It blows my mind what folks can do when they have to squeeze their space to the max. Neat link. I think I saw a book on Amazon.com about APARTMENT THERAPY. Hot topic.

Very nice!

WOW what an amazing link. Bookmarked it for sure./ Gives some credence to my idea of using furniture as walls. I am so glad you shared this. I have thoughts churning in my brain for next winter to make more of the space in our living room. How about a gun cabinet we can not seem to get rid of turned around to make a half wall?? Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm Would free up some space for something else. Make the 19 1/2 foot living room feel more cozy. Paint the back or some of that beadboard wall paper.

Thanks Dilly_dally.

Chris

Shades, I also believe in furniture as walls. I could not modify the river house of my friend since I was renting for a year after I sold MoccasinLanding. But I had enough closed back tall book shelving units to build a closet in a corner of the second bedroom. I turned the shelving to face outward and their backs made the closet walls, effectively hiding all of the plastic totes of my belongings. I did not need a storage unit. The rest of the room served as office and guest bedroom.

Most of the photos taken during my residence there are in my Webshots albums, since I removed the 2004-5 photos from myy computer. You can see all the work done on this 1940s house which sat empty (except for clutter) seven years before I needed to land there. My time there remains one of the happiest in my life.

Here is a link that might be useful: River House and Gardens album

Shades_of_Idaho, There have bee previous threads on small living design on this forum but a lot seem to have disappeared with the website glitches this site has. Link to one below.

It was Frank Lloyd Wright who gave fruition to the idea of built-in furniture for middle class homes and featured built in couches, built in vanities, and closets instead of amoires. He also believe that hallways were just a waste of space and with good design they could be eliminated. When he did use hallways he knew that they really only needed to be 3' wide in most cases for passage.

I would be leary of permanent built in furniture though, except for relaxing seating, or eating areas or beds. Lustron homes had built in vanities in the bedrooms back when women sat for hours putting their hair up in rollers for a 'wet set' and teasing and combing, along with the 'need' for a woman to "put on her face" before going out of the house - even to shop. No one needs a bedroom sit-down vanity these days. Look how all those gigantic built in television centers have become eyesores in most people's homes since flat screens and TIVO have replaced CRT/TV and VCRs along with the need to store tapes. Even built in bookcases have become dinosaurs, and homeowners fill them with dusty knickknacks instead of treasured book collections to show off the fact that the family can read (which was a rare accomplishment in the old days). Does anyone remember built in ironing boards that houses had? Everyone in my neighborhood has removed the board turned them into spice cabinets. An then there is the phone niche built in to set the phone and also show it off. They were usually built near the front door so visitors could admire the fact that families owned one. Some of the larger mansions in my city actually had built in phone booths in their home.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/smallerhomes/msg1216054130606.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread