Answer: Dear C. That will make it look smaller. You don’t want to call attention to the walls; you want them to seem farther away.

Pick a soft, pale, quiet color and then put up relatively small pictures with lots of the same predominant color in them and small subject matter. That way they will fade into the wall color, as the wall fades into the distance. The softer and gentler you are in your decorating…the larger your room will appear.

In other rooms that are too small, using just a few pieces of under scaled furniture helps, as well as leaving the space open in front of large windows…but you have no such options in a bathroom.

My bathroom is smaller than yours and I think it’s gorgeous, (of course!) Blessings, Luise

Answer: Dear M.: I personally wouldn’t want a floor level TV. I think it would look weird and my neck would get tired looking down at it. Your living room should be attractive, feel comfortable and invite relaxation.

I have had my TV on three of the four walls of my small living room. I don’t pay any attention to where the cable plugs into the wall. (The only exception is the window-wall, which I leave totally unobstructed to incorporate the view.) I get very long cable and away I go around the perimeter. Then I arrange the rest of the furniture to suit. Right now my TV is on the full wall between the living room and kitchen, so the cable has to cross the open space between the living room and dining area at the end of the kitchen. I covered the cable with masking tape, (which I also do along all the outside walls), and then placed a long runner-rug across the opening. My point being, don’t think that your 36-inch wall is the only place you can install your new unit.

It takes some creative thinking sometimes and some experimentation to come up with a plan that works. If I had a 36-inch half wall and preferred to have my TV there, I might build a heavy and well-reinforced lattice all the way to the ceiling to hang the plasma TV on. It would have to be done right with a header across the ceiling and studs at both ends and every 24 inches or so across the width of it before the lattice was added between the studs. It could be very attractive and still let most of the light through.

Talk to the people who sell the monster TVs, especially at a store that specializes in electronics. Maybe you can get some additional ideas from that quarter. The end result should be attractive and look like it is supposed to be there. Blessings, Luise

Answer: Dear Nelda: Well, I’m a “thrower”, so we don’t have very much in common. However, that could be a positive not a negative. And there is no “normal”, of course. My sister thinks my house looks like nobody lives here. What’s normal for me isn’t for her.

The most disappointing thing about keeping every little and big thing “in case you need it later” for most of the “keepers” I know, is that they often don’t know where ”it” is when “it’s” needed…and have to go out and get a new one.

If you both sincerely want to put this behind you, and it sounds like you do, I would suggest that you create a plan. How about tackling one room at a time? You could leave the garage, basement and storage unit until you have some solid wins to your credit. How about starting with the bedroom? My rule of thumb is if I haven’t worn it often in the last year, someone else should get a shot at it. It helps me to know that our local Thrift Store provides a viable service and people need my stuff. I also don’t allow crowding in my closet. Too much of anything in too little space can be messy. You can go through your stuff and your husband can sort through his. Then…off it goes. When I’m cleaning, I always make three piles…what stays, what goes to the dump or the shredder and what we donate to others. We all just wear just so many outfits on a regular basis. The rest adds confusion. When I get a new outfit or a new pair of shoes, I purge my closet and removed something similar.

If you’re the cook, the kitchen will be your job. Approach it with the same jaundiced eye you used on your closets and drawers. If you have a shop, your husband will probably need to take that on. Support each other in this endeavor. If your have an office, purge your files and supplies the same way.

Don’t hurry with the project. Do a room and go out and celebrate. Then take some time off. Share what’s left and see if it makes sense to both of you, but don’t be tempted to pick through each other’s discards! Eventually you can give up the storage unit and maybe spend that money on a night out or a trip!

Two “keepers” who want to be free of clutter are two very wise people in my book! Blessings, Luise

Answer: Dear Glenda: I love decorating small spaces. Why should anything, even a pantry, be overlooked? As far as your time, energy and money is concerned…I wouldn’t start with the bathroom, obviously. But I’d work my way around to it eventually, and have a high old time sprucing it up.

Aren’t those grand, bathroom schemes in the glossy, decorating magazines a hoot? To me, they look like ballrooms with a toilet tucked handily in the corner, out of sight. To each his/her own…right?

OK. I recently redid my bathroom for no reason at all except that I was tired of my design after seven years. It has a standard tub in it and just about enough floor space to stand up and dry off after a shower. The toilet and sink are both regulation size also…with just inches separating each fixture. The other wall contains the towel racks and allows the door to swing in.

I picked a very soft color scheme of beiges, and tans with a dash of dull, eucalyptus green and a touch of black. I had to leave the walls white because we are renters. I found luxurious towel sets in beige at J.C. Penney. I found my mini-rug there, too, in a gentle, geometric design of light and dark beige and tan. The interest is in the two pictures I hung. Beside the towel racks, opposite the sink and toilet, I hung a tall, narrow, oriental scroll in the colors I have described. It looks abstract but on further inspection it’s a mountain scene with a waterfall cascading down it. Over the toilet I hung a stark print of a lone tree near a road with fencing around in. Then I gave the room a touch of life with a lovely, wrought iron candleholder on the toilet tank. It is almost as wide as the tank top. I wove artificial eucalyptus through the base and inserted an electric, votive candle in place of a real one. The bathroom is still a small space, but it no longer appears to be so utilitarian. It’s gently restful and attractive.

The trick is to give decorating small spaces the attention it deserves. Take your time, experiment and don’t hesitate to do the unusual like I did with pictures and a wrought iron sculpture. Blessings, Luise

Answer: Dear Arlene. I appreciate your kind words about my website, which has grown, like Topsy, into many facets. I just kind of follow my readers unless they go someplace I don’t want to go, or can’t.

I will tell you what I did in a similar set of circumstances and it worked very well. I designed a kind of Shangri La bedroom where we felt very much at home. We had a sitting room, a sleeping room, a bathroom and a deck. Since it was lakefront property, we also had a door out of the bathroom to the back deck and down to the lake, so we could come in that way and ditch our swimming suits. The private deck was off the sleep room and we left the sliding glass door open much of the time.

The area under us was a fitness room with a hot tub, so we had a very quiet spot. I designed the sleeping area with one long wall entirely in closets. (My idea of heaven.) The TV was built in and we had headsets in case one of us wanted to sleep and the other didn’t.

The deck wasn’t large but it did the job nicely. We put bird feeders and birdbaths on the far rail so we could watch them, and their uninvited guests…small, Douglas squirrels.

For us a fireplace was a must…but I think that’s something you either adore or can’t see what the big deal is. The fireplace, the view, the deck and the TV were all opposite the area where the bed was. We put a small sound system into the built in headboard and enjoyed that, too.

My only regret is one you probably won’t have to face…we were both still working and simply didn’t have as much time as we’d have liked to enjoy it.

I picked warm colors because it faced north…a soft tangerine, muted browns and beiges. Choose your colors based on both preference and available light. I also kept the room semi-tailored, so my husband felt comfortable there.

Thanks for asking such an interesting question. I hope I have given you some Bedroom Interior Design ideas that will work for you. Blessings, Luise

Answer: Dear Marilyn: For what it’s worth, I spent my childhood summers in just such a place. Recalling that, I would think first and foremost about functionality and upkeep. The last thing you are going to want to do on your precious weekends is housework.

You haven’t told me what the floors are, but if they aren’t a laminate like Pergo, I would suggest you start there. Kids are going to run in and out with sandy feet and so is your dog. You may have to contend with dripping bathing suits, too. Throw rugs that you can shake and wash, when needed, can soften the look of washable flooring.

Low priced furniture that is comprised of covered cushions is a good idea. It makes it easier for you to clean up what might be transferred to the fabric from “s’mores” and cremated hot dogs. I’m not suggesting that all rules of conduct and sanitation be thrown out the window, but it’s a much more casual environment…of should be.

I’d look at high-end laundry equipment because you will have sand and maybe pine needles and pitch to deal with. And I’d think about a stove with a Bar-B-Q feature in case outside plans have to come inside due to a change in the weather. Or, possibly, the addition of a covered, all-weather deck for protected grilling would be an even better way to face that eventuality. Get a good dishwasher, too. Mom gets to lie in the sun, don’t forget.

Bunk beds are great if your kids are old enough, and get a double set for friends. An inflatable bed for the living room floor is another idea for occasional guests. If you don’t want to deal with firewood, have a fireplace anyhow. The gas ones can fool anyone and we’re talking rain on the roof, a fire…good music and Monopoly.

Beyond decorating…I’d suggest you set yourself up with whatever you may need for power outages. They may happen more often in the sticks. Emergency water, and food, too so you can rough it in comfort. And think about water safety for both boating and swimming. Get some training in CPR and create a full-service first aid kit.

Talk with your new neighbors and learn what they have found to be handy in your new setting. That way you can approach cottage decorating and cottage life well prepared while upping your enjoyment factor appreciably. Blessings, Luise

Answer: Dear Leah: I do find the joys and challenges of interior design interesting. My first reaction to your question is admiration that you are not trying to cram your old stuff into your new place. I see a lot of that where I live, which is in a retirement center.

Times change and I often think we would do well to be willing to change with them. I know a lot of people are very sentimental about possessions. They have stories connected with each item that seem to make them precious. I have very little of that particular gene, and you, too, seem willing to let go of what no longer works for you.

So…think space. The less you put into your condo, the bigger it will look and feel. Think functionality. Start haunting furniture stores. I have a favorite one that allows me to wander to my heart’s content. They have big discounts, guarantee their pieces and have high quality copies of very costly stuff. Works for me!

Don’t be in a hurry. Start a notebook and list the things you feel you will need for every room. What can you do without? For instance, I have no dresser in my bedroom. In my closet, I have four, three-drawer, plastic units on casters for my underwear, shoes, socks, and miscellaneous items. I’ve placed two at each end of my closet with space in between for longer items to hang well. Mostly, I have short things…tops and pants. The lack of a dresser offers me the opportunity to have a computer desk and filing cabinet where the dresser would have gone.

Go over each room and think space. Consider a hide-a-bed for an occasional guest and end tables with drawers for more storage. Look at armoires for your TV and VCR. They also have drawer space. Ask to be shown under-scaled furniture if you don’t readily recognize it…a smaller dining table with drop leaves and a small buffet can make a postage stamp sized dining space look commodious.

Don’t plan on putting anything in front of a window and pick fabric patterns that have a small design and soft colors. You said “Give Me Some Ideas On Interior Designs”, so there you go. Please write again, if you want to…as your project unfolds. Blessings, Luise