Pump up the Volume

One of the first things that southwest Florida home-buyers of mega-homes realize is they are not home alone for long. How quickly all that space turns into a vacation destination for grown children and grandchildren, friends from up north, relatives you saw once a decade in Ohio who are now your best buds. But that's fine; large rooms require lots of guests and most kitchens in mega-homes have at least two dishwashers and a big butler's pantry. These big luxury homes are built for entertaining both formal and casual, both inside and around the pool. What good is a wonderful space unless you can share it with the people and pets you love.

Designer Lisa Ficarra believes in the end it all comes down to people. "I recently moved into a much larger house myself," says the design professional. "And for a while I didn't quite feel like it was my house. I'd wonder around the rooms not really comfortable with the enlarged spaces. Then at Easter I had all my family come for the holiday and to stay. That did it. Filling the house with people I love made the place mine and I've been happy and completely at home ever since."

Designer tricks for small rooms

Suppose you are madly in love with a home not blessed with soaring ceilings. But the home has other great features on your wish list and you intend to buy it. Here are several ways to make the space overhead seem loftier.

. Raise the doorways at least six inches.

. Hang drapes from ceiling to floor.

. Paint the base molding, walls and crown molding all the same color.

. Install vertical mirrors and tall floor lamps.

. Remove about 20 percent of what you think is necessary in a room. .

. Lay tile on the diagonal. It will visually add width to a narrow space.

. Consider a skylight.

. A floor-to-ceiling mirror visually doubles the volume of a room.

. A single big piece of impressive furniture makes a small space grand.

. High base moldings make walls seem taller, like a woman in high heels.

. Invest in very good lighting.

. Avoid displaying small objects. Use big, sculptural pieces for accents.

. Upholster furniture in light shades-buttercream, natural linen, fawn.

. Leave some empty spaces. It is restful and visually increases volume.

DESIGNER TRICKS FOR LARGE ROOMS

. A sofa will appear taller with large toss pillows lined up along the inside back.

. Hang a collection of quilts. This works especially well in a double-volume room ringed by an upstairs open gallery.

. Commission a mural or trompe l'oeil scene to be painted on a wall to raise it or on the ceiling to bring the ceiling down a bit.

. Group or "gang" three to five bookcases into a single massive unit. Top it with a lavish arrangement of dried flowers, greens and vines.

. Hang a big vertical picture above the sofa and group two rows of smaller art works on either side.

. Create a horizontal band around the room at the height you want the eye to stop its upward glance. This can be done with molding, shelving, artwork, even a border of paint or wallpaper. The idea is to visually lower the ceiling.

. Investigate bold, dramatic colors for the walls and patterns for the window treatments. A big room can take impressive colors and large scaled patterns.

. Faux trees of varying heights grouped together in a corner instantly fill a space and help even out the scale of the furniture.

. If you are moving from a home of 8 foot ceilings to a home of 15 footceilings, realize that you are just going to have to buy some new furniture. Scale and proportion demand it.

. Walk tall. Assertive posture says you own the room, not the other way around.