I think I should give you some space...

I can pretty much time it.

After we have moved things around in your house and the new space is taking shape beautifully, there will come a moment where you will, with a worried look on your face, point to an empty spot in the room that used to have a piece of furniture in it and ask me:

"But what is going to go there now??"

(You see, we all can feel a little uncomfortable with openness...a lack of STUFF in a place where there used to be something. Even when the goal for the new room was to have it feel, you know, more open.)

My response: 

"Oh! Well, I thought we could just leave that OPEN...you know, without anything...."

Your response:

Puzzled look. 

"Really?"

It can be difficult to imagine that a space which has always had something in it can have nothing. It can seem wrong.

However, open space in your house doesn't need to be filled, but rather savored. I like to say that the empty corner is really full--full of possibility (I know, I know. I can be pretty cheesy).

Open spaces help rooms to feel larger, give you more elbow room in which to move around, and give you some breathing space. It also gives visual space around the items in the room so they can really be appreciated. Too many things to look at is just too much to take in, too much to really be seen and enjoyed. 

SO, try to find some space in your house--space to just leave open-- and see how it changes the feel of your rooms and the way you live in them for the better.