So you have a new home with big, spacious rooms.
In fact, the rooms are so big they feel like parts of the Batcave.
If that's your situation, take heart.
With a little "zoning out," you can turn those big, echoing spaces in a room that invites guests to come in and stay a while.
Starting by dividing the "great" room into smaller spaces.
These smaller areas can provide cozier sections for reading, conversation or entertaining.
Section or screen off areas that have more utilitarian purposes, such as a home office or area for Mom's crafts of Junior's science project.
Have at least one zone that's planned for comfort and conversation.
Arrange furniture close enough to provide for conversation in normal sound levels.
Also be sure there are enough tables for guests to put down their drinks or plates.
Don't make your guests either shout at each other or stretch a long way.
Next, define these spaces.
Area rugs are a perfect way to create livable zones within a vastly larger space.
Measure the space you want to define so that you get a rug of the proper size, and use the rug as a focal point and a source for the color scheme in that area.
If the room is large enough for two or more rugs, be sure to get them in different sizes, or even different shapes, so that there are clear distinctions between the zones.
Be careful not to go too small with the area rugs, or the room will look fragmented.
Staying away from fragmentation can be tricky in a larger room.
One way to prevent this would be to use color to unify the room overall.
For example, a neutral shade of paint on the walls will tie the room together, but area rugs, accessories and artwork in accent colors will define the "zone.
" In fact, neutrals can serve as the durable foundation of a really large room for those on a budget.
Large pieces of furniture or major appliances such as televisions and stereos should be solid enough to take years of use.
When choosing colors, remember that dark, warm colors will make a room seem smaller, while lighter colors will make it seem larger.
You can use a dark color as an accent or cover an entire wall with it, which might help define a zone.
For example, a cozy "coffee nook" in a corner of the room will seem more intimate if a warmer color, such as an earthy terracotta, is used to accent a wall.
And if you don't like that color, you can change it easily and economically.
Lots of texture also will serve to take up the visual space of an outsized room.
Shag rugs or Flokati sheepskin rugs are ideal to give the decor more substance, along with nubby pillows and bulky throws.
Also don't be afraid to go big and bold with artwork and fabric patterns.
The room proportions can stand it.
Finally, avoid the dreaded "dead zone.
" Take a good look around your big room for areas that appear to be empty and useless.
If you find a space like that, place a big plant in it.
At the very least you'll get greenery and oxygen for that mighty big room.