48 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2020
PRESS HOME
7 TIPS FOR SMALL SPACE LIVING
continued from page 47
1. Edit possessions to fit your space.
Clothes, toiletries, books, decorative
objects, keepsakes and equipment
can be pared down, leaving room to
breathe. Excess can be stored, digitized,
or donated.
2. Each household should ideally have
at least four closets. These include a
coat closet, linen closet, extra large
deep storage and broom closet (for
awkward items), and at least one
clothing closet per person. If you lack
adequate closet space, you will likely
need to find alternative storage space
for these items. Coats can be hung on
hooks near the front door, linens on
wall-hung shelving in the bathroom
or over a door, and clothing hung on
hangers in a wardrobe or on a rolling
rack.
3. William Morris’ adage to have
nothing that is not beautiful or useful
still applies. Make sure a healthy
percentage of your living quarters is
aesthetically pleasing, not only functional,
and includes uncluttered surfaces
and empty space as well as decorative
moments. Don’t stuff a house to
the brim with items in cardboard boxes
or plastic containers — a home should
not resemble a storage unit. A group of
metal tins, wooden or paper-covered
boxes, or colorful African baskets on
a shelf can hide clutter and become a
design element.
4. Find storage: On a wall, between
studs, under a bed, in the recess between
a wall and a chimney, under a
table, on a two-sided bookcase acting
as a room divider, on a counter, in the
oven. Off-season clothes can be stored
under a bed in zippered containers
made for that purpose, plates can be
stacked and silverware grouped in
jars or cans on a counter if you lack
kitchen drawers and cupboards, and
a console table with solid or covered
sides between a wall and couch can
hold lamps, a book or two, and a
catch-all dish on top while hiding
awkward items underneath such as
out-of-season bedding, winter boots
and holiday decorations.
5. Even if it is only a wall-hung shelf and
hooks because you don’t have space for
a table and chair, designate a spot near
the front door for coats, bags, keys, mail
and whatever else you are bringing in
or taking out.
6. Demarcate functions in one room.
For instance, you can create a dining
space, office, and lounging area in a
studio apartment simply by furniture
placement. You can also separate or
hide areas — such as an entry door,
kitchen, or sleeping area — with a
two-sided bookcase used as a room
divider.
7. Customize. Make it, commission it,
alter it, copy it. At one extreme is a
custom architect-designed staircase
that functions as a bookcase, desk, and
art object — as in a Paris loft by interior
designer Marianne Evennou. At the
other is the most inexpensive and
simple solid wood table, with plastic
chairs and a guitar hung on hooks on
the wall when not in use. Chairish and
other sites offer simple furniture such
as upholstered banquettes and tables
meant to be covered that can be ordered
in custom sizes and fabrics. To give a
built-in look and create storage where
there is none, build two closets and
place a sideboard, couch or bed in the
niche between them. Metal and wood
shelving and cabinets by early modernists
you admire can be knocked off
in sizes to fit your space. Adding bookshelves
and a desk can be as simple as
putting up shelving on wall-hung metal
brackets.
These tips and tricks can also be used
to great effect in larger homes. The
difference is you will be able to have
more purposefully empty space, accommodate
more people, and dedicate
more space to specific functions such
as dining or a hobby.
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