Small Spaces

We live in the inner city and because our house isn't enormous (it's not too small - about 100sqm in total I think), I often look to smaller, well designed apartments for design and organisational inspiration. This is one such apartment. Featured in House Beautiful, designer David Kaihoi's East Village apartment (shared with his wife and child) is only 64 sqaure FEET! Wow, that's small! I love this space - it's so brave and incredibly clever. In David's own words, the secret to living harmoniously in this space is "ruthless editing - one thing in, one thing out. A place for everything and everything in its place." This is an important lesson for me - I tend to be a bit of a hoarder. Time to clean out the closet! Another lesson that's worth noting is that you can still use big bold pieces (and colours!) in a smaller space. Often, I think, using smaller, bitsy pieces can make a space seem even smaller.

Beautiful bureau that folds away.

Dining room that doubles as living room....clever.

Wall of living room that houses library and entertainment.

 Dual usage - sofa and linen closet.

Imagine having such perfectly styled drawers!

 A place for everything and everything in its place.

 Stop it - this wardrobe is too perfectly arranged for a man to be responsible for it, surely?

What a pretty bedroom and the little fold out bed is so cute!

  Perfect bathroom cabinet - love it.

Australians tend to aspire to owning a 'big block of land', a large house with spare bedrooms and a spacious back garden. A lot of people have started to ask me where we'll move to once we have our baby and perhaps another in a few years, as though suggesting that surely we can't stay in our little terrace cottage once we have a family? I disagree with this sentiment somewhat. In most of the world's largest, most vibrant cities, families live in houses and apartments smaller than ours. These are cities where creativity and talent flourish - New York, London, Paris. I can't help but think that the children of these families have a perfectly good upbringing despite having perhaps to share a bedroom with a sibling. I also think that living in smaller quarters encourages a sense of community because people spend less time in their living rooms watching TV and more time out and about in local shops, cafes, parks and theatres. What do you think? Do you agree that, when it comes to real estate, bigger isn't always better?