Small Spaces from Creators Syndicate

Plan Ahead for Caregiving Challenges for 07/09/2008

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Coping with an aging parent's shifting needs can be daunting, especially when changes happen suddenly and you don't feel adequately prepared. If you start to think about this issue now, you won't be without resources if a time comes when you need to swing into action.

One of the best situations is where a parent can live on the same property with the adult child. A few simple adjustments ...

Updated: Wed Jul 09, 2008

Create an Old World Feel With Distressed Wood Floors for 07/16/2008

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A basic way to make your home to look larger is to run just one type of flooring continuously throughout. This is especially true if your front door opens right into the main room without the formality of a real foyer to introduce a visitor to your space.

Another situation where this theory rings true is when you enjoy an open floor plan, without walls between rooms to break up the view. ...

Updated: Wed Jul 16, 2008

Close Space Can Be Doubled for 07/23/2008

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Expert space planners are fond of saying that you can stretch space. One of my favorite ways to get limited space to serve you better, is to coax the ordinary closet to function at a much higher level. The most obvious way for a closet to work harder is to employ a professional closet organizer.

Another way is to provide double-pole hanging, which makes it possible to double the storage ...

Updated: Wed Jul 23, 2008

Freshmen Find Expression in Their Dorm Rooms for 07/30/2008

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Each fall a new crop of students prepares to begin their college experience. Half are frightened and half are bursting to take the big step forward.

For each freshman ready to leave the nest there is another suffering from angst at the prospect of leaving home. For both groups, it is understandable that they have great interest in their new living arrangement.

For the most part, r ...

Updated: Wed Jul 30, 2008

Hard Times Require Brave Decisions for 08/06/2008

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

For many Americans, the soft economy is forcing them to make hard decisions such as scaling back on housing. For the hard hit, the question is: How do we downsize without experiencing too much stress?

I won't pretend that even under the best of circumstances cutting back is easy. If you are being forced into a smaller home by the current economic woes, it would be understandable if you a ...

Updated: Wed Aug 06, 2008

Spiral Staircase a Step to Saving Floor Space for 08/13/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Your house might have extra room you have never seen before. In fact, you might be sitting under the solution to your space problem right now.

If your home features unused attic space or an exceptionally generous ceiling height, then you might be able to turn that space into a loft room. I was able to do just that.

My home is about 40 years old and was built in an era when tall, s ...

Updated: Wed Aug 13, 2008

Find Your Home's Inner Spa for 08/20/2008

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

This summer I joined millions of Americans who, because of escalating fuel costs and a weak dollar, took a "staycation." One thing I learned from my stay at home is that when you have time to look around, home-improvement ideas just spring to mind.

It turns out I'm not alone. Millions of Americans have turned a critical eye toward their homes and many see their bathrooms as the ...

Updated: Wed Aug 20, 2008

Fear Not, Minimalism Is an Acceptable Style for 08/27/2008

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

What could be better when your wallet is thin than to embrace a minimalist style?

Historically, the term was used to describe a trend in design and architecture where a particular subject is reduced to its essential components. Minimalism works when you work with as few pieces as possible. It flourishes when you have reduced resources or, perhaps, suddenly restricted space.

The te ...

Updated: Wed Aug 27, 2008

You Can Find Office Space in a Kit for 09/03/2008

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Need a little more space for a home office? Consider building it from a kit.

Most offerings are adorable miniature wood huts that mimic larger homes by including tiny gables, double-hung windows and front porches. However, if your home is more modern in design, one of these wooden dollhouses in the backyard could leave you cold.

Fortunately, there are other options on the market. ...

Updated: Wed Sep 03, 2008

History of Laundry Changed by Convenience for 09/10/2008

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Mondays used to be laundry day. These days it is more like every day is laundry day.

You might think that this is an odd postulation, but it might be that we spend more time devoted to this task than ever before. The very convenience of having a washing machine inside the house, for instance, makes it easy to toss in a load any time of day or night.

Presto! It's done. Pop open the ...

Updated: Wed Sep 10, 2008

City Living Puts Emphasis on Use of Space for 09/17/2008

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

In the Academy Award-winning 1960 film "The Apartment," Jack Lemmon's character paid $84 for his Upper West Side one-bedroom. Today the average rent for a one-bedroom Manhattan apartment without a doorman is $2,842.

Other than being grateful that their rent is substantially less, why should anyone in the rest of the country care about apartment living in the Big Apple? We care, ...

Updated: Wed Sep 17, 2008

Autumn: A Wonderful Season of Change for 09/24/2008

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It's fall, that time of year when young adults leave the nest for college or university. It's also a time when younger siblings who have long eyed their older sibling's bedroom can claim that space for their own.

What you do with that room obviously depends on the age of the new occupant. Because teenagers are generally more interested in privacy than room size, it is reasonably normal f ...

Updated: Wed Sep 24, 2008

Eco Smart Tiny Fireplace for 10/01/2008

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

As fuel costs rise and autumn leaves start to change it is time to consider how you will heat your home this winter.

Consider using your fireplace, if you have one. One benefit of living in an older home is that they very often come with fireplaces in several rooms — including bedrooms.

But don't despair if you don't have a fireplace. There are simple ways to add one.

Updated: Wed Oct 01, 2008

Making Every Inch Count in the Bathroom for 10/08/2008

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It is comforting these days to know that it is not always expensive bathroom fixtures or pricey floor tile but quirky architectural features that can deliver the most punch to your bathroom redesign.

In a hardworking room such as a bathroom capturing all the available space critical. I like to believe that one way to do this is to carefully take advantage of unusual architectural details ...

Updated: Wed Oct 08, 2008

Kitchens Looking Back to Before World War II for 10/15/2008

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

October is National Kitchen and Bath month, but judging from the chatter on the design grapevine there are few people embarking on major kitchen and bathroom remodels at the moment.

Obviously, there is trepidation given our nation's current economic crisis. Most most financial advisors are advocating being conservative right now.

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Updated: Wed Oct 15, 2008

The Right Window Treatments Do More Than Improve the View for 10/22/2008

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Hard times are giving new meaning to Kermit the Frog's famous lament, "It's not easy being green."

It is only naturally that our current economic crisis has lots of us focused on our bank accounts instead of the environment. But there might be a silver lining in the dark clouds of hard economic times. Cutting back on consumption to stretch our dollars could give a boost to the ...

Updated: Wed Oct 22, 2008

Japanese Inspiration Leads to Winning Bathroom Design for 10/29/2008

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The first-place winner for small bathrooms at the National Kitchen & Bath Association's 2008 Design Competition proves that an ordinary bathroom space can become something rather extraordinary.

Several space-planning techniques were applied that would serve in many similar tract-home bathrooms. First, designer Michael Ranson decided to capitalize on his client's love of Japanese desi ...

Updated: Wed Oct 29, 2008

Reclaimed Buildings Spawn an Affordable Housing Concept for 11/05/2008

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

In the Texas Hill Country one man's idea is turning trash into treasure. The concept might even pave the way toward affordable homeownership even in today's financially turbulent time.

Gardner owns Dirtco Construction, an Austin-based company with a conscious. A builder, rancher and environmentalist, Gardner has created a model for sustainable living that reuses perfectly good building m ...

Updated: Wed Nov 05, 2008

No Easy Recipe for Cooking Up a New Kitchen for 11/12/2008

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

In these days of trying to cut back and conserve, it might be tempting to think you can you can remodel your kitchen by yourself. Before you give it a try, let me extend some advice that comes from years of experience.

Be aware that if you walk into a kitchen-and-bath showroom that primarily sells cabinets, there will most likely be nominal fee for the staff designer to generate even a p ...

Updated: Wed Nov 12, 2008

Set the Right Tone to Work at Home for 11/19/2008

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Some professions allow you to work from home, which sounds pleasant — unless the decision was not your own.

Yet some experts say getting laid off doesn't have to be all bad. Like a mother bird booting her chick from the nest, economic hard times could provide you with the start you need to go into business for yourself. There are some things you can do to ease the transition to lif ...

Updated: Wed Nov 19, 2008