Sectioned Off

If there is one piece of furniture that makes me cringe nearly every time I see it in a home, it has to be the sectional sofa. Not EVERY time; just nearly every time.

My issue with the sectional sofa is two-fold. First, I have a problem with its design. The big selling point of the sectional is its spaciousness and comfort. People shopping for sectionals are always saying things like, "Just look how much more seating we'll have."  Don't fall for it. Unless you are buying an oval sectional, you will actually lose more comfortable seating capacity than you'd gain with a basic sofa and love seat combo.

Not as big as you think

Take a look at the picture above. That sofa touts seating for five. In reality it only seats four; just three, comfortably. No one wants to sit in the corner of that sofa. And if they do end up as the unlucky one stuck in the corner, they'd better be 6'4" or more, otherwise their feet will not reach the floor. There's also the problem of two people sitting simultaneously in the seats adjacent to the corner. Their knees will inevitably knock into one another. I don't know about you, but the thought of knocking knees with a new acquaintance during cocktail hour sounds pretty uncomfortable to me.

Room too small for sectional

The second issue I have with popular sectional seating is scale. Issues of scale, however, aren't totally the fault of furniture manufacturers. We are the ones who keep buying the bulky, oversized, overstuffed monstrosities that manufacturers try to pass off as sofas. Then we schlep 'em home and stuff the behemoths into rooms only big enough for a pair of club chairs.

It sounds like I am anti-sectional. I am really not. I just believe that too many folks are buying sectionals without really giving the plan a thorough vetting. Sectionals can actually be very useful. They are terrific for visually partitioning off conversation areas in large rooms. In the picture below, you can see the rest of the room where the sectional above was once located.

Long, narrow room; not suited for a massive sectional at the entry

The room is long and narrow. Too narrow, in fact, for the large puffy sectional that is in it. You can also see that the room is serving as both a media/entertainment center and an office. Using a sectional to separate the various room functions is a good idea, but the scale and arrangement of that particular sectional is not good for the space. The long part that should divide the room is on the wrong side, up against the wall. With the right size and shaped sectional, the room could be a show stopper.

Here is an example of a sectional done right. It is a studio apartment where a sectional is used for separating the conversation/living space from the sleeping area. Notice how it properly divides the room. It is flanked by a tall, open bookcase to further delineate the space without closing it in. This is an EXCELLENT example of great scale and use of a sectional sofa. Wouldn't the space above have been great with a similar design?

Great use of a sectional. Serves both form and function.

Bottom line is you need to really think about the size of your room, how much comfortable seating you actually need, and the room's function & style before you head out furniture shopping. Ask yourself if you really need a sectional, can your room hold a sectional, or could a sofa and loveseat work just as well? And remember: Measure twice, buy once. 

Making It

On the restyling and staging side of real estate, we generally deal in extremes. Homeowners we work with typically have loaded their homes down with way too much stuff OR they live in virtual starkness with nary an accessory anywhere. Rarely do we end up at Baby Bear's place where everything is "just right."

Strangely though we have noticed that regardless of which extreme we are dealing with, there is one issue that nearly everyone has in common. No one knows how to make a bed! I don't mean they are leaving their beds unmade for home showings and listing photos (some are). What I mean is that they don't know the right way to make a bed.

The Bed-in-a-Bag folks have made bank peddling the simplicity of their perfectly coordinated bedding. And in theory it should be easy, but every week I am reminded that the Bed-in-a-Bag concept is not fool proof. People keep making the bed like they did in 1970. Well, you may want to brace yourselves for this . . . . You are doing it wrong!

Bed-in-a-Bags, comforter sets, quilts, etc. are . . . COMFORTERS AND COVERLETS. They are NOT bedspreads. Yet, tons of you are still making them up like a bedspread. (Actually, many of you aren't even making up the bedspread correctly. The pillows should be enveloped and tucked into the bedspread. More on that later.)

So, if you will pardon the hodgepodge of colors and styles in the photos -- (my bedroom is currently in the midst of a rennovation and nothing matches right now) -- I'm gonna show you the right way to make up a comforter, coverlet, or bedspread.

For a COMFORTER or COVERLET: 

1.  Pull comforter up so that it hits just slightly (1/4 to 1/2 inch) below the top of the dust ruffle, upholstered box springs, or bedrail.

2.  If you have excess fabric at the head of the bed, fold the comforter/coverlet back.

3.  Place pillows and/or shams ON TOP of the comforter. Dress up with coordinating throw pillows.

That's all there is to it!

For a BEDSPREAD:

Bedspreads typically cover the mattress and boxsprings. Because I only have a coverlet, you will just have to imagine that it goes all the way to the floor.

1. To start, pull the bedspread up so that just barely touches the floor on three sides. Then fold the top of the spread back so that the exposed sheet is at least half as deep as your pillows.

2. Place bed pillows at the head of the bed, across the fold of the fabric.

3. Pull exposed part of the fold over the top of the pillows. The push your hand into the fold of the fabric, under the pillows, to "tuck" in the pillows.

4. Add decorative pillows in coordinating fabrics to dress up the look. The ornery miniature schnauzer is optional.

 Now GO MAKE YOUR BED!

 

Dressing Up the Dressing Room

Once again we had the task of styling on a minuscule budget. Actually it was a zero budget project. So, if the owner did not already have it, then we had to do without; plain and simple.

One particular area of this style-to-sell project desperately in need of some dressing up was the condo's dressing room and bath. As I said, we had no budget for renovations. We could only play-up the space's possibilities with accessories.

To say we were working with the bare bones was an understatement. The area was EMPTY! Even so, we determined right away that the overhead shelf was space that we wanted to show off to buyers because of all the extra vertical storage it provided.

As you can see, accessories are key to making a space come to life. Well placed and coordinated accessories have the ability to make a small space seem so much larger. The use of natural fibers and complimentary colors were inspired by the gorgeous color variations in the marble countertops . . .

Another thing we did to dress up the space was to add a touch of drama to the large shower. Rather than use a plain old shower curtain, we added a pair of grommeted drapery panels to frame the shower area. Drapery panels offer more style and accentuate ceiling height so much better than a traditional shower curtain hung at the usual height of 6'.

Finally, with some satin ribbon and raffia borrowed from the craft closet, we added a touch of flair to the towel bar and, in the process, tied together the entire look.

Past Projects

We've got a lot of small projects underway at the moment, but no photos yet. Sorry.

I promise that by next week we will have at least one great before-and-after inspiration project that almost ANYONE can do. I can't wait to show it off. I have high hopes for this one.

Until then, we thought the new blog might be a great opportunity to show off some photos from past projects. Enjoy -- while we go finish up those current projects.

Project 1 -- Dining Room Spruce-Up

Fresh potted orchids in antique planter, new accessories, powerful artwork,

coordinating place settings and lots of ambient light make this dining room a hit!

Project 2 -- Big Space Made Cozy

A cozy conversation area is created by adding new club chairs in this oversized family room.

Project 3 -- A Great Remodel

This project was the renovation and addition of space to a small, choppy floor plan. We started by transforming the existing great room into a new dining room space suitable for the large family that often gathers here.

We were fortunate that the owner had great furnishings

along with an amazing collection of antique pottery, art, and chinoiserie.

A dining room fireplace is a feature not typically found in new construction.

We believe the unusual amenity adds character reminiscent of traditional southern homes.

The tiny old dining room presented quite a space planning obstacle for the owners.

"What do you do in here?" was a question we frequently pondered.

Now the space is a high-functioning multipurpose room.

It does double-duty as a writing/work area on most days,

but quickly transforms into a gorgeous buffet table and extra seating for parties. 

An addition of space was made to the existing floor plan at the rear of the home.

A 24'x20' Great Room was added to give the homeowners a more livable, open, and inviting area to live and entertain. 
Neutral wall colors and plantation shutters add to the light and airy feel of the space.

The new space features a cohesive, but eclectic mix of furniture and accessories,

ambient lighting, tray ceilings, recessed lighting, surround sound,
and artwork created by the owner.

Project 4: Kids' Kingdom

The transition from little kid to young adult can present lots of decorating challenges.

This room is a great example for addressing that dilemma.

Who knew army green fatigues and dress khakis could provide such

incredible inspiration for home interiors?