Nothing, no one item, unless you have an antique desk or something of that nature, should completely overwhelm or control visual impact of room. Look for ideas in a magazine called Early American Life, because much of what is used in those settings are what could be called primitive, and can easily move into kind of setting you want to achieve.

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Good planning that takes these human factors into account will ensure that no matter how often you choose to make transformations in your home or how radical style, it doesn't throw your lifestyles out of whack by negatively impacting critical spaces, creating odd corners and circulation of movement. This home improvement blueprint can also guide you in making those big-ticket furniture purchases and lessen urge for impulsive imprudent buys.

With a good understanding of form and movement in your home as well as lifestyle needs, embarking on small-scale projects to give your home a new look and feel, be it asian, modern classic or gothic revival, would be fun, fulfilling and ultimately successful.

On a more personal level, families can also use this kind of home planning exercise as a way to find out more about each other's lifestyle needs and involve everyone in vision of making their homes cosy, lively and liveable.

Lighting - Endless possibilities with a small budget.

Everyone's moods are ever changing - sunny and bright, contemplative, dark, romantic, sultry - if only you could transform your home as often as you change your moods!

You can with right lighting. The same room can look vastly different under different modes of illumination. A good lighting system will afford you a variety of lighting conditions, soft and warm for entertaining, bright and efficient for household chores like ironing, focused and glare-free for reading.

If you have a small budget and big plans for your home, designing a multi-purpose lighting system may be your finest investment. Lighting not only invokes fancy, it also helps put an attractive glow on old, uncoordinated furnishings (and don't we all have those around house).

Home designing and decorating can be a most frustrating yet infinitely fulfilling activity. Start with a bright attitude, a good understanding of design process and plenty of communication between family members and you are not likely to go wrong.