When it comes to real estate, it’s location, location, location. When it comes to what’s INSIDE the house, some may say it’s function, function, function! We agree (at least when it’s balanced with mood and visual unity). So, take a look around you. Do you have any ‘dead’ corners or areas in your house that are too cozy for a couch, too big for a breadbox? Don’t fret. Here’s how to perform interior C.P.R.:

Collections: if there’s an intimate little area you’re struggling with, consider filling it with a ‘collection’. Be it thimbles (some people still collect those!) or shoe makers’ wood blanks, when you take a family of items that are spread about a space and concentrate them in one area, it makes a strong statement. Now you don’t just have what appears to be a preference for, say, monkeys, you’ve got an elegant, well organized collection. How to display? Depends on the item. Plates and photos can trail down a wall and end with several standing on a small table top. Small statuary may be better suited for a larger surface—an old trunk,perhaps. Vintage parasols could be hung from the ceiling. Just remember: when collecting (and displaying), the well-edited collection is best. Keep and display only those items that are most special to you.

Placement. If you’ve got a dead corner, odds are, there’s something that’s in the wrong place. Lots of folks will position several large pieces of furniture against a wall (armoires, dressers) and end up with corners too small to be useful or even vacuumable. Consider your furniture’s placement. Furniture doesn’t have to be pushed against all four walls. Got a dead corner? Put it to rest for good— caddy corner that dresser. Angle that armoire. Sure, you’ll lose a little square footage but if it’s an eyesore anyway…what are you losing, really? And, diagonally placed furniture brings a more human feel to a room. There aren’t any straight lines on the human body, after all. It softens corners and can add unexpected style and perspective.

Redefining. What does ‘seating area’ mean, really? If you have a tiny little corner by the window, behind the piano and beside the china cabinet, how about a personal little area for you? A diminutive, well structured chair and a 12” pedestal table can turn that area into a ‘thinking spot’. It may be a place where you can take afternoon tea (alone) or write in a journal. Not much for refreshments or writing? Stack some of your favorite books on and even under the chair, lose the table and consider it your literary corner. Books can make for great visuals and a chair with the right accessories can really anchor a corner and make it feel useful. Have fun with it—stack the 10 books you’ve always wanted to read but haven’t, in order of interest and amuse and amaze yourself as you work through the stack.

Now. Stop reading and start working miracles. There’s a corner of your house that’s waiting to be reincarnated as something absolutely fabulous!