browse through your local home furnishing stores, look through the internet, and visit rugs showrooms to find the rug that suits your fancy. Consult with your local interior decorator on how best to use floor area rugs to tie in your home decor. Here are guidelines to help with your rug decision making process.

• Types of rugs. There are many choices of area rugs available in variety of styles, colors, shapes, and materials. For Persian or Oriental rugs, they are either hand knotted rugs or hand-tufted rugs. Hand-knotted rugs are top of the line for quality; have the finest details and are well known for durability. This ancient hand-knotted technique is still used on contemporary rugs. The more knots per square inch the better; they can vary from 40 to 1,200. Check the underside of the rug; if you see the reverse pattern, it is a hand-knotted piece. Hand-tufted rugs are half man-made and half machine-made. If you see a backing on the underside of the rug, it is hand-tufted. Look for the RugMark label, which means it was made without child labor.

Wool rugs are naturally stain-resistant and the fibers fluff right up with vacuuming, which makes wool rugs excellent choice for use in high traffic area. Wool rugs should last decades, but you pay for durability.
Cotton rugs are even more affordable choice, but they can stain and wear out quickly. Most can be washed in a large washing machine.

Rugs made from plant-based fibers such as sisal, jute, sea grass, or bamboo are biodegradable and are renewable resources which made them eco-friendly. They are good for sunroom or outdoor use. Plant-based rugs are more difficult to keep clean and may last only a few years with heavy use.

Synthetic rugs are made from either polypropylene or nylon. Both types hold colors well, are excellent at hiding dirt, and are water and UV resistant. Yarn made of polypropylene fibers can get crushed over time; the nylon yarn is bulkier and is better quality than polypropylene.

• Size. An area rug is meant to give a room a focal point, to draw the eye, and to make the room inviting. For use in an entire room, try to leave an equal amount of flooring exposed on all sides as border.

For the bedroom: Allow three feet of rug on either side of the bed for a soft landing in the morning. The bedside table should be on the rug as well.

For the living room: Furniture that is half-on and half-off the rug creates a casual feel; furniture that is entirely off or entirely on the rug makes the room feel more formal. For use under a coffee table, buy a 4×6 or 6×9 area rug. Table legs should stand within the rug. To accent furnishings leave the floor space between the rug and furniture. For the dining room: Buy the rug that is large enough to fit beneath the chairs that’s pushed back from the table and then add 6 more inches to get the rug dimension. Also, to be sure of the size, measure the length and width of the table and add at least 4 feet to each.

• Prices. A general rule of thumb for how much to pay for a rug: A rug’s price should match the cost of the other major furniture in the room. In the living room, the area floor rug should be about the price of the sofa. 5 feet by 8 feet synthetic polypropylene or nylon rug costs less than $100. 5 feet by 8 feet cotton rug costs $50 and up. Plant-based fibers start at a low $100. Wool rug prices vary: 5 feet by 8 feet machine-made replica start at $200 up to thousands of dollars for an authentic hand-knotted Persian rug.
• Rug pads. These handy floor and rug protection provide comfort and have gripping capabilities. They work to add years to your rug’s life by keeping the rug in place-less movement means less friction translating to less wear and tear on your rug. Most pads are made of synthetic materials such as PVC or latex and come in various thicknesses. Buy a pad that is one or two inches smaller than your rug and in your budget. A good quality rug pad will not mar, stain, or discolor your flooring. If you have a valuable light-colored hardwood floor, invest in a good quality rug pad so the rug colors will not bleed through to your wood floor. Some rug manufactures require that their product be placed on a quality rug pad in order to validate their warranty against defects in workmanship. Pad ranges from $20 to $80.

Decorating with floor area rugs is the easiest ways to revitalize, update, improve, and beautify any room in your home. Select a floor area rug of your choice and create a new look underfoot without the hassle or high cost of new flooring when you want to change your home décor with seasons or moods. It could be your magic carpet