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Primary Space

October 19, 2012 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

How would you describe this room to someone? The flooring is light wood, matching the kitchen cabinets. The furniture is a combination of neutrals and the two area rugs are brown-bordered sisal. Given this information, who would imagine the three primary colors on the walls?

This is a daring decision. Imagine this home without the colors. It would be attractive and well-proportioned. The lamp over the table would add some color and the throw pillows provide interest and warmth. But move into the wall colors and the entire picture changes.

Red is a good color for a dining room. It encourages eating and liveliness. Red and black also combine to pack a punch. In the office area, dark blue adds a serene feel, and with the charcoal desk and chair, it is the professional space in this home. Light reflections also contribute, although a large piece of art on that wall would add drama.

Once the homeowner decided to use red and blue primary colors, yellow was a natural third choice. Using it on that central pillar put it in juxtaposition with the other colors, while adding a spark of brightness to the living room.

Although this home doesn’t have the childlike feel that primary colors generally fit with, in this room they take a standard look and bring it up a level. As you look at your home, are there any areas that could benefit from a daring display of colors? Why not take a chance?

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Filed Under: Hard Flooring, Inspiration Tagged With: blue, design inspiration, designing the home, designing with threes, flooring, hardwood, light wood, living space, open concept living space, paint inspiration, painting the walls, painting walls, primary colors, red, using primary colors, wood floor, yellow

Space Planning in Your Home

August 2, 2012 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

One interesting characteristic that varies among cultures is personal space. This is the distance strangers have to be from you for you to be comfortable. For the United States, the average preferred personal territory is 18 inches. This is one reason we chose handshakes as a common greeting – the reach puts us generally about 18 inches from each other.

Our personal space standards affect many things, from how close we will stand when in line to the odd arrangements that occur with people on an elevator. It also has a direct impact on the seating in any home. Have you noticed that some seats in your home are used frequently while others are ignored? Or that a sofa that could easily hold three tends to have only two people sitting on it? Take a look at the photo below. Even though there is space on the sofa, two of the four people watching the baseball game chose to sit on the floor rather than sit too close to someone else.

Take a look at your home’s seating areas with personal territory in mind. Are some of your chairs too close together or too far apart? Aim for an average 18-inch distance and you may get more people sitting than you did before. An area rug can provide an easily defined floor area to enable you to arrange your seating at the best distance.

In a dining room or at a kitchen snack bar, plan for 18 inches of space between seats and you will see a more comfortable group of people. You may even want to plan the size of the guest list to match the party space.

Everyone is different so you can also allow your guests to define their own comfortable personal space by providing a variety of floor pillows or light movable chairs. This will enable everyone to find the distance that suits them.

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Filed Under: Hints & Tips Tagged With: arranging furniture, furniture arrangements, furniture arranging, how to space furniture, living space, personal distance, personal space, planning spaces, space planning in your home

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