Whether you live in an apartment with limited square footage or struggle to organize the smaller rooms in your Hilton sized mansion, join me weekly for thoughts and tips on organizing and making the most of your small space.
Paint, flooring, lighting are all key elements to good design, but right along with these is 'storage'. In small space design, especially, it is a key element to get right --without it, even the best design will soon be buried beneath a sea of clutter.
Every area of our homes/lives needs good storage. Whether you are redecorating a single room or designing an entire new home, here are 3 steps to planning for adequate storage in your design.
1. Make a list of all the activities that will take place in each room and who will be doing these activities....
I just came across this great "moon" table from Xiaoping Design and I think it's a brilliant example of a multi-functional table.
United, these two half-moon shaped tables form a lovely round table which is perfect for dining, playing games and so on. But apart, the pair make great side tables or they can easily sit flush up against the wall flanking a doorway as temporary display tables. ...
I recently read this post on the Openhouse Blog by Deb Wolfe. She shared pictures of her daughter's newly decorated apartment and what is especially great about this room is that at first glance you probably didn't spot the dog's crate. Look closer, over to your right, and you'll find it -- it looks suspiciously like an endtable and so it is -- a great combination piece.
Skyline Bookcase, Levenger
If you love books, like I do, and live in a small space (like I do) , one of the big challenges you'll face is how to find room for storing all your books. The skyline bookcase from Levenger is one great option. In one square foot of floor space (6' tall) this bookcase can store up to 100 books on its nine shelves and it's slim footprint allows you to place it almost anywhere.
The spine bookcase from West Elm is another skinny possibility, with a base no wider than a large book. Almost 6 ' high it boasts 10 shelves, however you do need to store your books horizontally.
Slim bookshelves are not the only place to store books. Look for furnishings that can serve a dual function such as a headboard with built-in bookcase or a platform bed with shelves underneath. Consider a coffee table with space for storing oversized books or an end table with shelves. With the use of bookends, books can also be stored on top of kitchen cupboards or an armoire or a windowsill.
Of course before you start piling those books up, be sure that they are books you love, plan to read or refer to again, and/or would want to have available to loan to a friend. All the others should get passed on for someone else to read. A personal library should be personal -- just the books that you love, need, and read.
My best book storage solution in my small space is my library tote bag -- it allows me to bring in as many new books as I like without having to worry about long term storage and if I need them again, I know just where to find them in their online catalogue.
Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers! Take the day off and celebrate with a great read.
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STRIDA
With the rising cost of gas, this organized blogger has been wondering if it might not be time to dust off the old bicycle. A purely figurative term in my case since my old bicycle has long since been sold and I couldn't imagine where I would put a new one in our small space. That is until I happened to be walking by Vessel last weekend and spotted the STRIDA 3. What, folding bicycles? Not such a new concept if you've been keeping up with the trends but if you are in the dark like me, you'll be amazed to learn of the...
"If you have clutter you are richer than you think. Look at uncluttering as an opportunity to share your abundance – the stuff you don't need – with people who could really use it."
--Donna Smallin, The one minute organizer.
I was helping a woman sort some 300 pair of shoes the other day. She lives in a small space and it is very cluttered. But the shoes are all "good" and she "loves them" and "paid good money for them" and so the reasons go why the shoes cannot go. ...
Joan Kosmachuk is a professional organizer and personal life coach. Born in Toronto, Canada, Joan moved to Boston in 2005 and lives in a less than 800 square foot apartment in an old brownstone with her husband, Jerry, and their papillon dog, Duke. In addition to organizing, Joan loves to read, write, garden, travel and spend quality time with her family and friends.
Check out her website for additional articles and tips on making room in your home, head and heart for the things you value most.
Small Space, Big Style on HGTV This show makes me dream of living in an even smaller apartment just to see how creative I could be.
Mission Organization, HGTV We all know it doesn't happen in a half-hour, but this show does do a great job of showing just what can happen when a professional organizer works with a willing client. Magic!!
NEAT, HGTV Sadly you can only catch repeats of this one, but Helen was my first on-camera organizing coach and as I told her when I met her at the POC in Toronto last year, she was an inspiration!!
Books and Authors I recommend
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh timeless inspiration
Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster one of the best books I've read on finding harmony in our complex world
organizing LA nothing like seeing the world of organization through the eyes of Hollywood -- John does a great job of keeping us East-coasters up-to-date on the West Coasters.
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Skyline Bookcase, Levenger
If you love books, like I do, and live in a small space (like I do) , one of the big challenges you'll face is how to find room for storing all your books. The skyline bookcase from 
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