The Beauty of a New Perspective
A blind person could not live in my house. Memorizing where the furniture and accessories are in order to avoid bodily injury is useless. I rearrange them like other people rearrange Scrabble tiles. When I pick my daughter up from school, I ask her the highly unoriginal question, “How was your day today?” She answers equally unoriginally and monosyllabically with “fine,” or some such synonym…and then she asks me her habitual question, “Did you rearrange today?” The usual answer, I’m abashed to admit, is “just a little.” I love the idea of space and how objects best fit into it. Every time I am convinced I have thought of the new “best” and most aesthetically pleasing way to arrange a room, I have to immediately try it. I have been known to move huge pieces of furniture to other rooms, single-handedly, and then back again, in order to satisfy my itch to try a new configuration. Some changes are actually a revelation! Others…not so much. But, I am always amazed at how a table in one corner can make a room look smaller and then, when moved to another corner, or under a window, can suddenly open things up in such a way that the room seems bigger, or cozier, or more inviting. A lamp moved next to a chair can suddenly illuminate it so that all one wants to do is plop down there with a cup of tea and a book just to be able to hang there longer. A mirror moved to just the right wall at just the right height can make a room feel larger or brighter. This week, I was about to go on the hunt for a new end table needed next to a lounge chair in my bedroom, and possibly a new nightstand for one side of the bed. Before deciding what sizes and styles I wanted, I decided to rearrange…just a little…to make sure that what I bought was what I really needed. By the end of my frenzy, I had carted in an old silver leafed altar table stored in the garage and moved everything, and I mean everything, around. A bench moved downstairs, the altar table stayed and became the new nightstand I now didn’t need to buy. One of the other nightstands wound up next to the chair and has never looked better. One lamp moved to the garage and another lamp from downstairs switched places with a floor lamp from my bedroom. They are all happier with their new spots (well maybe not the poor lamp that wound up in the garage) and so am I. And, most importantly, the only new thing I needed to acquire to make this room perfect was a new perspective. Talk about a bargain! So, the moral is to take what you have that you still like, and try every possible configuration to see what makes a room most inviting before you invest in new things. Things, new or old, though they may be beautiful, will only look great if they are arranged in the best possible way. Who knows, you might already own exactly what you need to spruce up a room. Or, at the very least, the process will help you target just what is missing from the room you are trying to create. You know what? Next time my daughter asks me if I rearranged again, I am going to answer proudly that I did and can’t wait to show her.
If you need advice for your own space, please contact me via my website www.mystylereboot.com/.