apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My suggestion comes from Apartment Therapy 8 Week Cure. First, think about your life and what kinds of things you want to use this space for. Are you an artist? Can you use this good light by the window for an art easel? Do you want to have friends in? Do you need an exercise area?

oh to have this problem! ;)

Try starting with just one piece/one decision. What's most important to you? How will you spend most of your time in this space? Do you have any furniture that you're going to build around?

You don't have to do everything at once, that's only going to continually overwhelm you and make you feel like you can't do any of it if you don't have it all planned out.

Do you have a floorplan? Measure all your walls, and sketch out the space, that way you'll have an easier way to play with it (moving rugs and furniture is hard and heavy, moving shapes on a page is easier).

I suggest one rug to demarcate each space i.e. one rug for the dining area, and one rug for the living area. A huge rug would cover the floor too much. Perhaps use an open shelving unit to physically divide the two parts.

I agree with the above posters. Sketch out your space, then make a list of all the activities you'd like to do in that room (include basics like "eating" or "watching tv"). Write out what you'll need for each activity (table/chairs, sofa, ottoman, lighting), and try drawing it in... like a puzzle.

I guarantee that once you figure out all the things you'll be using the room for, you'll have no trouble filling it.

And don't worry about rugs and tchotkes until you get the major puzzle pieces fitted in (unless you're like me and you buy a huge fabulous orange rug that you want to build your entire space around).

The best way to decorate for your everyday life, and to your own real style, is to start living in the space and see how it all fits. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes without trying them on, visualizing them with the clothes you usually wear, walking around the shop, thinking about how much walking you do, outdoor conditions, etc. You should do the same when it comes to home improvements. Rather than spending months paralyzed, agonizing over the best rug, just move in with what you have and start living in the space as you simultaneously look for any new purchases.

Will there be an awkward period where you've got 4 paint samples on the wall, a cast-off coffee table, and Still No Window Treatments? Sure. But it'll come together. And the finished product will be worth it.

We have a similar setup. Is this space off of your kitchen? If so, you'll want the dining area close to the kitchen (just to make things easier). I'd put a big rug and a light fixture there to demarcate the space. Then, you can use your sofa as a room divider and have the back of it facing the dining table (if that makes sense). You can have another big rug with the sofa/coffee table etc. Best of luck!

Hire a designer.

Post a floorplan of the room here, and we'll be happy to help with some suggestions!

If it were me, I'd start with a sofa and two upholstered side chairs, then a dining table and then the rest from there.

Get a pile of catalogs and magazines and start to clip out images that you like - you'll probably see that you start to narrow in on certain styles, colors, patterns, etc.. Then go to some furniture stores and start to sit in things - your rear end may tell you what your head can't yet. :)

What is your style/theme for the space?

I have to agree with Patrick, because at this point, hiring a designer could end up saving you a lot of money in the long run. When people have all their stuff and they're moving into a different space, and your existing stuff is being put into the new space, there may be certain things that they have no choice about where to place them; they're needing to tweak something here and there, it makes sense to just ask a little advice about those little conundra.

But if you're having trouble coming up with an overall vision for a room, you could save yourself a lot of heartache and money if you get someone to help you pull together a total vision that you could flesh out as you can afford it, and have much fewer pieces that you forever regret.

If you're temporarily house-poor and thus can't go for professional help, it's time to go to the library and load up on two types of books:

1. Basic "how to decorate" books that explain the fundamentals of color, furniture arrangement, furniture styles, how fabrics wear, how to choose a quality rug, and so on.

2. Fantasy books that let you get a handle on what your personal style is.

If that seems arduous, an alternative is to cruise home stores that you like. There's a reason that Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, and their ilk all display completed rooms. It's so people who want a nice place but aren't really into the decorating process can put the pieces together fast and go on with life. You don't have to be brilliantly original, as long as the space makes you happy.

I say don't do anything.

Take what you have already and put it in the space. Then wait until something comes to you.

There's no hurry.

Yes, as above, think about what you do at home. I would think about the size of stuff that I want. I would get a rectangular table that fits four people with four chairs-comfy chairs just comfy enough to eat nice dinner in, good for having people over, good to use as desk once in a while or to write something or put laptop on, or whatever, but not big farm table that seats 8. Then, get a couch, I prefer durable leather sofa, doesn't get stained, and pillow cushions hold up well. I like all furniture with legs off floor, so can sweep hardwood and see hardwood floor. Get normal size couch, one person can even sleep on it if need be, like 82 inch couch. No sectional nor loveseat needed. Then, see how those two pieces fit in, how much room is left for chairs near couch? Maybe you have room for two chairs to face couch or be at perpendicular from couch-get them comfy though, so person on couch is comfy ANd chair people are comfy too.

Put a rug under couch area or table area or both. I prefer brown or black couch, and then use other pieces with some color. see how much room you have, maybe you want big coffee table, maybe you just want small end tables. use mix up of color and materials, like glass end table, or metal table, or wicker coffee table or whatever, just so not all is brown fake asian west elm look, y'know. I don't like ikea for this place, apt seems to nice. and i don't like anything on da floor, hurts the sweeping. get some huge pictures for the wall-maybe one even-just a really big one above table or couch would be cool.

hope this helped.

I tend to use free online tools to help place items once I have a visual in my head. Was informed of www.floorplanner.com yesterday but have yet to visit it.

I also use Google Sketchup, and have even played with BoConcept's floorplan software. All fun and useful in trying to demarcate spaced :)

Good luck

If you don't want to hire a designer, start by sofa shopping.

And start gathering images of spaces you like, style-wise.
So that when you get frustrated, you can give the images to the designer. ;)

Take your time! When you have a blank space, it's hard not to get carried away by the urge to fill it, and this can result in ill-advised purchases. When my friend bought her condo, she immeidately went to a bunch of home stores and furnished the place in a day or two with a mystifying array of peices that didn't remotely fit her style...or the space. A year later, most of that furniture had been sold on Craigslist (at a loss). Her second decorating go-round lasted for more than a year, but the results were so much better!

As others have suggested, think about your lifestyle, how you want to use the space, and make a style tray before you start buying things.

"immediately," that is...