Doing more with less: Downsizing is on the upswing, and some homeowners are enlisting help to make a smart transition.

Sun Sentinel (MCT) - Downsizing and "right" sizing are no longer terms we hear only in the workplace.

They're becoming the buzzwords we use when talking about where we live. No longer is a bigger home better. We want to live smarter and that means smaller.

Advocates of this pared-down philosophy range from empty nesters and seniors who want less maintenance to folks of all ages who want to reduce expenses in a sour economy.

In response, designers are offering services that help downsizers decide which items will fit in their new homes and which they should eliminate.

Barbara and Arnie Greenberg, of Boca Raton, Fla., decided to put their two-story, 2,900-square-foot home in Broken Sound up for sale and put a deposit on a single story, 1,740-square-foot home that is being built for them in Valencia Reserve in Boynton Beach, Fla.

"We need something easier," Barbara Greenberg said. "We could probably stay here, but it's a very deep house and I would need roller skates to get from one end of the house to another. And I'm too old for roller skates."

Other factors are the money they lost on their investments and the $30,000 a year they pay to the Broken Sound Country Club, a luxury when they no longer use many of the club's amenities.

They hired Boca Raton designer Donald Workman to help them with the transition. Workman, who decorated their Boca house, will advise them on what to keep and what to give away or sell.

The Greenbergs have a large sectional, which Workman said can be divided and used in a smaller space. And he is thinking about adding a bar and a game table to the dining area in the new house.

"Most people at this stage of life are doing very little entertaining," Workman said. "They don't need to use the dining room for dining because all they do is serve drinks and hors d'oeuvres at home and go out for dinner."

Downsizing does mean getting rid of things, but Workman always asks his clients what they can't live without and he works it into his plan. He creates room for the "emotional" items, such as family pictures and videos, by building a floor-to-ceiling closet with adjustable shelves.

"You have to stop being emotional," he said. "You are changing your lifestyle and you are changing your life. It's time for a new life and a new beginning."

Lauri Ward, author of "Downsizing Your Home with Style: Living Well in a Smaller Space" (Collins Living, $17.95), has made a career out of helping clients make the most of what they already have. Her business, Use-What-You-Have Interiors, has offices in Boca Raton and New York City.

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Ward said she started seeing the trend toward downsizing escalate about a year ago. But she said many of her clients can't move now because they can't sell their homes. She starts by decluttering their current homes.

If her clients love an object or use it, she tells them to keep it.

"It comes down to a question of restraint," she said. "If you have several of mom's pieces, pick out one or two favorites to keep."

She is also a big advocate of what she calls "closed storage" _ a place to keep the items that cause clutter out of sight.

Creating closed storage in a hallway is one of the ways she is making the Miami Beach, Fla., condo of Yvonne and Tony Conza more livable. The cabinet will allow files and a printer to be hidden from view as well has have space to hang clothing.

The 1,200-square-foot condo wasn't a problem when the Conzas used it as a getaway, but now they are spending the winters in Florida and it suddenly seemed too small. The Conzas have other homes in Manhattan and Woodstock, N.Y.

"We kept saying we wish we had one more room and last year we almost upgraded to a larger apartment," Tony said. "But with the economy, we didn't want to put ourselves in debt."

One of the major problems was some of their furnishings were in the wrong places. The prime example was Yvonne's desk, which was in the bedroom.

"Because we had a smaller place, I didn't want people to walk in and see the desk," Yvonne said. "I felt constant unrest and imbalance and didn't know why I felt that way. Lauri moved the desk into the living room and everything changed."

Ward said these days a lot of clients are like the Conzas _ they want their home to feel bigger without having to move. She helps clients take baby steps to declutter their homes so they can feel more comfortable when the market turns around and they can sell their homes.

"There is an upside feel to downsizing," Yvonne said. "Less is more. It makes what you have more special."

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10 Tips For Smaller Spaces

Thinking of downsizing? Here are 10 tips on how to cope with smaller spaces from Lauri Ward, author of "Downsizing Your Home with Style: Living Well in a Smaller Space" (Collins Living, $17.95):

1. Paint color: Open-plan rooms should have a single paint color to make them look larger.

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2. Window treatments: Avoid heavy, elaborate curtains. Keep the window coverings close to the color of the walls. Good choices to make a small room appear larger are plain linen or sheer panels.

3. Flooring: Avoid using too many area rugs that break up the space in homes with open plans. Leave all the floors bare except for one rug in the living room to anchor the conversation area.

4. Unclutter: Take everything off the floor that's not furniture. This means removing sports equipment and stacks of newspapers and magazines.

5. Seating: Add additional seating with armless chairs or put matching ottomans on casters under the coffee table.

6. Storage: Put trunks or baskets under leggy tables to add storage.

7. Beds: Forget the footboard to make your bed look as if it takes up less space in the room.

8. Extra chairs: Place a pair of extra chairs for dining in the hall flanking a chest.

9. Lighting: Recessed and track lighting hug the ceiling and can make any space look more expansive. Avoid chandeliers and ceiling fans.

10. Walls: Avoid hanging too much art on the walls. Instead, rotate your art from storage and leave one wall bare in each room to allow the eye to rest.

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BY THE NUMBERS

89 percent of home builders are building lower-priced homes.

SOURCE: National Association of Home Builders

88 percent of home builders are building smaller homes.

SOURCE: National Association of Home Builders

58 percent of affluent Baby Boomers are likely or somewhat likely to move to a smaller home within 10 to 15 years.

SOURCE: Hanley Wood, a market research firm

52 percent of brokers said the desire to downsize was cited by empty-nester clients as why they are moving.

SOURCE: Coldwell Banker, Research: Barbara Hijek

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© 2009, Sun Sentinel.