Tag: small spaces

Organizing Ideas To Steal for Your Kitchen from Ikea Stores

There were two store tours on my list, and I chose Ikea. You’ve read about the baskets before.

Who doesn’t love Ikea, and who doesn’t like affordable storage solutions? I’d never been to an Ikea store before, so it was on top of my list during last month’s visit to U.S. I happened to visit two Ikea stores. Not such a big fan of their furniture, but their organizing and cast-iron cookware section is another story. Going by news source, it will be another two years before Ikea opens its first store in Noida/Gurgaon (I’m not sure which one as the job postings say Gurgaon).

So, here is a virtual tour until then…less of words ..more of pictures. The highlight, of course, is a beautiful, well-planned 390 sq. ft home with a kitchen, living/entertaining section, bed and a bath.

Black Magic: a summer setting at the entrance of every store.

Every store has a small model home. The stores around Los Angeles had a 390 sq. ft set up. I couldn’t believe my eyes it was this small and kept going around in circles ..you know enter through the kitchen and exit out of the bedroom and again enter through the kitchen. Funny and crazy, I know…but I just wanted to take it all in. A real example of small is beautiful. This is the entryway leading into the kitchen followed by the living section at the back…

To the side of the kitchen is the bedroom; adjacent to the living and bed is a small bath. As you can see, the bedroom has ample storage on the top.

HOUSE TOURS

From 2000 to 300 square feet: this cottage shows small is beautiful and how to get clever with storage

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Hope you had a blast yesterday for Holi. Make a guess: how much can you fit in a 320 sq. foot space? Living and dining at the maximum, or perhaps living and a modest kitchen? This enchanting, little 320-square foot cottage caught my eyes this morning, and I thought I must immediately share it with you all. Bigger isn’t always better, right? This theory is more relevant for us as we are debating if we should move into a bigger house, or what we should look for in a new property. As a minimalist, big is not necessarily on my checklist for our 3-member family. But the husband begs to differ. The son and he prefer to play football inside. What do you think? Do you have sq.foot preference, or how big should the home be? The home showcases how to make the most of limited square footprint. My…

INSPIRATION

Style your space like a pro: 4 ideas that really work!

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It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Kaizad Dinshaw’s work ever since I saw how he magically transformed his bachelor pad into a visual treat. How much can you accomplish in 691 sq.ft of space you may ask? Take twenty steps from one end to the other, and you hit a wall. But, that’s how small or rather big is Dinshaw’s apartment, and we saw, how with a clever utilization of space, he didn’t compromise on aesthetics, functionality and most importantly, lack of floor area.

So, after a long gap, I browsed Nitido Design’s residential portfolio. Kaizad’s verstaility comes across in decking up small spaces predominantly in white. I often get e-mails from readers asking how to conceal a dining area from the living space, or what would go well above a weathered cabinet, or how could a old mirror fit into a space. It’s good to see the portfolio of experts and learn a thing or two to see what works and why, and how to complement furnishings and furniture.

Here are a few favorite picks of mine from Kaizad’s portfolio.

The weathered cabinet becomes the focal point of this room. So, before you discard that old cabinet, think again. You can re-purpose it to make it the star of the room. A simple DIY of painting with one color, sanding, and painting another coat of a different color will give it the weathered look. A mirror or large artwork above the cabinet works well. But, if you are thinking an assortment of small photo frames, not so much!

We have a huge collection of books at home. Of late, most of the reading happens on iPad, Kindle and my Nook color. But, I cannot emphasize more the lure of real books and having one library at home, especially around growing kids. A dark backdrop, or any contrasting color, makes the space stand out.