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Small Spaces Inspiration

June 12, 2008 by Renee Claire

Smallpigeonnier

I remember loving this Cottage Living spread when it first came out, but it took posts from Have Degree, Will Travel & Apartment Therapy to remind me just how awesome it is. Designer Angèle Parlange converted Parlange Plantation‘s pigeonnier, or pigeon house, into a tiny getaway; above are my two favorite views. The exterior shot makes me think of a truncated Rapunzel’s tower (plus, Spanish moss is magic in plant form), while the bedroom–well, it’s a bedroom lined with books. Can’t beat that.

Smallparisapartment

Second, Design*Sponge featured this gorgeous Parisian remodel by Pia Jane Bijkerk. While the remodel itself is ingenious (e.g. she wallpapered inside the kitchen cupboard since it’s a rental), I’m a sucker for Haussmann-style apartments. I got to stay in one summers ago, and it had the same high ceilings, crown moldings, and tall windows–great details you rarely see in the U.S. (only it was much shabbier, and had the strangest carpet…). See Bijkerk’s remodel description and all images here.

Small_vw_van

Not that you could actually live here for an extended period of time (without smelling funny, anyway), but I like the thought of beach-combing in this retro van. Photos are by Sofie Andersson, via Black*Eiffel & Fashion is Spinach.

Small_pia_houseboat

Pia Jane Bijkerk, who did the Parisian remodel above, just moved into an Amsterdam houseboat. It is glorious (see more images here and here).

Small_gurstelle

Finally, from Apartment Therapy’s Small Cool contest (see all entries here), a bold San Francisco studio. The bed nook, my favorite part, used to be a walk-in closet. Talk about a clever use of space!

Filed Under: House, Small Spaces Tagged With: TBD

Inspiration: Writers’ Rooms

September 24, 2007 by Renee Claire

Beryl Bainbridge Workspace, from The Guardian

Workspace of Beryl Bainbridge, from the Guardian.

The Guardian has a nice feature on famous writers’ workspaces, with photographs and commentary from people like Seamus Heaney and Alain de Botton (via Anh-minh). As a writer, it was comforting to see the abundance of books and papers; I sent it to my dad, and his response was only, “They’re all messy, aren’t they?”

Filed Under: Career, House, Work Spaces, Writing Advice

Small Spaces: Links (Archive)

September 6, 2007 by Renee Claire

More links for small space lovers:

  • Dirk Dieter’s 250 sq ft house.
  • A well-decorated 472 sq ft apartment.
  • Freshome has 5 decorating tips for small rooms (via Lifehacker).
  • Free Spirit Spheres sells mind-boggling spherical treehouses.
  • Awesome! found a picnic table that fits into a briefcase.
  • Which goes with these briefcase-like portable grills.
  • Extra storage for small cars.

More links for small space lovers:

  • I like this food warmer/radiator combination (although I like central heating more).
  • A NY couple renovated their 400 sq feet studio for $12,000. The guy actually lived there during the renovation–he had to vacuum his bed every night before sleeping. Love him!
  • not martha has a nice DIY storage idea for small kitchens.
  • Finally, a surprisingly attractive coffee table/bench/magazine rack.

Here are five links for small-space lovers (and those who just make do):

  • Ingenious staircase storage.
  • Ceiling height’s effect on the brain.
  • Cool, stupidly expensive stacking chairs.
  • Apartment Therapy’s Smallest Coolest Apartment Contest (scroll down for entries).
  • Brilliant renovation of a 550 sq ft apartment (NYTimes).  Love the curved shower rod, fallen leaf carpet, and floating bookcases.

Filed Under: Archive, House, Small Spaces

Deborah Bowness Wallpaper

May 17, 2007 by Renee Claire

Deborah Bowness Wall Papers

I’d seen Deborah Bowness’ clothing wallpapers everywhere, but had only seen her bookshelf paper at Designers’ Block UK.  To me, the two products existed in separate universes. Then the geek blogs discovered the bookshelf paper, and I discovered that both came from the same brilliant mind.

No word on prices, but I’m sure they’re heartbreaking.  See more photos and products at Bowness’ official site.

Filed Under: Design, House

Guggenhouse: DIY Wall Calendar

April 5, 2007 by Renee Claire

Cottage Living DIY Wall CalendarCropped scan from March 2007 issue of Cottage Living (click for full size).  Photo by Robbie Caponetto.

I love this idea–my main frustration with month calendars is that the boxes aren’t big enough, and this solves that problem.

However, I would change the color scheme.  Some ideas:

  • Use a patterned wallpaper. Alternatively, use a dark or jewel-toned solid wallpaper for drama.  The instructions recommend a paper with texture to hide holes.
  • Play with ribbon size, texture, and color.
  • Modify the push-pins. I have a French memo board with pearl push-pins; fake gems or paper arrows are other fun ideas.
  • Exchange the month and day headers for something bolder.

Filed Under: D.I.Y., House

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