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10 Ways to Shake Things Up

For her Sag Harbor, New York, coastal cottage, Catherine Lippincott followed her own decorating rules to capture her personal style, mixing bold and tranquil colors with old and new finds.

Photographer Peter Murdock , Writer Steele Thomas Marcoux

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Rethink the room.

Make your floor plan work for you. Catherine knew she would not use a formal dining room, so she converted hers into a master bedroom and set up an informal eating space at one end of her living room. Now she has more privacy from the upstairs guest rooms, plus a casual spot to enjoy meals with friends. More floor plan trades to try: Flop living and dining rooms or convert an extra bedroom into a den or master closet.