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Project: A Chaska living room.
Positives: Dark walls, no light and too much furniture.
Negatives: Large windows, neutral carpeting and a nicely landscaped yard.
This Chaska living room was short on space and had too many furnishings and accessories competing with dark walls.
"The room felt heavy and over-burdened," said Lori Matzke of Centerstagehome.com. "We wanted to make the room feel much more spacious and calm, while drawing the buyer's attention directly to the windows and the view."
Here's what she did to redirect the focus to the big windows and pleasant back yard.
Matzke moved the large chest in front of the windows to the kitchen, where there is more space for a large piece. The shift opens the layout and creates a more balanced flow of furnishings between the living room and adjoining kitchen.
The heavy green drapes and panels had to go. And because darker paint colors are difficult to touch up, the window hardware stayed in place. Sheer panels in a soft taupe let more light into the room without compromising privacy. Washing the windows and screens is always a good way to bring in more natural light. Taking the screens off and storing them during the winter is an even better way to brighten a room.
To eliminate distractions, Matkze cleared out two-thirds of the accessories, including the wall-mounted vases over the sofa and silk greenery atop the entertainment center. The vases grabbed attention from the windows, while the silk greenery only emphasized the TV set.
The sofa was angled to subtly direct a prospective buyer's eye to the view. The entertainment center was moved 6 inches down the wall and angled to mimic the sofa. And the secretary was moved a foot down the wall for balance, as well. While the large coffee table took up too much space and felt clunky within such small confinements, it added the right amount of weight to a nearly empty lower-level family room. A small bench that had felt out of place in the kitchen stands in as a coffee table and helps to visually open up the room. The brown velvet chair was angled across the room to help balance out the windows while still allowing buyers an open view.
A gold ceramic table lamp on a walnut chest adds light. And a tall sofa table and lamp (not shown) behind the couch ensures that all corners of the dark room are well-lit.
Throw pillows from a secondary bedroom soften the look, and silk greens add a little life.
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