Decorating Guides
Book to Know: 'Living in a Nutshell'
You don't have to go minimalist to live in a small home. Embrace color, pattern and objects you love with these tried-and-true tips
Crammed into a teeny apartment, I can tell you firsthand that decorating a small home is a lot of work. Less space can feel overwhelming when your style isn't exactly minimal, and it can be hard to combine form and functionality without everything getting cluttered.
Blogger and Emmy Award–winning producer Janet Lee faced the same problem. Minimalism doesn't exist in her vocabulary — Lee embraces color, pattern and all of her beloved belongings. After living in tiny New York apartments for years, she began compiling her tips for other small-space dwellers on her blog, Living in a Nutshell. Now her inventive ideas are available in a book released March 27, 2012.
Blogger and Emmy Award–winning producer Janet Lee faced the same problem. Minimalism doesn't exist in her vocabulary — Lee embraces color, pattern and all of her beloved belongings. After living in tiny New York apartments for years, she began compiling her tips for other small-space dwellers on her blog, Living in a Nutshell. Now her inventive ideas are available in a book released March 27, 2012.
DIY pet-corner chalkboard label: Pet-food areas have a tendency to take over a small space when they're forced out into the open. Keep things in check by labeling this area with a fun splash of chalkboard paint. A unique color will brighten up the room and define your pet zone within a larger space.
What's the smallest space you've ever lived in? How big is your home now?
The smallest apartment was about 500 square feet, but many of the tiny quarters I've lived in were shared spaces, so divide that square footage in half. My challenge has always been that I'm not one of those small-space dwellers with a minimal design point of view. I can't live in an all-white box with one photo and a vase. I love my things around me, and I love pattern and color. I currently live in 720 square feet and just threw a party for 28 comfortably. So it's a space that functions, moves and grooves with my needs and lifestyle.
What's the smallest space you've ever lived in? How big is your home now?
The smallest apartment was about 500 square feet, but many of the tiny quarters I've lived in were shared spaces, so divide that square footage in half. My challenge has always been that I'm not one of those small-space dwellers with a minimal design point of view. I can't live in an all-white box with one photo and a vase. I love my things around me, and I love pattern and color. I currently live in 720 square feet and just threw a party for 28 comfortably. So it's a space that functions, moves and grooves with my needs and lifestyle.
DIY balloon shades: Make classic balloon shades in a jiffy using patterned twin extra-large fitted sheets. Leave the lower half of each sheet's elastic edge on to create the balloon effect. Remove the upper edge elastic, fold the sheet over a curtain rod and fuse the fabric together with iron-on webbing.
Hang the rod up and finish off the look with ribbon pinned to the top of the shade. Tying the ribbon ends together at various heights allows this sheet to work just like an actual shade.
Hang the rod up and finish off the look with ribbon pinned to the top of the shade. Tying the ribbon ends together at various heights allows this sheet to work just like an actual shade.
DIY built-in wine rack: Take the clean and modern look of open shelves and give them a quirky twist by installing them in a zigzag pattern for wine storage. The result is a fresh and unique built-in storage piece that frees up cabinet and shelving space in the kitchen.
What do you think is the most important thing for a small-space owner or renter to keep in mind?
Don't take a size-ist attitude towards your space. You don't have to decorate with small junior-sized furniture and accessories. You can go bold with color and pattern. A small space comes with a list of flaws, but if you find a way to highlight them as quirky design features, then guests will be so dazzled, they'll forget you live in a box.
What do you think is the most important thing for a small-space owner or renter to keep in mind?
Don't take a size-ist attitude towards your space. You don't have to decorate with small junior-sized furniture and accessories. You can go bold with color and pattern. A small space comes with a list of flaws, but if you find a way to highlight them as quirky design features, then guests will be so dazzled, they'll forget you live in a box.
DIY pillows: Decorative pillows can make or break a living room or bedroom, but purchasing nice ones can get expensive. Instead of scouring the Internet for cheap pillows, try making a few of your own. Lee suggests looking for a set of linen placemats from a home collection you love. Placemat dimensions are about the same as a decorative pillow, so no measuring or cutting is required. Look for placemats with a fabric backing, give two of them a quick whir together under your sewing machine and fill with a pillow insert.
DIY secret: Perfectly painted stripes. How to get your stripes right, with no bleeding color:
1. Paint the lighter color as a base coat. Allow to dry completely, then use painter's tape to mark off the stripes for the darker color.
2. Before tackling the stripes, do one more layer of the lighter color along the seams of the tape. This fills the gaps so that the darker color won't bleed.
3. Wait for that layer to dry completely, then paint your stripes. Let dry again before pulling off the tape.
1. Paint the lighter color as a base coat. Allow to dry completely, then use painter's tape to mark off the stripes for the darker color.
2. Before tackling the stripes, do one more layer of the lighter color along the seams of the tape. This fills the gaps so that the darker color won't bleed.
3. Wait for that layer to dry completely, then paint your stripes. Let dry again before pulling off the tape.
DIY secret: Hide that eyesore. No matter how perfect your apartment seems, there's always the inevitable unsightly feature — it's like a law of nature. Instead of awkwardly sidestepping guests around your refrigerator or sink, come up with a clever way to conceal it.
This apartment had a refrigerator in the foyer. A collection of cute magnets and a graphic curtain quickly transformed it into an eye-pleasing addition to the apartment.
Living in a Nutshell: Posh and Portable Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces, by Janet Lee. Photography by Aimée Herring. Harper Design, An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Hardcover: $25.
More Books to Know:
Decorate
The Happy Home Project
Salvage Secrets
This apartment had a refrigerator in the foyer. A collection of cute magnets and a graphic curtain quickly transformed it into an eye-pleasing addition to the apartment.
Living in a Nutshell: Posh and Portable Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces, by Janet Lee. Photography by Aimée Herring. Harper Design, An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Hardcover: $25.
More Books to Know:
Decorate
The Happy Home Project
Salvage Secrets
Where do you go for inspiration?
Luckily, walking down the streets of New York City gives you inspiration around every corner. I walk everywhere and pop into stores of every ilk. I like looking at displays more than the merchandise itself, and hardware stores always challenge my imagination. I am always thinking of how I can repurpose an object or nail or hook in a stylish way.
There are many international magazine stores in the city, and the staff doesn't mind if you sit down with a huge stack. I love what they're doing in Australia and the U.K. I love their fearless use of color and their mixture of high and low, old and new.