Is Your Home Relaxing?

Small-Space Sanity Savers

Problem: Your house is too small. You have too much stuff. It looks cluttered and feels claustrophobic. You find it hard to keep tidy.

Solutions: Be ruthless and get rid of any unnecessary furniture.

• Use garage sale proceeds to buy something more suitable.

• If you have family heirlooms you feel compelled to keep, put them in storage or lend them to friends for a few years.

• Be creative about which rooms pieces should go in. A beautiful dresser would be just as at home in a dining or living room as in a bedroom.

In small spaces, focus on vertical storage.

• Armoires, tall bookshelves, and tall filing cabinets can store out-of-season or heirloom items.

• Add extra shelving in the top portion of closets.

Select and arrange furniture for maximum flexibility and usefulness.

• When choosing seats, avoid a sofa-and-loveseat combo. Replace the loveseat with two chairs.

• Consider using an apartment-size sofa, which is smaller scale than a standard sofa.

• Keep an eye out for clever furniture such as a drop-leaf table that serves as a side table when leaves are down, but provides extra dining space when needed.