I have often come across people who are confused about decorating a large room in their home. They end up buying very large furniture that does nothing to make the room feel cozier or functional.

When you have a great room, it is a good idea to make it multi-functional and take advantage of the large space. Without adding walls, you can make the space serve different purposes for the entire family.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

1. Make a plan –

It is important to understand the function of the space around which you will be designing before you get started. On a piece of paper, draw a rough floor plan. Decide the areas you would like to create in your great room. Correct placement of the furniture can help you divide the space without actually putting up walls.

2. Create conversation areas –

In your plan, chalk out areas where the family can sit and spend time together. These can be areas to watch the television, to play video games, or play board games. Use easy and comfortable furniture like couches, ottomans, and recliners to create distinct conversational areas. Use a day bed to visually divide the large area into two distinct functional areas.

3. Create a cozy corner –

Once you have created conversational areas, also plan for a cozy corner for quiet times. In a corner, place a small rug and an armchair or two. Stack books in a book shelf behind the armchairs and install a floor lamp. Drape a blanket or throw over the arm chair to make it appear warm and inviting. Finally tie the cozy corner together with a small coffee table.

4. Separating the functional areas –

Demarcating defined areas for specific functions is not difficult. Make use of interesting area rugs to visually divide the room. When you place furniture around an area rug, the rug behaves like an anchor and ties everything around it quite distinctly. You can also make use of wooden screens to divide the room without compromising on the design aspect of the room.

5. Space to move around –

Always remember to leave adequate space to move around the furniture easily. People navigating in the room should be able to walk with ease without bumping into furniture or having to move the furniture around. The walkways should never be blocked with small décor like floor lamps or side tables. As a rule of thumb, keep a three feet distance between the furniture to create an easy flow.

6. Make use of circular patterns –

Finally, make use of circles. Circles depict flow and are much easier to navigate around. Instead of a square center table, consider using a circular one. Choose patterns on the upholstery that have a circular pattern or curves that make the multi-functional room easy on the eyes as well.

Seminars and think-tank events in which U.S. officials analyze human rights abuses in this or that Third World country are a dime a dozen in this town (Washington). But last month, the European Union turned the tables on Washington with its sponsorship of a conference aimed at abolishing the death penalty in the 32 states of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia where it’s still practiced.

An EU Rendez-Vous event at the Dutch ambassador’s residence October 21 attracted 60 people opposed to capital punishment. Organized by the EU’s delegation here along with the British, Dutch, and Swedish embassies, it featured four activists who are leading efforts to ban what Brussels calls “an inhuman punishment that represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.”

Read More

2 cups chopped pineapple
½ medium sweet onion, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped finely
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Fresh squeezed juice from one lime
Salt

Mix all the ingredients except for the salt in a medium bowl. Season with a pinch of salt.  Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.  Serves six with chips or on top of cooked fish.

Why do smart growth advocates like streetcars?:  One bus can carry 60-100 people, while a single streetcar can carry 115-185 people.  Streetcar infrastructure also allows for multiple vehicle trains, doubling or tripling capacity with only a small additional cost.

If the Atlantic Ocean were to dry up - it would reveal a scattered pathway of human bones - Africanbones, marking the various routes of the Middle passage." Dr. John Henrik Clarke

The Middle Passage Project created, with the assistance of L. Carlson of Brown University, a map that documents the slave ports in the continental United States.  The document shows the ports where the Project has placed markers, had ceremonies, and are planning to have a marker placed and conduct a ceremony.

Shockoe Bottom, the oldest neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, was once a bustling center of the slave trade. By some estimates, more 300,000 men, women, and children were bought and sold in the Bottom and shipped throughout the Deep South. Solomon Northup (whose life was told in Twelve Years of Slave) was held in Shockoe Bottom jail before being sold south.

Read this (on page 2) and other great stories in the November issue of the Underground Railroad Free Press.

To better serve our current and new readers, Port of Harlem Snippets has added Pinterest to its list of distribution channels.  Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that you can use to find ideas for all your projects and interests. Please follow Port of Harlem Pinterest  to glance at images with links to our website if you chose to get additional text information.

In addition, find Port of Harlem on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Bayou Classic

 

 

 

 

• Governor O’Malley and the Lifers Parole Bill
  (3rd Snippets)
  
  
• Port of Harlem magazine
  (2nd Snippets)

 

Please LIKE Us on Facebook

Giuliani: ‘White police officers wouldn’t be there if you weren’t killing each other.’