Before

A busy working mother with a demanding job called me for advice. She and her husband had lived in their home for several years but didn't feel "moved in." She had some furniture she liked but thought she might need to buy a few more pieces.

As we toured the home, I noticed that they had a room off to the side of the kitchen that was filled with a mishmash of furniture. It had a dining room table with a computer and printer on it, a futon, mounds of toys, a huge TV and stereo system along with several bookcases. I asked her how they used the room and she said, "We try to use it as a home office, but we can't seem to get ourselves to work in here. We want to use it as our daughter's play room, but she doesn't like to play in here." The family also had a rarely used home office that had kids' furniture and a changing table in it. There was a folding table in the master bedroom with a computer and printer on it as well.

I suggested we consolidate functions so that each room served only one function. It's hard for a space to work well or look attractive when it has to serve three purposes. "Let's make the living room an adult gathering space, the room off the kitchen your daughter's playroom, and put all your office equipment in your home office, " I suggested. She loved the idea, and we rolled up our sleeves and began pushing furniture around.

Her living room posed the largest challenge. She felt it looked disjointed and cluttered. The family used it to watch their toddler play but not for much else. They hoped to make it more appealing for adult gatherings and more functional by fitting in a TV.

Before

• The brightly colored, foam alphabet rug was not appropriate for a living room. The toys on the hearth, the stroller, and the "feeding station" in the right corner were not attractive and looked cluttered. Is this a living room or a playroom?

• There was no conversation area. The leather chair and ottoman were miles apart from the sofa (out of view along the left wall). With this arrangement, there was no place for a TV.

After

After

• We wanted this room to say "Adults Only." So, the foam rug and all the kids' toys got moved into the new playroom, and the feeding station (right corner) went into the kitchen. We moved the rug from the old playroom into the new living room, and it helped to anchor the new arrangement.

• We created a conversation area by moving the couch to the right wall and repositioning the chair and ottoman at an angle across from it. This freed up the space for the TV.

During our time together, we also consolidated all the computers, printers and phones into their home office. We completed a fun playroom for her daughter. Just as we were finishing up, her nanny brought in the little one, who immediately began cooing and waving her arms in delight. She grabbed some toys, sat down on the foam rug and began to play.

Kit Davey, an interior designer based in Redwood City, Calif., helps clients redecorate their homes through the creative use of their existing furnishings. E-mail Kit your questions: kit@ctwfeatures.com

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