Tips and Thoughts on Rearranging

I rearranged my teensy little studio apartment that I share with my lovely boyfriend yesterday. Since I’m still afflicting on it all manner of design elements and decorative ideas, I’ll withhold from sharing any photos from the time being. I did want to share with you an article I wrote for 2Modern’s Design Talk blog about tips on rearranging. We might not be able to afford to travel to exotic locations because of our stinky economy right now, but we can still change the scenery in our homes if we want to!

So, the economy’s tight. You probably don’t have the budget for that new couch you’ve been eyeing, and you certainly can’t afford to hire an interior designer to pull it all together for you. What’s a homeowner to do? Suffer through the same old home decor as you always have? Of course not, you can redesign your home.

ReDesign is basically defined as using the furnishings you already have in new ways to create fresh spaces in your home. And while the very best thing you can do is enlist the help of a designer to craft your new home, there are a few tips you can remember when opting to tackle this job yourself.

1) Take photos! You live in your home, day in and day out. Sometimes you can’t always see the things that could be changed or even the areas that are a bit cluttered. A photograph never lies though. Take a bunch of shots and examine them for areas that look confusing, cluttered or even that could change.

2) Take stock of your current inventory. Maybe those nightstands in the guest bedroom that you don’t use could be better utilized in the living room as end tables? Perhaps even just switching out throw pillows and accessories could be swapped to enliven spaces. Don’t rely on your memory; make an actual list!

3) Get creative. As mentioned above, take freely from rooms all around your house to help transform your new spaces, and don’t get stuck on what a piece of furniture is “supposed” to be used for.

4) Remember to arrange for more than just aesthetics. Sure part of the fun of rearranging is making your space look better, but also concentrate on things like space planning and traffic flow. Is there a chair you’re always running into on your way to the kitchen? Take this time to really examine what works and does not work in your home.

5) It may seem obvious, but measure before you move! You might think you’re eyeing things correctly, but how much would it suck if you hauled that huge couch on the other side of the room only to find out its two inches too long?

6) Lastly, get help with large things. I don’t know what the statistics are on injuries incurred in the house place while moving huge pieces of furniture, but I bet the numbers are high. Always keep in mind safety so you don’t end up injuring yourself!

Happy rearranging!