Here's something pretty cool I came across: http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/blueprint/2007/05/posted_by_petra.html

I poked around the company's website, and the gist of it is that you send them a photo of a room in your house and for $75 they'll send you back a photo of how you could redecorate it. It sounds like a reasonable price and probably very handy for the decoratorily-challenged (yeah, I know that's not a word). If I had $75 laying around I might be tempted to try that for my living-room/dining-room/entryway area.



We just moved the furniture around, so that picture is out of date, but I could use some suggestions for how to paint an area that is really three different "rooms" that share walls. I'd also like to get rid of that awful wall unit without sacrificing the storage space it gives us.

Lisa

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Lisa Clarke
Polka Dot Creations - Jewelry, Gifts & Other Neat Stuff by Lisa Clarke
The Polka Dot Cottage - Celebrating Home, Hearth and Creative Pursuits
Polka Dot Radio - Alternative Folk, 1990's, Indie Pop

One of the things you can do is paint a single wall (or three - do it in odd numbers, because even looks wrong) just to make it pop. Arrange things so that there are other things to focus on (furniture, art or plant arrangements, etc.) One wall that draws the eye can define a room even if it's part of a larger area. You can also divide the room up with breakfronts, console tables, any low furniture that is about the same height as the sofas, putting the furniture behind the seats with the storage facing the other room and some decorative items on top to break up the space and pretty up both areas - plants, art that looks good from several angles, just not things like framed photos that look awful in the back. If you keep the furniture all kind of low, using the decorative items to provide different heights, you could even paint the ceiling a coordinating color and use neutral window treatments and make it seem close and cozy even while opening up the space.

Just my 2 cents' worth. . .