Tip 1. Realize that everything that you can see is yours to use.

If your house is in the Big Sur, the vast ocean as far as you can see is yours to enjoy. It'd such be a big waste if you have a solid, windowless wall on that side of your house. The 1st century Romans understood this concept very well. Not only did their houses (the ones of the rich at least) have the inevitable peristillio-- colonnaded courtyards which bring the outdoor in, they also have atrium's which bring in the stars at night.

Now that you got the drift and will have your planned vacation house sport huge windows on that side (or, better still, a whole wall of glass),don't make the mistake of covering it all up with tons of draperies. Use a minimum of window treatment here or none at all, or at least just enough to control the glare of natural light. Don't make the other mistake of blocking access to the huge windows or glass wall with furniture. The view must always be something that you can freely walk up to.

Tip 2. Keep window treatments to a minimum.

Sometimes you really can't avoid having window treatments--there's your privacy to guard, and daylight glare to control. Remember, however, to tone it down - just enough to cover the trim molding and the window casings, and for you to be able to draw everything back. Overly patterned window treatments or ones that contrast sharply with the wall color block the seamless transition from indoor to outdoor-avoid them.

Tip 3. Bring the outdoors inside with color.

Do this by using the dominant color of the outdoor view in your room. In our Big Sur example, you might have a monochromatic palette consisting of cyan, azure, and yellow-green complemented by accents like ocean wall hangings or at least a sea metal wall art. Remember, however, that the choice will necessarily be personal. If your outdoor view is of a color you abhor, don't use it. Or, if your loft is on the 52nd floor, and you're around only at night, use darker, richer colors instead of the pastels that you'd use if you want to bring in the daylight outdoor view.

Tip 4. Arrange your furniture to create intimate clusters.

If your furniture are arranged inside an area bigger than 12-foot square, it's too big, and will not encourage the type of natural coalescence that make for successful home entertaining. Paradoxical as it may seem, moving the furniture closer for a more intimate conversation actually makes a room feel more spacious.

Tip 5. Create long sight lines.

You do this by arranging your furniture such that a person standing at the entrance of a room can see the baseboard at the opposite end of the room. This gives a feeling of space.

Tip 6. Keep the entrance spacious.

Visitors instantly feel they're welcome if the entrance is spacious. Crowd the entrance with furniture and you send the wrong signal to your guests.