room reset challenge | part 2 | time to play

by | Oct 20, 2015 | All Things Home, Decorating, decorating dilemmas | 15 comments

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In part one of the room reset challenge, we took everything out of the room except for large pieces of furniture, rugs and curtains that are definitely staying.  If you were on the fence about something, it came out of the room.

While the walls are bare and the room is mostly empty, it’s a good time to paint the walls, if needed, and if you know the direction you want to take the room.  If you’re not ready to paint, hold off until you’re sure.  This is a good time to spackle holes in the wall and such, though.

So, now you’ve made a big mess while taking everything out of the room, but it’s worth it, because now comes to fun part.

It’s time to play with your space.

It’s really helpful if you have a friend who can help you with this part.  This is the time when you can try things out, even if they seem a little nutty.  Especially if they seem a little nutty!  Sometimes it’s those crazy, out-of-the-box ideas end up being brilliant.  They can also end up being stupid, but that’s totally okay.  This is the time to try it out.

I’ve done this a lot in my family room.  I’ve had the sofa in the same spot for nine years, but it’s not for lack of trying other things.  I’ve moved it around enough and moved it back again to satisfy my curiosity about it.

Try positioning pieces of furniture at an angle.  Try floating furniture away from the wall.  Try swapping pieces with other rooms (this is where it’s helpful to have a friend, too!)  Break up sets and sectionals.  Rethink things…can a trunk be a coffee table?  Can a bookshelf be put on its side to become a sofa table?  Can a stack of plates or a pretty quilt become wall art?  Would the pillows from the bedroom work in the living room?  What if you turn your breakfast nook into a keeping room?  Or move a table into the family room for casual meals and games?

Are you catching on?

This is all about rethinking your stuff and trying to look at your home with fresh eyes.  This is what makes a room reset fun (and slightly addictive), so take your time with it.

And resist the urge to put everything back in the room just as it was.  That turns the room reset into a pretty pointless exercise.

“Hey honey.  What did you do today?”

“Well, I rearranged the living room.”

“Oh, okay.  But it looks exactly the same…”

“Yes, well, I rearranged it and then I rearranged it all back.”

“Mm-hmm…  Why did you do that?”

“Well, on Miss Mustard Seed’s blog, she said that…”

And then your husband cocks his head and smiles at you as though you suffer from an affliction.

“You really need to stop reading that blog.”

And neither one of us want that to happen, right?  Right.

mms-0630

Once you have the large pieces of furniture in place, it’s time to add in the accessories to bring the room to life.  Shop the house, shop your basement, shop your closets, shop the pile you intended for the yard sale.  Use as much of what you have as possible…maybe a roll of fabric that’s been languishing in your stash can become a tablecloth or an old bedspread can become a shower curtain, throw a quilt over that ratty chair…get creative and you might be surprised!

Just play and ignore those voices that tell you it won’t work.  Just try it.  If you don’t like it, try something different.  I know, for me, it’s nice to have a visual, so I’ll lean things up, drape fabric over furniture or clip it to a curtain rod…

It helps me a lot with making decisions…

Once the accessories are looking the way you want, it’s time to put a couple of lists together.

We’ll talk about that in part 3

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    15 Comments

    1. Karen

      I think I can safely say I am addicted to your blog. I stayed up past my bedtime tonight waiting on today’s post! LOL Great tips!

    2. Wendy from OldLakeGeorge.com

      AMEN!!! Every one of your points is so on task.
      My husband WILL be reading this post.
      There is no harm in trying the furniture in a new spot. Miss Mustard Seed said so. 🙂

    3. Terri

      Love the reset idea. I have been rearranging furniture since I was a kid (my bedroom). I remember one time several years ago hauling (and I do mean h-a-u-l-i-n-g) my pie safe up the stairs by myself because hubs was gone and the kids didn’t want to help. It’s truly an addiction and I good one!

    4. Lauren Baxter

      Great little series 🙂 I used to do this a lot or just rearrange my bedroom when I lived at home growing up (my parents loved that one 😉 It really does help with ideas and trying things that are the “norm”

      Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
      xx

    5. Joanne B.

      So true! You MUST live with a rearrangement for a few days before you know for sure if it will work or that you like it! Dint give in to “oh, it’ll never work” or ” I like it better the other way!” And don’t let other family members sway you one way or the other. As humans we are inherently opposed to change, but once we find a new, better way, we will be resistant to change THAT. And the best part? It’s FREE!

    6. Amy K

      This is such awesome advice! I have 3 rooms that I’m going to give this a try in. Thanks for making us open our eyes to use the things we love in other ways.

    7. Cindy

      Omg, so fun! I have to go back and read part 1! I love room resets… wish i had a good friend to play with like you do! Mr. Fracturedfairytale is no fun at all with this kind of stuff!

      Cindy

    8. Angie M

      Thank you so much for all the tips! I’m working on resetting and making over my mother’s house and this will help.

    9. Andrea

      I absolutely love seeing pictures of your home. It is so beautiful and I appreciate you sharing some of your secrets too. Now I am off to search your blog….I love your ottoman you are using as a coffee table and am hoping to find where you purchased it! I need it to put at the end of my bed!!!! cant wait to see more!

    10. MaryLisa Noyes

      I love to change my furniture around. I go to a couple of my friend’s homes and they have had their stuff in the same place that it was placed in when it was delivered. I think shopping your home is the best way to kick up a space and it saves money in the long run. I am loving this segment….

    11. Dore @ BurlapLuxe

      Oh yes, a room change is great for inspiring your inner you for that moment, Chang is so good for the heart and would of a room, not to mention ones self.
      I love the change in the blue to the sofa settee and it looks amazing with the window as its back drop, a while back I came across some French table cloths from France and looks so close to your blue plaid and I made Christmas stockings out of it, I loved how they showed a whole different side to my space and made me question as to adding some color to my rooms, they are now in my etsy.

      I am working in a piece from Cindy Austin as I see you have her pieces worked into your design that speak just the right language to your room. They are just so amazing in your mix, I will be sharing my piece as soon as I finish an old antique beat up frame turning it into a piece fitting for this divine piece she painted for me.

      I am going to add you to my side bar, I really dislike these long visits missing out in between your new postings. I really Long to add color when I see homes like yours so well done.
      Wish That sofa of yours were mine 🙂
      I will return later to catch up on your older postings.

      Visit and see from a few postings down the only change I could do it switch out a cabinet and mirror French in style to not an armoire, I need a room I cam move a sofa around in, it’s so frustrating when limitations of a rooms space hold you back. So with a piece here and there changed out it helps to add a bit of change to a room with not many changes….Giving it a whole new feeling.

      See you soon.

      Xx
      Dore

    12. MJ

      I’m not so sure. I’ve lived in the same house for over 20 years, drove the same care for 13 years (and miss it still), worn the same lipstick over ten years. Kept the same husband over 30 years, and sill keep my own children, though they are in their 50s.
      Could be I’m just too old and too settled to change things too much. But I’m hoping to move to a smaller place before long and the new-old LR furniture is already in the garage, so perhaps timing is everything?
      It’ll be interesting to see the results of MMS’s current re-set.

    13. Teresa Ross

      My husband is a woodworker and he’s always trying to talk me into using finishes he likes and I’m always “well, Miss Mustard Seed said this…” Lol! Drives him crazy. Anywho, love this idea of a room reset. My family room could use it. And I love all these post series you’re doing!

    14. Bryarton Farm

      I think one of the keys to your rooms always looking so beautiful is your strict color palette. Because you stick to 4 or 5 colors and focus on texture your home seems light and cohesive. Love it!

    15. Tanya, Ever After Cottage

      I have absolutely done a complete rearrange, only to put everything back exactly where it was, more than once. Small rooms sometimes only lend themselves to one furniture arrangement, but it sure is fun trying to find another one. Plus, moving everything helps with cleaning spaces I don’t normally get to. But yes, when Husband comes home and can’t figure out why I’m so tired from moving all the things because they’re right back where they were when he left, well, he does look at me a little funny. 🙂

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