Is your home a party place? Do you entertain frequently? You may need a large kitchen with a huge table and plenty of chairs for guests. Your decor may need to be informal and sturdy to accommodate plenty of people. Think wood and tile floors instead of white carpet. Think unbreakable decor items instead of a huge vase that teeters on a pedestal.



If you entertain mostly to impress other business people, you might want to go a bit more elegant to impress. Generally this type of party would be more sedate and less rowdy. First impressions count so go high end and tasteful.

If your family is in the kid raising mode, you may desire functional yet stylish furnishings. A generous kitchen with well thought out appliances will help with meal preparation, which I hope you do. It seems that too many families with young children today opt for fast food, especially if both parents work. Families with younger children might want to be able to design their surroundings so the kids can be at least partially watched from the kitchen.

Outdoor areas should also be planned this way. Families with teenagers should also be able to keep an occasional eye open, especially when boyfriend and girlfriend social situations start.

Stay at home types are starting to construct nesting situations where media rooms are becoming popular. Large screen high definition televisions and surround

sound systems are dropping in price and the wow factor is real. It can actually cost less to purchase the movie DVD and watch it at home rather than go to the movies and pay the price for the snacks. Recliners designed for theatre rooms are all of the rage. Try carpeted floors to keep the vibrations down. Soft sculpture decor will also help absorb random sound waves.

Some families plan to move every so often so to save expense and hassle, smaller and lighter furniture is a plus. Decor should be in neutral colors to blend with

any new apartment or home. Rather than wall to wall carpet, interesting area rugs might be purchased. When you move, just roll them up.

Families with both spouses working can accessorize a home to clean faster so to give everyone more time to hang out and relax. Try to keep dust collecting knick knacks to a minimum to cleaning is easier.

Hardwood floors can be easier to keep clean than carpet. Have your sofa and other cloth living room furniture treated to resist staining. Consider going for solid wood table and chairs to cut down on cleaning time. Consider leather or vinyl for your sofa. Little cleaning tips can save a lot of time.

From the examples above you can see that it is easy to build a theme around your home once you decide what you want your home to accomplish for you and your family. Try to determine which social activities are the most important for your family and work on build the decor and furniture to help make these activities more pleasurable.

If everyone likes to hang out and talk in the kitchen after a meal, you might consider a more comfortable dinette with leafs and extra chairs. If you are a recreation room family, consider softer surrounds and see if the family budget will allow for adult toys. Home bars are becoming very popular. My recreation room has several vintage pinball games. A pool table, foosball and air hockey are usually big hits. A big screen TV would work too.

This is your space, make the furniture and decor work for you and reflect your personality!