What do I do to fill a room?
My hubby & I are considering buying a particular home. The problem? At the front door, you enter a large living room, then a dining room, then an extra open room, and then the kitchen. What do I do with the extra open room? We don't have enough furniture to have an office, and don't have much money to spend. I'm baffled. Thanks!
Related Discussions
Vinyl plank flooring vs pergo (laminate)
I currently have stinky dirty carpeting in my living room and I want to replace it with a durable flooring that can stand up to dogs and kids.
How to remove popcorn ceiling that has been painted?
Does having a paint over a popcorn ceiling change how I'd remove the popcorn ceiling?
How to apply peel and stick wallpaper?
I want to spruce up my walls with peel-and-stick wallpaper. Has anyone used this before and can advise me as to how to apply it properly?
How to stain wood floor?
I've heard staining is a good technique for updating floors. So how do I stain my wood floor?
What can I do to disguise the return air vent in my foyer?
This is the view when you walk through my front door in the foyer. This is the first impression someone has when they come to my home. It's cold, ugly, and unwelcomi... See more
I have a curved wall in my living /dining room what do I do?
Any ideas how I can turn this to build ins and fireplace?
Family room hang out formal living room for company dining room for holidays try going Tom garage sales the older furniture is better then the junk today anyway.
You can find incredible used pieces of furniture on Facebook Market Place, Craigslist or thrift shops like Goodwill and Restore Habitat for Humanity. I furnished and decorated my current house with several used pieces. Check out this guest room I recently put together with a very low budget.
https://www.facebook.com/700668466654398/posts/1732931236761444/
If you love the house and grounds, buy the house. Worry about furnishing it later. There is no law that says you must run out and buy furniture right away to fill up empty spaces. You can decide how to use the space later. Besides you can always shop yard sales and thrift shops and bring life to an old piece. Me personally I would be jumping for joy for an extra space like that. Could be a library nook, place to entertain guests while you are cooking, game room, craft space, the possibilities are endless. My house does not have a basement, attic, mudroom, laundry room or pantry and too small to add these features. If it were my house I might even consider turning it into pantry space. Furnish the rooms with what you have and over time you will sort it out.
How do you entertain? Situated as it, could this room be a bar/pub?
Would you like a library/office? You might use the room between the LR and the XTRA RM as the library/office, and use the last room as the DR, since it is closest to the kitchen. Line the walls with ready-made bookcases, fill in the gaps with trim and trim out the edges, put crown all around the top, and use a desk on one wall. Paint it a dark-ish color for mood. Just make sure one color from LR repeats into this room, then into DR, then into Kitchen for continuity.
I agree with Naomi, if you like the house, buy it now. You can always furnish it as you go, and living in the house will inspire you to use that extra space in the way that suits you best. Who says every room has to be furnished right away?
You could use that space as a family living space adjacent to the kitchen, or as a nice sitting area, with a cozy chair or two and some bookcases (very cheap at Ikea and stores like it!) I recently visited a young couple who did this in their living room, very cheaply, and it's lovely. They opted for shelves about 40" tall, so the tops could be used, too. They filled the shelves with things they already own, and books, of course.
I helped a relative select furnishings for an office area with Ikea furniture--it cost about $100-- traditional style furniture, a desk, a matching low open-shelf piece on sale ($45!) for the printer and other office supplies, and they ordered a pretty upholstered chair from an online furniture store. When it was all assembled, it looked fabulous, and no one could tell it was all a bargain.
Start hitting the thrift stores! Goodwill is okay too! A lot cheaper, and; you can usually find some really good stuff. You might have to put in some mileage, but; it's a whole lot cheaper than buying new.
Jane: If you love the house, buy the house! (Don't have "buyer's regret" b/c of one room! Life has a way of filling our homes!
You might want to put up a folding table and some inexpensive cube storage --- and making a craft area!~ Display your work on the walls! HAVE FUN!