Some other ways to add pairs: Flank a sofa with a pair of chairs to create a balanced and intimate U-shaped conversation area or place the chairs side by side across from the sofa to provide an easy, face-to-face place to chat. Display a pair of urns or a pair of vases on top of a fireplace mantle or add balance with a pair of prints, framed identically and hung side by side. Pairs of figurines, candlesticks, bookends -- you probably have lots of pairs around your house that you can use to add balance to your rooms.

Remember Noah who was told by a higher authority to get two of every kind of animal for his ark? Well, take it from the top: Bring the pairs you already have together and you will quickly and easily make your house or apartment feel balanced and more restful without having to buy new furnishings.

Author:

Lauri Ward, the author of Home Therapy (September 22, 2005; Putnam; $34.95US/$49.00CAN; 0-399-15296-2), Use What You Have Decoratingand Trade Secrets from Use What You Have Decorating, is the founder of Use What You Have, Inc., and the Interior Refiners Network. She has appeared frequently on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Today, and ABC Evening News, among other programs, and on HGTV, the Discovery Channel, and Fox television. Ward, who has been featured in The New York Times, House Beautiful, Elle, Inspired House, and other magazines and newspapers, lives in New York Cityand Boca Raton, Florida. Visit her website at www.redecorate.com.

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