One of the things that I enjoy about doing interior redesign is that you have to think and decorate on the fly. If you really want a creative and unique design when decorating, you need to think out-of-the-box. How many times have you brainstormed and from the silliest things came the greatest ideas?

When I teach my students, they are so nervous about trying something new in the beginning. What I ask them is, “What is the worst thing that can happen?” The answer is that the homeowner doesn’t like it and we move it back. That is the wonderful thing about interior redesign: nothing ventured, nothing gained and nothing lost.

So, let’s look at some of the more common items that we all have in our homes and see how we can think out-of-the-box and be creative on the fly with our furniture.

Just because you bought a piece of furniture for the entry in your last house doesn’t mean that’s where it must live out its life in every home. A nightstand is a nightstand only because it’s the label the manufacturer placed on it.

Is you family room overflowing at the seams with too many pieces of furniture, i.e., big-screen TV, kids’ game table and desk? Do you not have any place for a home office but have an empty living room, dining room or extra bedroom? What are you waiting for to make your home function?

Many times I hear, “We really don’t plan on using these rooms very much, so we want to wait to furnish them.” What? Sorry, that just doesn’t make sense to me. Just because the builder labeled the rooms as the formal living and dining room doesn’t mean that’s how they have to be furnished and used. It’s important to use all of the space and items in your home so that they work for you now, no matter what labels have been placed on them.

So let’s look at other ideas on using furniture pieces.

• Do you have a three-shelf-high bookcase? Place it on top of a buffet and it becomes a china hutch, as shown in the accompanying picture.
• Do you need a dresser but have a buffet? It has doors and drawers just like a dresser.
• Don’t have a nightstand? Well they don’t have to match. Instead you can use any number of pieces, including:
• End table. You really don’t need a table next to every arm of your upholstery; just make sure each seat has someplace that you can reach to place a drink.
• Stacking tables or nesters. These are one of my favorite pieces of furniture; they are multifunctional and perfect for every room. Since there are two or three pieces to a set, you can use one in your family room and one in your bedroom.
• Decorative shelf. No one said that a nightstand has to have legs. Plus it will get your alarm clock off the floor.
• Bookcase. That three-shelf-high bookcase that you thought about using as a china hutch can be brought into the bedroom as a nightstand.

Do you have a long and narrow bedroom with lots of space at the end of the bed? Let’s be creative with the space and put it to use.

You can create an additional seating area. Bring in the two arm chairs that you don’t use in the dining room and place a small table in between them.

Create an additional work area. Now I don’t like to suggest bringing work into the bedroom, as that really should be your place to retreat and relax at night, but if you really need a private place to work and don’t have space anywhere else in the house, you can add it here. One rule though is that the area must be kept neat and clean so that you don’t see the piles of things you need to do each day staring you in the face every night.

Create an additional eating place. Why not bring the bistro set that you have in the yard into the bedroom? Now you have an extra place to have your coffee in the morning on your days off.

Create an additional hobby space. Do you like to do puzzles but don’t have the room anywhere else? Bring in a card table and folding chairs to start. Then look around for a sale on a nicer set when you’re ready.

Flying with your tables in the upright and locked position

Have you found an old table to use in your entry at a yard sale but it needs to be refinished and you don’t have the time? Well, go no further than your linen cabinet and you’ll probably find at least one of these things to disguise the table’s condition, along with adding some color and texture besides using a table cloth.

• Drape a sheet over the table and puddle the excess underneath.
• Crisscross two table runners across the table
• Drape a chenille throw and let the fringe hang off the sides.
• Any extra fabric in the sewing basket? Pull it out and tuck the raw edges under. Pin tassels on each corner to dress it up.
• Have any duvet covers or quilts in the closet? Instant table cloth.
• How about the drapery panels or sheers that you’ve just never hung up?

Using what you have to is the most economical way to decorate your home until you can buy what you want. Don’t let the fact that you can’t afford it now stop you from enjoying your home.

Here’s the link to Part 2 - Creative ideas on the fly to dress up your walls and bring in your finishing touches: accessories.

http://www.gmjinteriors.com/2010/04/12/creativity-on-the-fly-part-2-finishing-touches-can-be-creative-works-of-art/

DEAR ROBIN: Reupholstering is one solution to refresh your sofa and chair, but you need to take a couple things into consideration first before you start. Reupholstering most times is less expensive than buying new. I say most times because there are a couple price factors involved in reupholstering that will affect the total cost to reupholster a piece. First, are the pieces you’re considering the style you want to keep for the next 10 years? If you’re going to invest in reupholstering pieces, you’ll want to keep them for quite a few years in order to recoup the costs.

Were they good quality pieces when you bought them? Are the frame, springs, and cushions still in good condition? In my opinion, unless the pieces were good quality pieces to start with, I would not suggest reupholstering them. An exception to that thought is if the piece holds special memories or meaning to you. Maybe it was your grandmother’s favorite chair or is a special piece that you bought when you were in Germany. Now a days you can purchase fairly inexpensive upholstery, so if you paid less than around $1,000 for the two pieces to begin with, they are probably not worth reupholstering because you can buy new.

In estimating how much it will cost to reupholster, let’s look at your sofa. Since you didn’t mention the size, let’s assume it is an average size sofa of 86 inches long by 36 inches deep, exposed feet, loose back cushions in good condition. The two costs that you’ll have are fabric and labor. If you select a plain solid fabric that is 54 inches wide, you’ll need approximately 15 to 17 yards of fabric depending upon the style of the sofa. If you’re looking to select a print fabric that has a pattern repeat, you’ll need to add another 10% to 35% more fabric depending upon how large the pattern repeat is. Now fabric has a very wide price range, from just dollars per yard to over a hundred. Let’s take an average price of $35.00 per yard which will give you a good selection to choose from. Along with the fabric, you have your labor costs. Reupholsters range in price also from about $30.00 to $40.00 per yard, plus may or may not have pick-up and delivery charges.

So let’s do some calculations using the average yardage, fabric and labor costs so you can compare reupholstering to buying new. If your sofa needs 16 yards of solid fabric, the fabric costs $35.00 per yard, the reupholster charges $35.00 per yard and has only a one pick-up and delivery charge of $ 25.00; it will cost $ 1,145.00 to reupholster your sofa. If you only paid $1,000 for the piece and it does not hold any special memories, I would suggest buying new. You would be able to update the style, have a tight new frame and new cushions. But if you originally purchased a good quality piece for a couple thousand dollars or more, that still has a good tight frame and the springs and cushions are still in excellent condition, you might consider reupholstering it. I have many clients that have reupholstered a piece two or three times because it was a good piece or has special memories.

Now if buying new or the cost to reupholstering is not in your budget, you can also consider slipcovers to completing change the look of your pieces. A fitted slipcover will cost about the same as reupholstering as you need the same amount of fabric, although the labor cost will be a bit less. But you can have a loose cover made or purchase a ready-made for just a couple hundred dollars. Reupholstering is a wonderful way to transform a piece of furniture and extend its life, but just make sure it is the right choice for you and your particular piece.

DEAR JONI: It is so hard to keep up with our homes when we work, have a family and also need down time. Heck, it’s just me, my husband, our sheltie and birds and I have trouble keeping up. So I take my hat off to all those with children; I don’t know how you do it. But here are some ideas and things that I’ve done that should help.

p>First, I want it out of sight as much as possible but handy. So my favorite clutter-control items are small-to-medium boxes, baskets, bins and storage drawers. They can’t be so big that they create a pile that I have to dig through to get to the bottom, like some of those giant one-pocket purses. I want to be able to easily get to what I want without moving more than one thing out of the way. Now, my husband will tell you that I can really pack things in, and I do with storage items in the garage or closets, but not for everyday items. I’m OK to move a couple of boxes to get to my holiday decorations, we only have so much space and I use it well.

I use decorative boxes and baskets with lids if they are going to be in plain sight; I don’t want to see what I’m storing, like remote controls. At the end of the night I gather them up, because we have way too many, and put them in the box until tomorrow. If you find that the remotes are just getting placed on top of the box, then use one without a top; there’s a better chance that they’ll at least get inside the box and off the table.

If you have a side or coffee table with drawers, use them for your everyday items, such as remotes, magazines, TV guide and pens. Drawers are great, but like everything else they can become a hole, so use drawer organizers to keep them tidy. Once you have to start digging for something, it’s time to empty the drawer and reorganize it.

Buy baskets, boxes, bins and storage drawers that stack; place these inside door storage you have in the room. This allows you to quickly get what you want and put it away. If you just stack items on top of each other behind the doors, it becomes a junk pile that topples out when you open the doors. I personally like small plastic bins and storage drawers. They’re inexpensive and durable.

For the items I get out on a daily basis, I place them in a bin that I put on top of the drawer. I can grab it, get what I want and put it back. They also work great under your kitchen and bathroom counters. There’s no more losing what’s in the back of the cabinets or buying things you don’t need just because you can’t seem to find them. It was the best thing I’ve ever done to keep those areas organized and clean.

One of my all-time favorites is storage ottomans. At the end of the night our feet are up and if I’m cold, a blanket is right there. It’s where we place our Wii controls, accessories and games; they’re easy to get at and off the table.

Do you have stacks of magazines? Maybe it’s time to weed through them. How often do you really look through all of them? But if you’re just a keeper, store them in magazine holders in a bookcase instead of piled on the floor or table. If they’re overtaking the area, keep in mind that most magazines are online, plus you can search to find that article you thought about, which might take days to find in your pile. It’s just a thought.

For newspapers, I place ours in an old wine crate each day. It’s decorative, they’re all in one place, off the counters and ready for recycling day.

Family rooms are one of the most used rooms in our homes, so things need to be tidy, but handy. As the saying goes, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” It will help bring peace to your home, reduce your cleaning time and frustration when looking for something, because you’ll know where it is.

DEAR DONNA: What you’re watching is called Interior Arranging, Makeovers and One-Day Decorating. It is a great way to completely change the look of a room without buying anything new. In just a couple hours and a little bit of sweat, you can have a new room.

You want to start by completely emptying the room. Remove your accessories first, your lamps, plants and then your artwork. As you are removing them, place them where they will be out of the way. You also want to keep like items grouped together. Set them up so that you can go back and shop for items, as if you were in a retail store. So all of the candlesticks would be together on the table, then frames, bowls, small accessories, etc. Do the same with the lamps by grouping together the table lamps and then floor lamps. Separate the greens and flowers and group like items. For your artwork, place by size and try not to lay them in front of each other.

Now move out your furniture. It’s best if you can get it completely out of the room. If not, move it as far out as you can. Be very careful not to hurt yourself and you should be working with a partner. We use carpet installer’s moving glides, but even the little moving discs are helpful for those heavy items. Now with the room completely emptied, it’s o.k. to take a short break, but remember everything needs to go back in. You can figure spending about 4 – 5 hours for an average sized living room.

Your next step is to stand in the middle of the room and look at each wall from floor to ceiling. Do you have any architectural focal points, like fireplaces, window views, or structural items of interest? If not, do you have a large wall where a focal point can be created with artwork or furniture? This is important because your next step is to place your largest piece of furniture, which is normally your sofa, facing your focal point.

You also want to take notice of the lines in the room. It is easiest to do this by looking down at the floor and baseboards. Do you have any angles from walls, do you have floor tiles set on a diagonal or is where your carpet and tile meet on a diagonal? Always work with any angles in the room versus against them. Don’t be afraid to place your furniture on an angle. It is what will give your room a new look and more interesting than before.

Now continue placing your furniture grouping them together. Then place your lamps. A trick is that if your lighting falls in a diagonal or even better, triangular pattern, you should have a well placed room. Place your trees and floor plants next. If there is a plug nearby, place an uplight on them for extra accent lighting.

Your next step is your artwork. You want your artwork to relate to the items around them. Don’t just have it floating on the wall. It is always best to weight it to the floor with a piece of furniture or floor plant. A very large piece without something under it will give an uneasy feeling. Also look at the wall and follow any angles when hanging the art. Always step artwork up the stairs.

The final and finishing touches are your accessories. Start with the focal areas in your room, normally the coffee table and mantel. The three things to keep in mind are height, texture and color. I also like the rule of odd numbers and asymmetrical arrangements, as they are more interesting and pleasing to the eyes. If you are uncomfortable with accessorizing, look in model homes and magazines for placement ideas to follow.

As with all decorating, it is about balance, proportion and simply how the room feels. When placing your furnishings and accessories, if something just doesn’t feel right, it probably is not properly placed. Follow your instincts and with these simple steps you will surprise and amaze your family with a new room when they come home.

DEAR J: You are doing the right thing and will be saving yourself so much time and aggravation by deciding what furniture you are going to take and where you will be placing it before moving in. It is so much easier to move around a furniture template than the furniture itself.

I do not know of any furniture-placing guide per say. But the first thing you will want to do is start with a ¼" scale drawing of your home in order to layout the furniture. Your builder may be able to provide you with a drawing to scale or possibly allow you to purchase a copy of the blueprint.

If they don’t, you can simply draw your own. You’ll need a pencil, 4 squares per inch drafting paper, ruler and a tape measure. On the drafting paper, each box will measure ¼" on your ruler and equal 1 foot, ¼" = 1′0".

Start by measuring and drawing each room and mark off the correct number of squares on your grid, remembering each grid equals 1 foot. So 6" will be half a square and 3" will be a fourth of a square. Since you are doing this for general placement purposes, do not get caught up in trying to mark of anything less than 3" or 6". If you were going to use this for any type of built-in or a furniture piece that was going to fit exacting wall to wall in a space, then exact and precise measurements would be necessary.

Next step is to mark all your architectural elements; such as windows, door openings, door swings, fireplaces, outlets, pot shelves, and switches.

With your floor plan drawn, now make templates of your furniture. Draw them out in ¼" scale with your drafting paper. You can also purchase plastic furniture templates at most office supply stores where you trace the furniture pieces onto your plan. There are also furniture stickers available over the Internet; sort of like Colorforms from years ago.

Place the cutouts on your floor plan in the following order: largest pieces, tables & chairs and then lamps and accessories.

Remember to leave adequate room for your traffic flow or the walking areas in your home. These areas need to be kept open of furniture to allow you easy access in and out of each room and around furniture. Major lanes need 3 to 6 feet of clearance and minor lanes need 1 to 3 feet of clearance. Minor lanes would be the areas in or out of a furniture grouping, such as a sofa and coffee table.

Some quick tips on placement are:

• Conversation areas should not be longer than 8 feet across.
• Have your largest piece of furniture face or address your focal point. Try not to face sofas towards each other as it can make for uncomfortable conversation. It is better to place your upholstered pieces in an "L" shape and then balance the weight by placing a chair at a 90 degree angle across from the corner of the "L".
• When placing your lighting, it should be on at least a diagonal pattern, with a triangle being best. This makes sure that your room is properly lit with no areas of seating dark. Make sure all of your seating has proper lighting and adequate table space.
• Watch and follow the architectural angles created by your walls, fireplaces, countertops and flooring. Work with them by placing your furniture on the same angles, or at 90 degrees from the angles instead of adding a different angle. Also try not to place all of your furniture against the walls. Bring them out into the room to create a more comfortable environment.
• Leave a minimum of 3′ around a nook and dining table so you have enough room behind each chair to pull it out and sit down. Also, if you will be walking behind the chairs for serving, at least 3′ feet is needed behind the chairs from where your guests are sitting.
• A 48" round table for 4 requires a minimum of 100 sqft of space, 72" table for 6 needs 144 sqft, and a 96" table for 8 needs 196 sqft.
• In your home office, you need a minimum of 3′ behind your desk for your chair and around your desk for walking.

These are just some basic furniture placement guidelines to follow. The most important things are that your home is functional and comfortable for you. What is clutter for one, may be sparse for another.

DEAR BETTY: The two focal points that you have are also two different types. Your fireplace is considered your architectural focal point and your TV a furniture focal point. Now some would cringe that I even place your TV in the focal point category, but I’m realist and in today’s lifestyle, when sitting in our family room we’re there to watch TV.

Depending upon the size of your room and any angles that you may have, I would first try angling your sofa across from the corner where the TV and fireplace meet. This way your sofa has a view of both the fireplace and the TV.

Then place your loveseat or matching chairs on a right angle to your sofa. If you need this secondary seating to have TV viewing, then place on a right angle on the fireplace side. If you would like this seating to have a better view of the fireplace, then place on the right angle by the TV. This initial arrangement should be in the form of an "L" shape.

Now to balance your arrangement, take an accent chair and place it diagonally across from the corner of the "L" shape that you have formed with your sofa and love seat. So it will either be next to the fireplace or next to the TV. This chair is not expected to be one that will be used to view your TV with, but for casual conversation while entertaining or just enjoying the family when the TV is not in use.

If you have overstuffed furniture or your room is not large enough to accommodate the angling, you need to choose your primary focal point. If it is important that you look straight onto the TV from the sofa, then center it directly across from your TV. Next place your loveseat on the right angle to form the "L" shape. The loveseat will then be facing your fireplace. Again, take that accent chair and place it diagonally across from the corner of the "L" for balance.

A nice change for your room would be to make your fireplace the primary focal point in the winter time. Follow the same steps for placing your furniture, except start by centering your sofa on your fireplace and then your loveseat will be at a right angle and facing your TV. This arrangement would also work if you have two recliners that are your primary seating for TV viewing, since they are your secondary pieces, they would be facing the TV.

A quick double check to make sure you have your furniture properly placed is that your table or floor lighting should be on a diagonal line and best if in the shape of a triangle. This way you do not have any dark areas in your room.

Also make sure that your furniture is not placed at any odd angles in your room or off angled to each other. Keep them at right angles in the form of an "L" and you’ll do just fine.

Every seating area needs a table for you and your guests to put drinks, so that you are not trying to balance them on your laps. If you entertain regularly, table space is a priority.

Every seat should have a convenient and properly sized table. For a three-seat sofa or sectional the coffee table would serve the middle seats. Then you need side tables for the end seats, occasional chair and extra chairs.

Along with having enough room to place a drink and dessert plate, end tables need to have enough surface to accommodate a lamp and any accessories. They also need to be the correct height for the furniture piece they are sitting next to. A proper height is no more than three inches lower than the arm and they should also not be higher than the arm. This is to prevent any spilling of drinks as not to lean over to low, have a saucer tilt or hitting the table when it is too high.

With the limited space that you have, my first suggestion is to use nesting tables for either your coffee table or one of the side tables. I consider nesting tables one of the most versatile tables, as they can be stacked when you have limited space and then separated for that extra table space when needed.

Using them as a coffee table is different and unique. They can be stacked as one or expanded, either stepping down or placing the taller in the middle with one pulled out on each side. They would meet your need for a coffee table and also take into consideration your limited space.

You mentioned an ottoman and this could also serve as additional coffee table space when entertaining. Purchase a sturdy serving tray a little smaller than the ottoman. The heavier the tray the better, as it needs to be a stable base for your drinks.

Since you do not have a lot of room for a standard size coffee table, you can have a piece of glass cut any size. They you are unlimited with what can be used for the base. Depending upon your theme, some things you can use are: plaster columns, books, clay pots, urns, a steamer trunk and for a modern look glass blocks.

For an extra narrow table, shorten the legs on a sofa back table. Most sofa or console tables range in size from 12" – 21" wide, which is narrower than coffee tables that range from 24" – 42". A wooden bench is also a good choice for a narrow, low table.

Another option is to use two end tables as your coffee table. You will be able to find a variety of them in smaller sizes and there is a trend for the coffee table to be at a taller height.

Although, not as popular as years ago, decorative tray tables function wonderful as end tables as they can be stored away until your guests arrive. The Internet and mail order catalogs will be your best source for them.

Still can’t find what you’re looking for in the furniture stores, remember to check out the unfinished stores and don’t be afraid to build exactly what you want and finish to match your décor.

DEAR DICK & MARY: A properly lit room is a powerful decorating tool. Lighting creates a mood, enhances the atmosphere and insures that you are able to use each area for the function that you desire. So your first step is to develop a lighting plan.

You’ve already mentioned that you will have three separate areas each with very different functions. That is your first step in a plan, identifying the activities in the room and where they will be done. Also at this step, determine if there will be any decorative elements that you’ll want to spotlight.

Step two is to define the type of lighting that you’ll need for each area or activity zone. In each room there needs to be three types of lighting: general, task and accent. General lighting provides overall illumination in a room. It allows for safe movement in, out and around a room. Task lighting is assigned for a special task or activity, such as reading, games or desktop work. Accent lighting is strictly decorative and adds drama to a room. It accents a focal piece of artwork, sculpture or plants, emphasizes the aesthetics of a room and enhances the atmosphere.

Now onto the type of lighting you’ll be looking for. For your general lighting needs, ceiling fixtures will give you overall illumination. You can attach a light kit to a ceiling fan, install recessed can lights, track lightning or wall sconces.

Another fixture that you can use for general lighting is to have a table or floor lamp attached to a light switch that you can turn on as you enter the room. Now you don’t want to be walking across the room to turn this on and off as it will defeat the purpose of getting you safely in and out of the room.

In your TV and sitting area you’re going to need task lighting. Task lighting is considered portable free-standing plug-in lamps, such as table and floor lamps. Now everyone has different TV watching habits, but I always find it most comfortable if there is task lighting around the seating, since sometimes you may also use the area for reading. The recessed cans in your ceiling are not used as task lighting, as they are located too far away from the task.

In the area where you’ll be reading, it is best if the shade of the table lamp falls about 40-42 inches off the floor. With a floor lamp, it should be about 10 inches behind your shoulder.

One lighting secret that you can use as a double check to make sure that you don’t have any dark areas and have properly placed you furniture and lighting, is to have the task lighting placed at least on a diagonal across the area. It is best if the lighting pattern is in a triangular pattern so that no one is sitting or reading in the dark.

For your game table, you’ll want to hang a pendant light 36 inches above the tabletop. A good rule of thumb for size is to choose a fixture that is equal to half the width of the table. So for a 36 inch round table, select a fixture that has a diameter of approximately 18 inches.

The final lighting that you’ll want to add is your accent lighting. For this type of lighting, you’ll use spots, floor cans, rope and picture lights. To really accent the focal point, there should be three times as much light focused on the item as the rooms lighting provides, otherwise it will just blend in.

One of my favorites is an adjustable halogen can light. Place it behind a plant and it will create fabulous shadows on the wall. Can lights can also be placed on the floor directed upward and they will visually open up the room. Use them in dark corners to create a soft glow.

For your artwork, play with the lighting and placement for what brings out the best in the picture. Along with over the top, picture lights can also hang from the bottom with the light directly upward on the piece. Maybe your art needs to have higher overhead lighting, so you’ll want to use track or spot lighting aimed at a 30-degree angle from the piece.

Lighting a room doesn’t need to be a mystery. Just like with any other decorating project, start with a plan and you’ll be pleased with the results.

DEAR MARSHA: Can lights do bring overall lighting to a room, but above 12 feet they are really too far away to bring enough illumination into a room.

When selecting lighting, you first have to look at what the function is in a room. For a kitchen you need light over your work surfaces. I was working with a client who insisted on 12-foot ceilings in the kitchen and only wanted cans. Guess what? We had to add lots of under-cabinet lighting, pendants and even tables lamps.

In a dining room, a chandelier over the table is what you want. It’s funny how many homes I’ve seen that only have cans lights in the dining area and they’re 10 feet up. It doesn’t set that romantic mood and you can barely see what you’re eating — except if you put 100-watt bulbs in each can.

For your office, task lighting is the most important. Then for your bedroom and social areas, general lighting is most important.

With that said, it is important to have all three types of lighting in every room: general or ambient, task and accent.

Over the years the one thing I’ve found is that lighting is thought of last or not at all. When looking to transform a room, you’ve heard me say many times, paint is the least expensive, quickest and most dramatic decorating item to add. But without light, the room has no life. In my opinion there is nothing worse than spending time in a room that is not properly lit; it is unwelcoming, drab and many times uncomfortable on your eyes. I don’t want to have to squint just to see who I’m talking with.

So before you go shopping, first consider the main function of the room and where you would place that lighting. At a minimum, you should have your lighting on a diagonal across the room, so there are at least two lighting sources. But, it’s better if you have three on a diagonal. The lighting sources not included in this pattern are those 10-foot cans or light fixtures on your ceiling fans. Only ceiling fixtures in your entry and over your kitchen or dining table are part of this pattern.

The first type of lighting you should be looking for is general or ambient lighting. This is overall lighting that brings a comfortable amount of light into a room and provides enough light to see and safely move around. This is the base plan of lighting for every room as it spreads lighting throughout the space.

So for your family room, look for table and floor lamps. If you don’t have a ceiling fixture that you can turn on before entering the room, make sure one of your lights is plugged into your hot plug operated by a wall switch. All rooms have these, but sometimes they’re not in the most sensible place. Mine was placed way outside my main seating area, so I had it moved.

Next is task lighting, which is directional light for a specific task. It is not lighting that is suppose to light the whole room. Some examples would be table, desk, under-counter, track lighting or pendant fixtures.

With your general and task lighting covered, it’s time to bring in accent lighting. Accent lighting directs attention to a space or object. You would use accent lighting to light an art niche, wall gallery or a sculpture, something of particular interest. Some examples are track, spots, sconces and cans. Portable light (table and floor lamps) is not able to provide the directional lighting you need.

Lighting along with color and your décor will transform a room. Take the time to put together your lighting plan to bring your room to life.

Seating areas need tables for you and your guests to put drinks on so that you are not trying to balance them on your laps. If you entertain regularly, table space is a priority.

Every seat should have a convenient and properly sized table. For a three-seat sofa or sectional, the coffee table would serve the middle seats. Then, you need side tables for the end seats, occasional chair and extra chairs.

Along with having enough room to place a drink and dessert plate, end tables need to have enough surface to accommodate a lamp and any accessories. The tables also need to be the correct height for the furniture piece they are sitting next to; a proper height is no more than 3 inches lower than the arm or higher than the arm.

With the limited space that you have, my first suggestion is to use nesting tables as either a coffee table or one of the side tables. I consider nesting tables to be one of the most versatile pieces of furniture as they can be stacked when you have limited space and separated for that extra space when it is needed.

Using them as a coffee table is different and unique. They can be stacked as one or expanded, either stepping down or placing the taller table in the middle with one pulled out on each side. They would meet your need for a coffee table and take into consideration your limited space.

You mentioned an ottoman; this could serve as additional table space when entertaining. Purchase a sturdy serving tray a little smaller than the ottoman. The heavier the tray the better, as it needs to be a stable base for your drinks.

Since you do not have a lot of room for a standard size coffee table, you can have a piece of glass cut any size. Then, you are unlimited with what you can use for the base. Depending upon your theme, some things you can use are plaster columns, books, clay pots, urns, a steamer trunk and, for a modern look, glass blocks.

For an extra narrow table, shorten the legs on a sofa table. Most sofa or console tables range in width from 12-21 inches, which is narrower than coffee tables, which usually range from 24-42 inches. A wooden bench also is a good choice for a narrow, low table.

Another option is to use two end tables as a coffee table. You will be able to find a variety of them in smaller sizes and it is OK for the coffee table to be at a taller height.

Although they are not as popular as they were years ago, decorative tray tables function wonderfully as end tables as they can be stored away until your guests arrive. The Internet and mail order catalogs will be your best source for them.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for in traditional furniture stores, remember to check out unfinished furniture stores. Don’t be afraid to build exactly what you want and finish it to match your décor.