Modern Furniture

Wanting more space has become a mantra for our time, as though space were a necessity rather than a preference. But the only way to make it work successfully is to know why you want it, and in order to do that, you have to start prioritizing. What space is currently available and how do you use it? Where would you like more space and where could you manage with less? Which is more important to you: storage space for personal possessions or living space for family and friends?

The secret to creating extra space is getting to know your home and thinking practically about your lifestyle, then putting the two together and seeing what compromises and adjustments need to be made. Take it slowly and do not act on a whim: short-term wants may not fulfill long-term needs, and decorating a house - even a small one - is a long-term investment.

Be guided by the style of the architecture, but do not let it dictate to you. The fact that a building is old, for instance, does not prohibit you from decorating the space in a modern style. The beauty of period buildings is their individuality. Elegant lines, interesting architectural details - even uneven walls - all contribute their own natural character, and keeping your decoration and furnishings clean and contemporary is one of the most effective ways to enhance them. Concentrate on the space, not the facade or interior fittings. Doors and fireplaces can always be removed or replaced, walls and stairs moved or remodelled, but the space is yours, so make sure that it works for you.

Cafe curtains, which traditionally cover the lower half or bottom third of a window, offer privacy while admitting light from the top. To make them look fresh and elegant, modernize the proportions. Instead of hanging the curtains halfway up the window, he raises them one mullion higher. (Mullions are the wooden strips between panes of glass.) In a window without mullions, raise the curtain roughly a foot above the halfway point;  experiment until the proportions look right. Consider curtains of white linen with a simple pinch pleat, using pinch-pleat hardware from any fabric shop.

Tip: Align your curtain rod with the mullions, or the window treatment will look disorganized.

Unlike the filmy white veils always seen in modern bedrooms, sheer draperies in the living room can lean toward the exotic or substantial. Invest in something with texture or color: a puckered, bubbly synthetic, a sheer bronze metallic fabric, or a translucent burgundy silk. No dressmaker details required: have the sheers hemmed with chain weights (a string of tiny metal beads), and hang as simply as possible.
Tip: Sheers, because they lack a protective opaque lining, can have a slow hut ultimately fatal reaction to sun. Your sheers may need replacing in a couple of years, especially if you face south.

Good curtain is like a favorite dress. It drapes handsomely, looks well made even if it’s Shaker-simple, tempts you to touch the fabric, and suits the window it was made for.

How do you decide what your windows should wear? Here is a good advice: if the room has a lot going for it-great art, furniture, or architecture-you should simplify the window treatments; If the room is not that outstanding, go ahead and really decorate the window.

Remember that dressing your living room windows is a little like getting dressed up yourself for the theater: finery isn’t required, but a certain attention must be paid to style, quality, and tailoring. You can do without frills and formality, which in the language of curtains means swags, jabots, and voluptuous valances. But good fabrics, modern furniture and good construction, are essential.

You can boost a low ceiling using color contrasts. Paint the walls darker than the ceiling (use any two colors, or shades of a color, that you wish). Then, using the darker wall color, paint a 6-inch-wide border all the way around the edge of the ceiling, as if framing it. The central, lighter area of the ceiling will now look higher.

To magnify the effect, leave 6 inches of white space between the edges of the ceiling and your darker painted frame. The central framed area, now smaller, will look even higher.