Effective Use of Small Space Can Cut Housing Cost Big Times

Garden Inspiration: Flower Garden Design For A Small Patio

This is a great example to show that a beautiful flower garden can happen even in small townhome patios.

Notes from the editors: Do you want to share with us a photo of your garden, patio, balcony, or porch?  If so, please click here to contact us for photo submission guidelines. If we decide to publish your photo, we will send you a beautiful shower curtain.

A Gorgeous 1400 Square Foot Apartment

Small and impeccably stylish, this apartment is among our list of favorites.

Bathroom With A Simple But Charming Design

Notes from the editors: Do you have a photo of your bathroom that you want to share with us? If so, please click here to contact us for photo submission guidelines. If we decide to publish your photo and story, we will send you a beautiful shower curtain.

Erica Heather Adds A Little Living Color To My 50+ Years Old Rental Bathroom

Content submitted by: Barbara Weiner

As a renter, it's not about the rent that bugs me or whether I'm missing out on investing in real estate that makes me feel envious of the homeowners. I think the biggest con for renting is that I am always stuck with an old bathroom that I don't like.  Bathrooms in rentals always look so generic, as if they are trapped in a time warp in the 60s.  I'm only guessing because my current rental was built in the 60s and my current bathroom doesn't look any different from all the other bathrooms that I had in my previous rentals elsewhere.  I have no idea of what bathrooms in the 60s really looked like since it was an era that was so beyond my generation.  Just my landlord told me my current bathroom fixtures were all original from the 60s (except for the shower door;  and the lights above the vanity).  

I always hate the old and tarnished original vanity  mirror (which I have no authority in changing). Then there is this odd vibe the entire color/decor scheme gives me, which I can't quite figure out what specifically it is that bugs me.  I feel like I have an eye sore and yet I can't pinpoint what it is that gives me the sore.  If you know what exactly is wrong in my bathroom that bugs me so, please let me know!! In the meantime, I try to add a dash of living color with the fragrant Erica Heather that I snipped off from a luscious bloom I bought from Trader Joe's for $4.49.

Notes from the editors: Do you have a photo of your bathroom that you want to share with us? If so, please click here to contact us for photo submission guidelines. If we decide to publish your photo and story, we will send you a beautiful shower curtain.

Multifunctional Bedroom

This is such a cool ideal to maximize the use of a small space!

A Lower Budget Idea For A White Bedroom With Functional Storage

Content submitted by: Barbara Weiner

If only money were plentiful, I would of course refurnish my bedroom with everything that I see from the Pottery Barn catalog.  Unfortunately, I'm currently living from paycheck to paycheck, so if I have to redecorate my bedroom right now, I will get the above storage bed at $359.44, and also the storage headboard below for $107.34, which are more wallet friendly to me as of now than the high-end storage bed at Pottery Barn. (I'm sure PB furniture have better quality, but I can only afford what my bank account allows.)

Notes from the editors: Are you currently living in a small apartment? If so, please share your photo and decorating tips with us and we will send you a beautiful shower curtain if we decide to publish your photo and story. Please click here to contact us for photo submission guidelines.

Functional White Bedroom With Plenty Of Storage

From Pottery Barn

Modern Living In The Sky

For about $7,000 a month, you can live in this 1,000 square-foot, two bedrooms, two baths apartment in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.  All utilities and house keeping service are included. We find the contemporary decor inspiring.

Poinsettia Decor Makes My Micorwave In My Living Room Look Less Awkward

Content submitted by: Barbara Weiner

Back in mid December, I had purchased a poinsettia table runner for my buffet that houses the microwave I moved out of my tiny kitchen.  I am generally happy with the table runner and it does look very pretty.  I just wish I had purchased it later because the price had dropped a couple bucks a few days after I ordered it. I also wish that the runner could be longer so I could drape over the sides of my buffet.  It was my fault though because I didn't really look at the measurement of the runner before hand, and neither did I measure my buffet.   Overall, I am still quite happy with how my buffet looks right now.  I also love the Poinsettia plant I bought from Trader Joe's at only $2.99 (per pot). Thanks to the poinsettia decor, my microwave is now much a less eye sore in my rental's living room.

Notes from the editors: Are you currently living in a small apartment where you only have a small corner to dedicate your holiday decorating? If so, please share your photo and decorating tips with us and we will send you a beautiful shower curtain if we decide to publish your photo and story. Please click here to contact us for photo submission guidelines.

Putting Microwave In The Living Room

Content submitted by: Barbara Weiner

My kitchen in my rental is tiny with very limited counter space.  After putting my microwave (which I use all the time) on the kitchen counter, there is absolutely no space for prepping food for cooking. It used to drive me crazy.  I've been putting up with it for years though.  After returning home from caring for my grandma, I decided life is too short to not change the unpleasant element of my tiny kitchen. So I bought a buffet with stainless steel top ($366 + 49.83 assembling fees + free shipping) to put in my living room where I am putting my microwave now.  There is a version that has wood top which is only $290.59.  But I like stainless so I splurged on getting the stainless steel top. I also paid for the assembling service because I am not strong enough to lift the pieces alone and also assemble the buffet. My buffet is just like the product photo except that mine is rather plain looking now because I have yet to put pretty bowls and wine bottles in it. Moving the microwave to the living room really frees up space in my tiny kitchen.

Notes from the editors: Do you live in a small space and  have a photo of your microwave placement that you want to share with us? If so, please click here to contact us for photo submission guidelines. If we decide to publish your photo and story, we will send you a beautiful floral arrangement gift.

Narrow Bookcase Adds Flexibility To Apartment Living

We all want that big flat screen TV but for those of us who live in rental apartments, we don't want to buy wide and bulky furniture that will be difficulty to move to our next apartment, or that won't fit in the living room of our next apartment.  Narrow bookcase is the solution for our dilemma because it gives us the flexibility in assembling our entertainment center wherever we move to. 

Lovely Small White Bedroom With A Hint Of Lilac

8-Piece Fleurette Bedding Set $72.99 (Free Shipping)

Not everyone has the luxury to change the color of their white bedrooms.  Very often, many of us are stuck with a white bedroom because it seems it's the "color" of rental apartments and college dorms.  Most of the bedrooms in vacant homes for sale also have white walls that are waiting for the new homeowners to spend money painting over.  For homeowners who exhausted their funds on closing cost and other repairs, and for those who dread the hassle of a DIY paint job, they are also stuck with the white bedrooms like many of us, the renters.

But white bedrooms are actually a lot easier to re-decorate than rooms in other colors.  With a splash of color and a few decorative items, a dreary white bedroom presents countless possibilities for a beautiful makeover.   

A Bright And Airy Mutli-functional Living Space

Light color furniture, neutral walls and window treatment make this small  living and dining combination room look bright and spacious 

Small Studio Living

Smart and space friendly design can turn any small space into a comfortable home.  For busy professionals who love the amenities and job opportunities that big cities have to offer, the Murphy Wall Bed can provide the flexibility and advantage of living in the low maintenance small studio in any city. 

Any Small Home Can Afford An Orderly Home Office

There is no extra room for that home office?  No problem, you can now set up an orderly home office as long as you can spare a patch of the wall.  This wall mount floating desk with storage is the ideal solution for the very much needed home office space in any small home.  There is even storage on top of the desk for files and folders!  But nowadays, storing documents in digital format is the way to go.  But no matter how digitized our life is, we will still need that handful of folders around.  This floating desk is $156.95, and it comes in the color of White, Expresso and Black. 

Make Some Pretty Closet Space Behind The Doors

This pretty decorative over the door rack is one fabulous solution to add additional closet space for our clothes, it's also great for tiny apartments that don't have a mud room or any space to put a coat rack.  It's only $7.05, a pretty good deal.

A Multi-Functional Memo Board Helps Organize Life On One Single Spot On The Wall

We love this memo board that can get our weekly to-do list, schedules, mails, notes and keys, all on one spot up on the wall.  We also love that we can easily paint this into the color that matches our home decor. $33.99 & Free Shipping.

Bright Storage For The Small Entryway

In every small home, there is always that narrow entryway or small back end of a narrow hallway that is left empty because it's too small for most furniture.  It often becomes the neglected tiny spot in the home.  The above blue book shelf ($117.98), when stocked with the following storage bins (2 for $11.69), can provide not only great storage but it can also brighten up that obscure little spot along that narrow entryway or the back end of that narrow hallway.

A Low Budget Way To Transform A Living Room With Mirrors

This is a fantastic and quick DIY idea to give the living room a new look.  These mirrors are great but we think it's important to also harmonize the color of the wall, the mirror frames and also the fireplace.