"I have fallen in love with DIGS’ Puff Totora and now the challenge is where to place it… indoors or outdoors. So I am applying the principles of Right-Sizing from my book to my former living room, which has morphed into a “chat” room because it is where we talk (not live). My book, Right-Sizing Your Home, helps you examine the actual function of each room and recognize the key to living fully throughout your home. It suggests the reader explore the “Art of ‘RE’” – reinvent, reclaim, redesign, rearrange, repurpose, recycle, even reduce. But not relocate or focus on resale. That was the solution for yesterday. Right-sizing is the solution for today..

I find that most important tool to right-sizing is an attitude re-adjustment. Having an open mind and willingness to rethink and reinvent space will almost certainly bring big rewards as readers discover space they never knew they had. The oversized great room of the 1990s, for example, doesn’t necessarily work for every family. The dining room that gets used three times a year should be repurposed. And one home office may simply not be enough anymore. And I am moving the Puff Totora around to find its most comfortable spot!"

Gale Steves, former editor-in-chief of Home magazine and industry consultant, is the author of RIGHT-SIZING YOUR HOME: How to Make Your House Fit Your Lifestyle (Northwest Arm Press - 2011; $21.95), Available at independent bookstores and www.amazon.com