'Wise-Up: Making the Most of Your Space'

A down economy forces us to do many things: adjust our budgets, examine our spending, and make cut-backs. This might result in doing without a monthly pedicure, bringing lunch to work more often, or riding a bicycle to work.

Making the most out of every dollar we spend is not just beneficial – it’s essential.

Why don’t we do the same for our living space? I admit that living while I love the openness that the 800 square foot ‘home’ of mine offers, I do not use the space to its full potential.

Even the small nook could be super-efficient and still have a sense of style.

Here’s how:

Small space becomes a perfect home office

· Transform that small nook or corner of your room into a work or hobby space. There is one such space in my home wedged between stairs and the bathroom that is my designated ‘work zone.’ Behind my office desk is a small bookshelf where I store most of fashion, literature and language books. Don’t need another home office? Try transforming the area into an art studio or sewing/knitting space.

Platform beds save space and provided extra storage

· For most of my adolescence, I never knew what it was like to be able to look under a bed. Why? My mattress rested on a bed frame that not only had a headboard complete with shelving, but it also had a base with built-in drawers. Living in a 2-bedroom apartment with my parents and sharing a small room with sister growing up, the storage space eliminated a lot of clutter. Don’t waste the space underneath your bed: keep things tidy with drawers.

A staircase doubles as a bookshelf

· Have a staircase with unused space underneath it? With some staggered shelving, you have the place to keep several rows of storage baskets. Keep your linens and other miscellaneous household items in these baskets and out of sight. Use some molding around the shelves to add architectural appeal to this space.

Furniture multi-tasking

· Ever worn a pretty three-quarter length skirt as a top? Or ever used a scarf as a belt? If pieces of clothing can double in use, then why not furniture? Let an ottoman serve as a coffee table and that sofa transform into a bed at night. Especially if you have a small living room, multi-tasking furniture is mandatory.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of www.unplggd.com; www.common.csnstores.com; http://freshome.com; www.countryhome.com