07 - 'Best Use of Space'

To follow up my review of House Beautiful's small spaces issue, I shall dive into the next magazine in my rapidly growing collection: Country Alamanc's Small Room Decorating Double Issue (#132 Fall 2010)! With 325 designer solutions to choose from, I better get down to business and quick! Not just quick, but licketey split, two shakes of a lamb's tail quick!

From Trends: "Pros Clear the Clutter", numbers three and eleven immediately jumped out at me. #3: The hidden home office designed by Sarah Barnard sounds like exactly how I intend to approach the assembly of my next home office. Finding interesting knick-knacks to accentuate the storage system while leaving space for the monitor should not be too much trouble. I am debating on making either a dust cover for my soon-to-be-purchased monitor or simply leaving it available to display photos (and easily access mood music). By discretely integrating my office into my dining room, I want to make sure that my business can be readily accessible when need be, but also easily managed when it comes time to play.

This tangos into #11: built-in banquettes for cozy diner-style dining. Designed by Robin Riddle of Fox + Riddle, if you check out their portfolio, the image I am describing is Dining Room #3/3. I may not be able to build anything into my apartment, but I can adapt this concept (with possible Ikea Hacking). In addition to being my office work space and my dining space, I will also use it when cooking items requiring more than two feet of  counter space or entertaining my students.  I love the design they've selected with a combination of white and natural wood. Most of the color in the setting comes from the glassware, service wear, and the table decor which are variables of color I can control and coordinate (with practice).

In "Designer Genius", Susan Fredman displays her beautiful collection of Chinese calligraphy brushes both in her bedroom and in her home office. The Chinese furniture and other Asian accents blend in beautifully with the other furnishings. Though I do not have the makings of a calligraphy studio, it was quite refreshing to see the brushes on display. Judging by their pristine appearance, they are working brushing, purely ornamental ones. I would to have some of those, but I remember my calligraphy teacher, Shiho, quoting prices of the higher end calligraphy brushes (and my almost falling out of my chair).

One of my absolute favorite articles in this issue was the "Budget Loft" Boston Bachelor Pad decoration by  Michael Ferzoco. It was transformed from a mint green monstrosity to a sleek mixture of neutrals with splashes of color. Again, the color comes primarily from the furniture and room accents, so I find his design concepts to be easily translated for my situation. His tips for selecting the right amount color to avoid aging the space was quite useful as well. The advice regarding investing in pieces that are not only essential but durable, reassures men that investing additional money into items such as my sofa, bed, and dining set are worthwhile.

The studio designed by Karen Topjian in "One Space, Four Rooms" was incredibly well planned out. I am a huge fan of functional and multipurpose spaces, but the creativity necessary to produce such a versatile space like this one blows my mind. I would have loved to have read this article when I was living in a small single room in Japan. I could have truly maximized my living quarters. Compared to the 470 square foot studio in the article, I have a separate bedroom to work with, so I don't need to be as creative. I will definitely employ the making flexible floor plans concept once I have fully measured my apartment (and the current pieces of furniture in my possession). I hope Ms. Topjian eventually includes this miniature marvel in her online design portfolio as it truly is a work of art.

Many of the items presented were fantastically smart or surprisingly witty. I had many enlightened moments reading this issue. Did I count all 325 of the amazing designer solutions? No. Did I read all of them? Absolutely! I am sure there are plenty of items I omitted, but I think this is all I can handle at the moment!