By Mi-Ling Stone Poole – DEAR MI-LING: My family room feels like I have too much furniture in the space and a friend politely told me that my room was cluttered.
I must admit on occasion I have felt like the room was closing in on me.

Do you have any ideas on how to fix this without losing the coziness I crave?

Currently I have two high-back chairs and a large couch in the room. I also have a wooden screen and three tables and two lamps. Behind my couch I have a large ottoman and a couple of rugs in the room. My bar stools from the kitchen area extend into the space and complete my look.

Any ideas?

Up Against The Wall

DEAR UP AGAINST THE WALL:If your friend gave you a nudge she is probably telling you the truth. And it appears that you have been feeling this way for a while — with your comment about the walls closing in on you.

Here are a few tips to get you thinking about your space.

First de-clutter. Donate or recycle any old magazines and newspapers. If you’re a book reader, do the same with your books.

Reevaluate your space and determine if the placement of your couch is the problem. You might need to pull the room in and position the couch and the high-back chairs so that the backs are not blocking the view of the room.

Replace your bar stools with a backless chair to further open the space.

If you have heavy drapes, you might want to add blinds and use the drapes only on the ends of your windows.

If the color of your room is dark, brighten things up with a light-colored paint that could make a huge difference.

Good luck with your room and remember: Sometimes less is more. Start removing things so you can breathe a little better in your space.

How did you create more space in your space?