Reclaiming Your Living Room - Making It Your Own
by Joey Pebble

Description: Tips for bringing together a sense of style in your living room to make it your own space.

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It is easy to lose track of your living room. The most active space in the house, it gets used a lot, by a lot of people, and this can make things a bit ruffled. Each person tends to bring their own personal environment with them, which can have a lasting effect on the permanent living room environment, and not always a positive one.

Not only does the room get dirty, but it also tends to attract clutter. Old newspapers, TV guides, unread mail, and magazines, all very useful to you and your family and friends at some point, can quickly turn into densely scattered waste that can resemble the aftermath of some giant clutter bomb.

Beyond that you also often have to share the space with the rest of the family. If you have children you will probably also have to share the space with video games, toys, and large garishly colored bins. If there are other adults in the house you might have to make room for anything from large eyesore high end electronics, to brazenly hued hand made quilts. In such a situation, your living rooms personality can get a little muddled.

What about your living room? What about the beauty and passion that you envision within this space? Doesn't your voice matter?

The solution is to organize and to compromise. You have to make peace with the people you will be sharing your living room with, both those who live there and those who are just visiting. In this way, you can achieve a certain balance in the room that will make it comfortable for everyone, without having to sacrifice anyone's style.

First, you have to come to agreement about certain colors and features. This can usually be done by simply hiding or downplaying offensive elements.

If there are large and unattractive electronics with wild medusa like wires splaying out of them, you can try hiding them behind a TV cabinet. These cabinets can be quite handsome, and are made to match just about any style you choose. They often have a variety of compartments, which can allow you not only to store electronics, but also to organize your cd, dvd, and media collections.

Other offending items, such as blankets or pillows, can be stored in attractive chests, or even free standing cabinets and closets.

Similar obscuring techniques can help to hide unattractive chairs or couches. Just drape your favorite blanket or a nice piece of cloth over them and they can retain their comfort without acting as an eyesore.

As far as dealing with clutter, the most effective method is to provide as many containers, receptacles, and bins as you possibly can. Pay attention to where the clutter forms, and then place some sort of strategic organizational accessory there instead. If clutter is tossed in a bin rather than left on a table, it is at least partially hidden. It is also contained, ensuring that the mess doesn't spread any further.

Finally, use subtle but powerful accents to inject your own personality into the space. The use of wall art, sculptures, and other decorative pieces can allow you to set the tone of the space, and can even be a way of expressing your own inner beauty through the environment around you.

This article was written by Joey Pebble. An artist and designer, Joey is well known for his work on PebbleArt's line of decorative natural stone clocks, as well as his various other designs which use natural stone materials to create attractive home products.

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