A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Coffee House 2240 The Days are Getting Pretty short(y)

well some people put things like couches facing toward one space (that will be a livingroom area) then say perhaps a cabinet or a consol table on back side of the couch facing the other direction and that will be another room---if you understand me

Marica, I found these instructions on line.


Divide. Divide the space into smaller areas that will provide communal areas for entertaining, reading and conversation areas for more intimate or private activities, and more utilitarian areas such as an office or craft area, depending on your family's needs.

Define. Define the spaces with area rugs, room dividers or architectural features. Rugs may be the easiest way to define a space. The rugs don't have to match, but they shouldn't appear so small that the room appears fragmented.

Unify. You can also define the spaces with color. But I would recommend that you keep a unifying color to prevent the room for appearing too busy or piecemeal. For instance, paint the walls a neutral, but use an area rug, art and accessories in an accent color to define an area of the room.

Neutral. Make sure the most expensive pieces you buy for your room are neutral and durable. You don't want to have to replace them as they wear, or as your color tastes change. That's a budget buster. Replace the more inexpensive items instead.

Dead zone. Avoid "dead" space - areas that are empty with no apparent use. While it is best not to be too cluttered, make use of all your space. Put an occasional chair or tall plant in the area if you can think of nothing else.

Dark and warm. Use color to make the space more intimate. Dark, warm colors on the wall can make the difference. You can go large, dark, heavy, and rich in a spacious room without fear - if that's your taste.

Texture. Use lots of texture to take up visual space. Shaggy rugs, pillows and throws appear to have more substance than smoother options. Use this property to your advantage.

Lower light. Use darker lampshades that bring the light down to eye level rather than letting it get lost in the large room. The effect is more concentrated light around the seating which appears more intimate.

Good conversation. Plan the areas for comfort and good conversation. Place tables by each seating areas for drinks or other items the guests may want to place there. Place seating areas close enough together to allow for normal conversation. Don't make your guests have to shout across the room to talk to each other.

Go big. Use large art and large patterns to match the proportion of the room. When you have a large expanse of wall, you can fill it with a large art piece or a large grouping of smaller pieces. But avoid small pieces hanging alone on the wall. They appear lost in the space. The same principle applies to large patterns. A small pattern on, say, a pillow will be lost and will be read by the eye as a solid. So go bold and graphic, the space can handle it!
Large spaces can be a joy to decorate. You can make it both intimate and open, with just the right amount of both. Or, if you are from the "HELLO, Hello, hello" school of design, just leave it empty enough to echo. The choice is yours!

That is interesting advice

i had forgotten that. when i had a room that way, i used a china hutch backed up to a love seat to divide the room in half. might help you!

Hi, Jiffy!! how's tricks????

(yea I know it just came to me)

What does tricks have to do with Jiffy? I always thought she was a different kind of 'hostess'.
Just funnin'.

I like a woman who thinks on her feet!!!!!

tina, have you been in the philippines? i'm sure you know...

ok, i won't go any further with that one... that would be an area 51 comment

and carol, i do too!

but, i'm not a "tricky" hostess... nope, not. i've done a lot of things in my life, but not that one!

We had a whopping T-storm blow through here earlier tonight. One crash of lightening scared the wheaties out of us; it sounded (and looked) like it hit nearby. We both about jumped out of our skins.

This is a heavily stormy time of year for us; it is still hurricane season.

In fact, although the day before Maxi was born was one of those truly splendid autumn days -- sunny and breezy and oh so lovely -- and the very next day was a hurricane! So the kid was born on a wildly stormy day! Of course, I was oblivious to the weather but I do remember sitting up in bed that night while my off-duty nurse sat on the bed feeding me and we looked out the big windows at the storm and talked about my very wonderful 3 1/2 lb. son.



So, another stormy October weekend in Maine.

I'm off to bed. G'nite everybody.



Merme

now I knew that Jiffy......


Merme, good night

Good night everyone--sleep well.....

Good night Carol and Merme. I've been out fire watching. And then coming back in to try to get meds down my son. He has Teddy flu.

g'night all. stay safe, sleep well, and wake better.

I am going to bed now. My son slept most of the day away with a fever.
I am hoping the winds sleep the night away and they can get a handle on the fire.

Excellent advise on the room. Thanks all! I'm going to save all of this & re-read. It's so odd having all of this space!

I think my biggest problems are a) I don't want to put the "dining room" where it's obviously "supposed" to go. I want that area for my study. And b) I have a lot of pieces that are tall, and need to go up against a wall because they're unfinished. Three tall china cabinets (and one buffet, but that could easily go up against the back of a sofa), and four tall bookshelves. Most of the book shelves are cheap put-together ones, so I can work to replace them.

Ah... I suspect this will be an ongoing project. That and getting rugs. I will have to learn where the antiques/junk shops are!

We discovered yesterday that the space for the stove is small. We are BIG stove people. Thank goodness daughter Caroline is a kitchen & bath designer!!

It's nice to have grownup kids who *really* do know stuff you don't! (Not like teenaged kids who think they do!)

One thing that we are really looking forward to is that first time the girls come out to the farm. Wonder what their expressions will be? Margaret & her boyfriend, Mike, are coming later this month. Mike loves to fish, so he & John are going to survey the lake. Margaret doesn't know it yet, but she's going to be doing some painting.

I want to share something with you all. I've of course been sending my mom (who live near you, Bestoffour) photos & such, and talking all about the place on the phone with her. For as long as I can remember, she's wanted a farm-- like 10-12 acres. Dad was never to keen on it, but they did retire to a 2- acre plot out "in the county" (a subdivision, but still she's done wonders with the yard). And at 72, and with Dad now gone, she still threatens to buy a farm, but ... well you know.

Anyway, here's what she said the other day in an email:

"I am glad you inherited my love of the Land."

Me too.

That is a wonderful sentiment to carry with you from your mother, Marica.
I always wanted a farm, pioneer style, out in the boondocks stuff. Now I have come to treasure my modern conveniences with age and don't want to do it all from scratch.
Good morning. The fire near me is moving still in a different direction which is good news for me but not so nice for the areas in its path. We have cool, misty wet conditions and that will be helpful this morning. And that is to be replaced by some heavy winds in areas this afternoon so it all still bears watching. Our local mountains have major power poles going through them so I could conceivably lose electricity and disappear. Don't anyone panic if that happens.
And Ted is still sick but I think a little better than yesterday.

Tina, I'm glad you've got cool, wet conditions. Your seeds will be happy about that too.

Well, my seeds would be much happier if they were out in the ground. I didn't get that far before the flu attacked my son.
But I have been able to turn on my oven for the first time in forever. My house smells heavenly right now.

enjoy that smell for me tina. the weather warmed back up, so my plans for warming the house with the oven fell through.

this is post 98 for this coffee house, someone needs to open a new one soon

I thought we had until 99 or 100 to do that.

you do! and this is post 100. thank you for starting the next one i can close this one without guilt