Is Right-Sizing Right for You?

Filed under: Kitchen, Bedroom, Your Home, Bathroom, Living Room, Projects, Design, etc, News & Trends, Experts

Learn how to live more fully in your space with this smart advice on "Right-Sizing" your home.

Remember Goldilocks? She was a bit of a voyeur, who had an interest, oh...maybe an obsession, with looking inside other people's homes. In fact, she was so enamored with one particular cottage that she barged on in, even though no one was home. The harmless trespasser explored the entire house. She tasted the food, tested the furniture, even slept in a bed. And while some things did not suit her one bit, Goldilocks discovered that other things were "just right."

Gale Steves, lifestyle observer, former magazine editor, and author, is also curious, and has been on a similar path of figuring out what's right and what's not in the American home. Steves' research methods, however, are different. She knocked on the doors of 300 family members, friends and friends of friends, and asked a bunch of questions pertaining to lifestyle wants and needs. She synthesized her findings into a book she titled "Right-Sizing Your Home: How to Make Your House Fit Your Lifestyle."

"Right-Sizing" is a user-friendly, interactive book with the intention of guiding readers toward living more fully in their own homes. Since moving isn't always the best answer -- especially now in times of economic insecurity, Steves says that "Right-sizing is about the art of 're'". She is on a mission to help homeowners rediscover, reinvent and rearrange their homes to accommodate their present lifestyle. Right-sizing doesn't necessarily require a radical renovation or spending mucho bucks. It does call for an attitude adjustment, a little bit of sweat and ingenuity.

Though the exact details and aesthetics of right-sizing will vary per household, Steves detected a collective conscience. People in all sorts of homes, grand and modest, shared similar frustrations and desires. They wanted more storage, less clutter and for their space to function more efficiently.

Right-sizing may be as simple as moving the furniture around. It can be about converting the function of a room or about creating several areas in a single space. It may mean adding a few electrical outlets or designing a storage system. Right-sizing not only works for restructuring what's already there, it is also a valuable approach to a new building project. However it's embraced, Steves aims to guide people toward living more fully in their own homes. Here, her top five rooms that are ripe for right-sizing -- and photos of how beautiful the solution can look.

THE KITCHEN
The Problem: The mantra "Bigger is Better!" isn't working out in the kitchen because the cook is wiped out from all that running around before the meal is even served.
The Solution: Decrease energy expenditure and increase efficiency by modeling the cooking area after the methodical restaurant-style chef's line where food service and prep areas are sensibly related. Add purpose to wasteful expanses of floor by introducing a second island, an eat-in table, or additional counter space.



THE FORMAL DINING ROOM

The Problem: Existing floor plans and pushy realtors insist that a formal dining room is still the right thing to have even though home entertaining style has become more casual.
The Solution: Reevaluate the dining room and look to diversify its purpose. The dining room can, for example, double as a home office whereas the table becomes a roomy desk and a wall of cabinetry can store china and linens, as well as books, files and equipment.



THE FAMILY ROOM

The Problem: The over-scaled proportions of the family room are not conducive to comfy and cozy living.
The Solution: Manage the space. Rework the furniture and accessories to create different areas. A sectional is a great way to carve out a niche while securing plenty of seating. Area rugs also help define sections and will help buffer noise. Enhance the relaxed mood with ambient lighting rather than spotty overheads.



THE MASTER BEDROOM

The Problem: Clutter makes the bedroom feel less like a sanctuary and more like a penitentiary.
The Solution: Rediscover the open and airy vibe by first weeding out unworn clothes and dust collectors. Think about expanding the closet to make a dressing room and then move the heavy furnishings like dressers and chests into that space. A smaller but less cluttered bedroom could be the ticket to a more peaceful room.




THE MASTER BATH

The Problem: What was mistaken for luxury in the bath -- his and her stylish pedestal sinks, for example -- has ended up forfeiting precious space for toiletries.
The Solution: Reclaim space for essentials by swapping out freestanding pedestals for above-counter bowls that can accommodate a countertop. Mineral tones lend that spa luxury feeling.

 

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