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Here are some tips to make any room or home seem larger with new color, furniture, and storage solutions.  Consult your local interior decorators for even more trade secrets to make your home a unique expression of your style and comfort.

Maximizing Style:

1. Give your small space a clean look.  For the living room, select a sofa that has long, lean lines, and minimal cushioning, or a straight-lined bench-style sofa.  Use a few large throw pillows on your sofa rather than a bunch of small ones for a cleaner design.
2. By placing furniture in a symmetrical arrangement, it gives a room a sense of balance and organization.
3. Create a cozy conversation area by grouping seating around a large window to take advantage of the light and views.
4. Keep furniture in line and in scale with the room’s dimension.

Maximizing Function:

1. Creating a personal space in a cramped area for activities such as reading or knitting by setting up proper task lighting; this can transform a corner of a couch into a reading nook.
2. Put function first to create space based on your personal habits.  For a hospitable and welcoming sociable setting, place a group of furniture in a center of the room.  People who live in a small space often make mistake by trying to get the room they want by moving the stuff to the edge of the room; this gives detached feelings and lacks warmth.  To enliven the space, create a conversational triangle consisting of a sofa, a club chair, and a slipper chair, all placed on a neutral color rug to help unify a group setting.

Maximizing Square Footage:

1. Brighten up the room with color.  Create an accent wall by choosing one wall in the main living space and paint it the shade that you love.  Use color that is brighter and more dramatic than the paint on the other walls such as blue to mimic the color of the sky in a room; it coordinates with as many shades as neutral like beige or gray.
2. Create reflections by using mirrors.  Mirrors are very versatile:  they increase square footage with an optical illusion; they are tried-and-true way to open up space; and they almost always help a small room.  Before hanging a mirror, consider what it will reflect (preferably not a blank wall).  The placement of mirror should reflect the light and view and make the room appear brighter and larger.  Display a large mirror on one wall and it will make any room seem twice the size.  Consider a floor mirror, which lean against the wall and no hanging required.
3. Selecting furniture and furnishings that double as innovative organizational devices and have multiple usages such as an ottoman, which can be use as a footstool, an extra seating, and as a side table.  One reliable way to get the most out of your square footage is to consolidate your belongings and store them in attractive furniture that contains storage space and get items such as CDs or books off the floor.  Store items in closed cabinet by using a combination of versatile pieces to store and contain small everyday items that when left out they make the room feel cluttered and cramped.
4. Let plenty of light in the room.  Windows are the eye of the room. When you cover your windows up, you make the place feel smaller.  One way to make the room looks larger is to extend the curtain rods beyond the window frames; it allows in more light and draws the eye outward.

Any room or home can and should be beautifully designed and utilized.  You can create your new environment or find a good local professional to either help you design, coordinate, or implement your project.  The earlier you begin, the faster you can start living in the place that is attractive, functional, and uniquely yours.