Book offers tips for living in limited space

One of the biggest challenges to living in a tiny place is storage.

Whenever I watch TV programs that feature popular, up-and-coming tiny houses on wheels I am struck by the reality of extremely limited storage. It is much like living on a boat. I imagine that everyone featured must have an off-site storage unit.

It's not just the “tiny house” movement that presents storage problems. Consider the typical urban studio — it is essentially one open space with a bathroom — and maybe some small-scale accessory dwelling units, long-known as mother-in-law suites or granny-flat units. People create these units in basements, over-the-garage spaces and in attics and use them both for personal reasons and profit.

In a fresh new book you can find some basic guidelines and practical ideas for compact living environments. “Apartment Therapy: Complete + Happy Home” is brought to you by the Apartment Therapy brand and offers tips from house hunting to coping with funky space.

Let's be honest and admit that more-affordable homes often are older and with peculiar add-ons or quirky setups. But this shouldn't discourage anyone from feeling that they can be artful.

Often, necessity breeds trends in the first place. Struggling actors, dancers and writers gravitate toward urban centers and live as modestly as possible. Just think of famous Montmartre in Paris, where the likes of Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas lived in tiny rooms to save money.

So what to do with the book's example of a strange space in an awkward corner, shown here? A mobile coat rack and a dress mannequin squeeze in to provide storage for coats and shoes. In addition, this strange crook is host to art and a useful wall clock.

The most appealing aspect of “Complete + Happy Home” is its realism. Nothing looks staged, as in a model home. Maybe this is the secret to living happily in very small space: acceptance of what is.

Create privacy by hanging movable curtains from the ceiling instead of building a wall in a rental home. Consider storing towels and bed linens in an armoire in the living room if you don't have adequate storage in a linen closet. You might have to position three twin beds inches apart for your little boys instead of worrying about the optimal circulation room around a bed.

I'm not suggesting that you give in to chaos, but rather that you do the best with the space available before throwing up your hands in despair.

In a smaller home, you must use every square foot, and that presents challenges — especially when it comes to keeping things pristine. I say this as I begin the daunting task of my annual office cleanup before Thanksgiving.

You will also notice a critical design truth in the publication: Each room is equipped with the right size of furniture. If the breakfast nook is tiny, then you need a very small table and slim chairs to work with a narrow, built-in bench. Every sofa is just perfect for its room.

My favorite idea in the book is for people who cannot bear to part with their old magazines. One designer used them to make a unique coffee table by creating two equal-size magazine stacks and placing a piece of glass on top! This works best if the magazines all are the same, for example National Geographic or Elle Decor.

• Christine Brun is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of “Small Space Living.” Send questions and comments to her by email to christinebrun@sbcglobal.net.

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