How to get more from your living space

This is just a tiny little post to help you see your current living space in a different light.  Perhaps you would love to have a space to permanently set up your sewing machine (or painting easel or exercise equipment) but don't have an area that isn't currently being used or at least occupied.

Make a list of all the activities you want to be able to accommodate (a quiet reading corner, dining both casual and formal, sewing, sleeping, watching television, entertaining, hobbies, etc.)  Beside each item write whether or not you have a suitable space.  Decide whether there are rooms that are not serving you well, such as a guest room that gets used once or twice a year or a cozy corner that would be perfect for a comfy reading chair but it is currently home to a few large house plants or to a piano that never gets played  The key is to create an environment that is functional first and beautiful second. 

When my husband and I bought our home nearly twenty years ago, we loved the location, a quiet street in a nice neighbourhood close to schools and extended family.  The house is 1150 sq. ft. (107 sq. meters) certainly not large.  What I missed most was not having a formal dining room and because we had a very large sectional sofa, which we later replaced with two very bulky loveseats, I never even seriously considered that my living room was plenty large enough to serve as both dining room and living room.  Silly me.

Earlier this summer in order to create a space for a painting workshop that would accommodate several artists during the summer months; we got rid of all the living room furniture and replaced it with work tables, easels, and folding chairs.

Now that the workshop is wrapped up for this year and without furniture to put back into the room, the space became a huge blank canvas.  We began to think about what we wanted to do in the room.  Our list looked something like this: snuggle in front of the wood stove during the winter, a place to read, knit, relax, small scale entertaining and if possible a place to share a meal by the fire.

After much hauling of furniture I am delighted with our new (way more functional) space.

Here are photos of the space past and present.

two bulky loveseats gobble up lots of space

Light and airy perfect for painting and creating

size savvy furniture allows better use of space and the room still feels spacious

With autumn just around the corner, why not create spaces that will allow you and your family to pursue hobbies and activities that enrich your lives?

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a pleasant day,

Sandra