Master bedroom by Shannon Polen of Creating Avalon Christine Selk, who becomes the editor of H+G this month, wanted a place in her new bedroom to curl up with a book, but she couldn't figure out where to put a chair and lamp. The king-size bed, dresser, nightstands and two bookshelves just about filled the entire room. The room seemed small to Polen, and a large wall behind the bed needed something to pull the eye up. A small alcove filled by two bookshelves could be the perfect spot for a reading nook, and Polen wanted to introduce another pattern to the room. "Love the bookshelves. . . . Bookshelves as nightstands -- brilliant," Selk says, adding she could not believe how much space the bookshelves had eaten up. Both Selk and her daughter, Mia Hunt, like the chaise best. It is now a place to sit and read or just hang out -- all in the same room that used to feel small. > Take inventory of what you like and what you don't like. > Show your life through your travel souvenirs or family keepsakes.

> Paint isn't just for walls. "Paint is like makeup; makes everything look better." > Lighting is crucial; Polen painted the bookshelves a pale green and covered the inside with green and white wrapping paper, bringing in a hint of color and pattern. She placed the shelves on either side of the bed, making them function as nightstands and display cases. Polen brought in a chaise longue, paired it with a small table Selk had used as a nightstand and put both in the alcove. Carpet And Flooring Steam CleanerShe added a floor lamp and pillows and grouped some pictures on the wall to create a cozy reading nook. T Shirt Printing Silver Spring MdOn the wall behind the bed, Polen hung a wood valance to cover a curtain rod from which she hung two chocolate panels and a series of small, decorative mirrors that Selk already had.Turman Hardwood Flooring Reviews

Polen shopped at discount and craft stores. Here's her breakdown: chandelier, $39.99; wood for valance, $4.31 (shown right); Shannon Polen of Creating Avalon Liz Dahl, a copy editor for H+G, was eager for advice on dealing with her 20-foot ceilings and tall windows. The expansive wall over the fireplace seemed perfect for a large piece of art, but she wondered what to do on the nearby wall. "Two pieces of art seem to just be screaming at each other," Dahl says. She also wasn't sure that she was using family heirlooms in the best way, and the couch posed another problem. But at the same time, I can never come to terms with what to do with it. I just throw stuff on it." In the dining room, Dahl had a hard time deciding what should go on the large wall above the buffet. She hung a mirror once, but it reflected nothing of interest, so she took it down. George was taken by the large scale and big bones of the house and wanted to bring out that drama. Saying the artwork was too diminutive for the space, she suggested that grouping some pieces might create bigger impact.

She loved the large windows and wanted to play up the rooms' architectural qualities. "This looks really cool," Dahl says, immediately pointing to the grouping of mirrors over the buffet in the dining room. Seeing the nearly 5-foot-tall monk's horn perched on the buffet, she smiles and says she never would have thought to use it that way. > Simplifying rooms creates cleaner, more inviting spaces. > Group similar objects together. > Keep furniture and accessories in scale with the room's size and ceiling height. "It's all about scale," George says, explaining that she took some of her initial cues from a large, black wrought-iron chandelier in the entry. Its size and modern lines sent a clear signal, as did a lot of the family's belongings. Dahl's idea of hanging a mirror over the buffet was on target, but George went a step further by hanging 12 identical mirrors on a grid. While adding architectural interest and bouncing light, the grouping is not overbearing because it's in scale with the room, George says.

She also spiked the scale by extending a telescoping monk's horn from Tibet (which had been closed and sat next to the fireplace) to make a tall statement on the buffet. Other similarly colored items finished out the buffet, and a lamp from the family room added light. In the living room, two leather chairs were brought in to replace chairs Dahl disliked. George wanted to reposition the sofa so that it faced the fireplace, created a tighter furniture grouping and took advantage of the windows. But the large couch acted as a barrier from the entry, so they traded it for one from the family room. A smaller blank wall became the canvas to group together some of Dahl's artwork. George shopped at discount stores to come up with these additions: two paintings, $89.95 each(shown above); two floor lamps, $39.99 each; slipper chairs, $159 each; two pillows, $19.99 each; six pillow slipcases, $7.99 each; two gold mirrors, $12 each; 12 framed mirrors, $20 each (shown below); and five orchids, $12.99 each.

3. FUNCTION OF A ROOM Family room by Todd McAllister with On Stage Fine Residential Staging As a writer for H+G, I had two problems: how to arrange the furniture in my family room and whether to risk letting my readers know that I was stumped. No false pride here. With a wall of windows, a fireplace and television, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of options for the furniture. If you were in the room, you were watching TV; the room was not inviting for anything else. "There's a lot going on here," McAllister said, adding that one of the most important things about restyling a room is getting rid of clutter. The room was clearly too focused on the television, which made it a bad place to entertain. McAllister liked the red but wanted to "knock it down a bit. Every room needs a little black." He also wanted to break up the room's square grid. I couldn't believe how much more inviting he'd made the room. Moving the bar made it a destination; you want to walk across the room to it.

You're no longer held hostage by the TV, but you can clearly see it from the couch. Since the change-up, I've entertained guests with cocktails and snacks in the family room, something I wouldn't have done before. Make the room work for how you use it (or want to use it). Don't line the furniture against the walls. Rooms feel larger when you can move around the furniture. Every room needs a touch of black to anchor it. McAllister, with an assist from his colleague Aaron Owen, removed my love seat, coffee table and end table, as well as the knickknacks and books that had collected on the shelves. He also got rid of the desk. He kept the sofa but turned it on an angle, adding two club chairs on either side. He brought in three tables: a sofa table with two lamps; a small, round end table; and a chunky, dark-brown coffee table to anchor it all. He kept my bar idea -- a repurposed bookshelf -- but moved it farther into the room and propped two small bar stools in front of it.