Decorating
Meeting The Challenges Of Settling In: Decorating Tips To Jumpstart A New Home's Cozy, Lived-In Look
By
Sep 7, 2005, 18:49

(NAPSI)-Americans are on the move as never before, with the housing market on track to post a record year in home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors.

"Today's home buyers are a diverse group, but they share the desire to settle in quickly after a move and create a family-based home center with an inviting, lived-in quality," says designer Doug Krieger from Sauder.

Krieger and his design team offer decorating tips for transforming a new house into a home as soon as possible.

• Choose warm background colors, wood-toned finishes and traditional styles to establish a solid, centered feeling. "There's something almost fundamental in our yearning for wood and mellow hues in our dwellings," Kreiger notes. "And designs from past centuries often boast architectural details such as molding and arches that establish an immediate sense of substance":

• Create an activity center geared to family togetherness, Krieger suggests. Equip this gathering space with comfortable furnishings, an old-fashioned game table and an adaptable home theater that will expand to accommodate future technology needs. Then celebrate this "nesting room" by establishing an all-family event, perhaps a weekly night for a family movie.

• Highlight family ties by showcasing favorite mementos such as photos, books and vacation albums. To display treasured memorabilia, look for furnishings with generous shelf space, such as Sauder's Willow Falls hutch and entertainment center.

• Transform a new home into a lively "hive" that connects your family with its new community by designating spaces for key activities. For example, outfit the basement for kid get-togethers with beanbag chairs, TV, computer and video games, Krieger suggests, and arrange the family room with intimate groupings for conversation or sports viewing. And dedicate one room as a home office, with multiple phone outlets, computer desk and filing systems for both work and community volunteer activities.

• To establish instant order in a new home, seek furnishings designed to de-clutter each room. Today's wide-range of storage-cued designs, from compact corner units to wall-spanning systems, can organize technology components, hobby equipment, crafting supplies and more.

• Make it easy to accommodate the electronic necessities of the 21st century. "Consumers have at their disposal a host of stylish, affordable ready-to-assemble furnishing options geared to hold today's technology, including the fast-changing choices in computers and televisions," Krieger notes.

American families are eager to make their new homes stable and welcoming as quickly as possible, and today's diverse furniture options help them create an almost instant sense of well-being.

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