The nesting project continues

So far, in my efforts to make my new apartment into a home rather than just a place to chuck my stuff, I've admitted that I have a problem, changed my cleaning habits and bought a new sofa. I think that's a pretty good start!

In light of the sofa delivery, we've finally tackled the living room using the method suggested by Domino: The Book of Decorating (a review is coming soon). First, I cleaned up, removing all the clutter that tends to fall in the living room — wayward mugs, books, paperwork and magazines — and breaking out the swiffer on our DVD collection and electronics. With a thorough cleaning, it already started to feel better!

The next step was to make a list of the things I like in the room — our new sofa, our electronics, some of my pictures, the TV stand and a silver vase — and the things that we already owned that I would like to see in the room — a comfy chair and ottoman for more seating and a floor lamp for better reading.

Then, with some help from my husband — OK, really, I supervised while he did the heavy work — we moved around the furniture, aiming for a more efficient use of our space and more seating.

Where we previously had only a TV, coffee table, futon and a couple of shelves, we were able to add a place for keys and mail and a reading corner by the window. And it feels a thousand times bigger!

With furniture in place, and a relocated and happier bunny, it was time to look into what else we could do to take the room to the next level.

In the short term, picking up some more throw pillows and framing and hanging some wedding photos would help add our personal stamp.

In the longer term, I'd like to add a small table beside the reading chair as a space for a mug of tea and potentially replace our rather deep shelves for DVD and CD storage (there are three of them) to free up even more space. I'd also like to repaint the two blue walls, which are the perfect shade to complement sailboat trim and buoys.

But, even without these changes, our space is now way more comfortable and ready for holiday decorating!