Downtown Albuquerque, NM
This is my 'Decorating My Home Journal Entry' about my studio apartment. Ahhhhh .......... I am so glad I made notes. I had moved into a 450 square foot studio apartment. I'd been inbetween houses, wouldn't be there long, not even long enough to throw a coat of paint on the walls. Although my stay would be short, it was still important to decorate my home.I have a need to be surrounded by beauty; I thrive in it. Pictures and artwork could - and would - go up. I consider art to be the soul of the house or, as here, the soul of the apartment.
So, I went to work, decorating my home, doing what I teach, and doing what I do in clients' homes.
"In 
decorating small spaces,
you have to really see
your available space. Then adapt.
Adapt, adapt adapt!"
Although it is really just a cubbyhole area of the kitchen, as shown in the first photograph, I tucked office equipment and office furniture into this niche, creating an office. Usually I work at a larger desk, but this antique secretary has also been used from time to time, so I put it to work again.
In the next photo you can see my grouping of antique plates. These plates have lived in numerous places in my various houses over the years. Often they've lived in a dining room over a breakfront, or over windows; they've been part of a wall shelf display and even one time they lived in a combination mud room/pantry. Here, in my apartment I hung them above the stove. I liked the theme of the plates in the kitchen; but more importantly, functionally they worked well. The plates' proximity to the stove wasn't an issue. This photo also shows the office niche, but from another angle.
The next photo shows the other side of the kitchen, you can see the refrigerator, microwave, a countertop paper-towel holder and even my black potholders that are hanging on a hook. In assembling this small grouping, I selected art pieces that usually lived in other living spaces.
When designing small spaces like apartments, you adapt, using items perhaps in more varied ways and in terms of available space. I enjoyed how this small kitchen area came to life, seeming even bigger, than left blank. In a sense my potholders, part of my grouping, were dual purpose items, pieces of art/kitchen tools.
In my apartment when I was assembling my office area I had to adapt - there is an ugly, obnoxious metal fuse box on that kitchen wall. Grrr...... but, ahah! Finger snap, and decorator magic! I hid the fuse box behind one of the art pieces. It is barely noticeable - it is behind the dark picture that is to the right of the horse picture.
decorating small spaces,you have to really see
your available space. Then adapt.
Adapt, adapt adapt!"
Although it is really just a cubbyhole area of the kitchen, as shown in the first photograph, I tucked office equipment and office furniture into this niche, creating an office. Usually I work at a larger desk, but this antique secretary has also been used from time to time, so I put it to work again.In the next photo you can see my grouping of antique plates. These plates have lived in numerous places in my various houses over the years. Often they've lived in a dining room over a breakfront, or over windows; they've been part of a wall shelf display and even one time they lived in a combination mud room/pantry. Here, in my apartment I hung them above the stove. I liked the theme of the plates in the kitchen; but more importantly, functionally they worked well. The plates' proximity to the stove wasn't an issue. This photo also shows the office niche, but from another angle.
The next photo shows the other side of the kitchen, you can see the refrigerator, microwave, a countertop paper-towel holder and even my black potholders that are hanging on a hook. In assembling this small grouping, I selected art pieces that usually lived in other living spaces.
When designing small spaces like apartments, you adapt, using items perhaps in more varied ways and in terms of available space. I enjoyed how this small kitchen area came to life, seeming even bigger, than left blank. In a sense my potholders, part of my grouping, were dual purpose items, pieces of art/kitchen tools.In my apartment when I was assembling my office area I had to adapt - there is an ugly, obnoxious metal fuse box on that kitchen wall. Grrr...... but, ahah! Finger snap, and decorator magic! I hid the fuse box behind one of the art pieces. It is barely noticeable - it is behind the dark picture that is to the right of the horse picture.
For more small space decorating, see below.
Ideas For Decorating Small Spaces
Housing Trends: Good Use Of Space & Green
Carrie's Apartment Was Hollywood true?
Decorating My Home Journal Entry: My Studio Apartment (Small, Temporary, Pretty)
For more organizing ideas, see below.
Decorating For Serenity, More Things, Less Life
Organizing For Tranquility And Creativity Pinterest Board
