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What's Your (Room's) Function? My client was a creative, busy mother who freelanced out of her home. She and her family had purchased a new house in an established neighborhood months before my visit. Although the furniture and accessories had been delivered and put in the proper rooms, she had not been able to complete the move-in. She called me in to help her pull together some of the spaces in the house, and to make a punch list of things to purchase or change to completely settle her in. Her living room had soaring ceilings, great light and was very spacious. She had quite a mixture of furnishings and accessories, which she’d left in disarray. She was stressed by the rigors of her daily life, and she didn’t know how to start. Our challenge was to create a pulled-together room to be used for social gatherings and as a place to play the piano. 
Before • It was hard to tell what went on in this room … Exercise, maybe? The odds-and-ends furniture pieces were haphazardly placed and didn’t seem to relate to each other. We needed to define the room’s purpose and to set up the furniture accordingly. • The room had lots to look at but nothing to focus on. The space would feel more balanced and harmonious if we created a focal point. • There were loads of accessories strewn about, but they needed editing and careful placement. • We needed to de-clutter. After • I asked my client what she’d like to do in the room. She wanted it to be a place for social gatherings, to have easy access to the piano and for it to look beautiful when she walked by. Once we knew the room’s function, it was easy to set up the furniture. We angled the couch across from a pair of blue chairs (now out of view in the lower left corner) for comfortable conversation and removed things that blocked access into the room and to the piano. We unrolled her richly patterned rug and positioned it under the arrangement for more cohesion and color. Now you can tell what happens here! • The fireplace was the natural focal point, but we needed to draw more attention to it. We removed the tiny accessories from the mantel and positioned a large, colorful painting over the fireplace to anchor the room. This piece is strong enough to hold your gaze and also picks up on the colors in the room. • With the furniture arranged and the color scheme established, we “shopped” amongst her accessories. We left the narrow mantel naked but dressed the hearth and the tea table with items that picked up on the room’s antique look. • We boxed up anything that didn’t support the room’s function and didn’t fit the décor. Clutter be gone! 
Tips Here are my suggestions for decorating your home after a move-in: • Once your furniture and artwork are in the proper rooms, pick one room to start in and stay in it until it’s done. Don’t wander off and start unpacking in another room! • Ask yourself: “What will we do in this room?” When you know what happens in the room you can decide what will support that activity and remove anything that doesn’t. • Arrange the furniture around a focal point and in a way that supports the room’s activities. • Notice the predominant colors and the overall style of the room. Select accessories that reflect the room’s color scheme and personality. • Remove clutter and accessories that don’t work.
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Kit Davey, an interior designer based in Redwood City, Calif., helps clients redecorate their homes through the creative use of their existing furnishings. E-mail Kit your questions: 
