Design Confidently, Live Comfortably
   Nora Murphy had the luxury of walking through an empty house, and that made it easier to hear what it was saying. She was able to consider things like the flow through rooms because there was no furniture to walk around. And she could observe the quality of light as it streamed onto the wide pine floors because it wasn't blocked by drapes.
Her decision to pare down her decorating style was influenced by the clean, architectural lines in her antique house. Nothing distracted her from the symmetry of the divided-light windows in front, the fireplace that warmed the house even without a fire, and the curved walls in an alcove that begged for a piano. Most of our homes aren't empty. They're filled with our habits and our stuff. They're noisy, so it's not easy to imagine them any way other than the way they are. "You have to try to see past the stuff," says Nora. "Take away in order to add." To rethink a room that's already decorated, do what you can to clear accessories away. Empty it completely if you can. But at the very least, take things off tables, walls, and windows. "You'd be surprised at what you might hear and notice if you take the clutter away," says Nora. NEXT: Lesson 2: Think Big BACK: Introduction |
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