2020 Summer Home and Garden

Page 26 2020 Summer Home and Garden Lincoln Daily News June 11, 2020 The living area contains the couch, coffee table, two chairs and a TV. Here is where the family can play games or hang out on the couch and watch TV. A big rug anchors the area and the couch sections it off. Behind the couch is a well disguised play space. Bins in the sofa table filled with toys make it easy for the kids to play back there and clean it up. A neutral white toy box holds bigger toys. The office space is defined by the desk. Blue storage containers and a white desk tie in with the rest of the room. Computer space in one corner helps Serra with the daycare business, YouTube business and basic paperwork besides holding office supplies. Serra’s second tip for maximizing living space but not making it feel like it is used for various functions is to integrate functional pieces that don’t necessarily look like functional pieces. For example, their white sofa table matches the rest of the room. You don’t even notice the table, but it is really functional. There are neutral wicker baskets, and you would never know they hold toys unless you look inside. In the office area, Serra took a lateral file cabinet from Goodwill and painted it navy blue with coats of poly on top. She added L brackets to the corners and worked to make the veneer look brassy. The cabinet holds all their files and the kids do not go near it. Serra has tried to make office items like a sorter next to the desk neutral, so they blend in with everything. Using white file holder and a brown cube sorter with blue bin helps this area be more cohesive with the family living space. Serra’s third tip for making a living room serve multiple purposes is to be creative with storage. By putting kid’s toys and related items in bins behind the sofa, they cannot be seen. A train board slides under the sofa when not in use. A closet holds office supplies and movies. If you don’t have a closet, Serra says to think of ways to repurpose other areas of the house. For example, an armoire can hide office supplies. Serra’s fourth tip is to keep a limited number of extra things in the room, so it doesn’t feel cluttered and isn’t hard to reset. The sofa tabletop is empty, so kids do not knock items over. That makes the living space and picture gallery a focal point in the room. Serra’s fifth tip is to make the room feel like you. Her family loves pops of color and these can be found in prints on the wall. Serra says to find things that make your heart happy and incorporate them into the room. CONTINUED u