Living Big in Small Apartments

When you want to maximize living space, multi-tasking is key, as Trulove (Big Ideas for Small Spaces) shows in this sleek showcase of 18 well-designed small apartments in New York and elsewhere. A dining table doubles as a desk; a bedroom serves as an extension of the living room; and a freestanding storage and media unit also works as a room divider, separating the bedroom from the living area. Many of the recommendations in this heavily illustrated book pertain to architectural changes, not decorative ones (e.g., use a partial wall to separate the living and dining area from the kitchen; replace solid walls with translucent glass walls). However, some tried-and-true examples of universally useful space-savers (the ubiquitous Murphy bed, for example) are present, as well. The bulk of the featured apartments are modern in design, and while there are many fine illustrations of furniture and fixtures designed specifically for the spaces, the work does offer some general guidelines for making the most of small space (for example, use natural light, whether from a skylight or windows, even if there are few). Whether readers live in studios or small two-bedrooms, they'll come away from this handsome book with plenty of inspiration.