mauishopgirl's Profile

@pierre.foucart I don't think any commenters who mentioned allergies were trying to dictate what everyone else should do. In a discussion on flooring it's normal to bring up pros and cons of different types of flooring. What we all prefer depends on our own needs and our location.

Lovely spaces. I've never lived in a rental where we could even put items up on the wall. That one thing makes such a difference.

I agree with looking at the tags. There's a local consignment store in town that tends to mark everything up. He was selling some accessories from Ikea for four times as much as Ikea's retail. You may still want it of course but it helps you establish your bottom line for negotiation.

I've lived in different size places over my adult life and prefer a smaller space with a very open floor plan and ample/clever storage. It is interesting that some people take offense to the small space living posts on AT. Isn't small space living the core of this site? IT was originally focused on apartment living in NYC after all. They do feature other aspects of lifestyle and larger homes but the reason I believe many of us hang out here is for small space peeks and ideas.

I don't feel people are trying to compete in how small their space is, I think they are just sharing their own experience. I prefer a smaller home but by no means do I judge anyone that can have, maintain and prefers a larger home. Also, when we say a small space helps us personally to keep things pared down as the author did here, that doesn't mean that we are accusing others of filling up their larger spaces with stuff.

So much great ideas in the comments. I'd say go with real furniture for the desk and maybe the chair (although comfort should be the first priority for the chair). If you have a desk that could also pass for a table or has a bit more interest. Also minimize the items that are in sight that scream office (except your computer and monitor, of course). Only leave out items that are commonly used and take advantage of non-office looking furniture that closes up (armoire, credenza). For files and books rarely used, consider storing away in a closet.

Here's what I did in my space:
I have an 800 sq ft space split by a walk-in into two sides - dine/cook/live and bed/office. To make my desk less office like, I put in a rustic brown cabinet with doors that close (I store stationery and office supplies there, tucked away). On top of the cabinet, I have a streamlined printer (HP Envy). I wouldn't recommend it for heavy usage but for the occasional print job it's fine. It's pretty and doesn't scream office, also works with apple mobile devices via wifi. I cover my tech on top of the cabinet with a nice textile to keep out dust and also minimize the office look. For files, I'm 90% electronic and only need to touch a hardcopy file occasionally so those files are stored in 1/2 size banker boxes (from Office Max) and in a utility closet (out of sight).

I love this home and also the backstory about paring down and the effect less stuff can have on your life. I'm in the process of converting to a minimal lifestyle too although I'm just taking it bit by bit.

There is so much light and nice clean modern pieces mixed with a fewer older more rustic items. I loved everything.

I do wish AT, that you would sometimes not show multiple pictures of the same vignetter or object. A far away of the whole wall or room and then a close-up is fine but multiple close-ups are somewhat unnecessary I feel. That said I love ya! One of my favorite sites.

We often sign leases for at least a year; that's a long time! So I agree to make your space your own. I had a small storage space when I lived in a tiny place. I used it to store suitcases, an airbed and other larger items I didn't need on a regular basis. I also included my landlord's drapes that were filled with shredded holes from bleach! When I moved in I asked if I could change them out and they said yeah but you need to put them back when you leave. It was crazy cause it was a nice place but the curtains were horrible and should've been thrown away. I always wondered what the new tenants thought when they moved in and those ripped up things were hanging again, instead of the newer ones I had up when they viewed the apartment.

I love hearing about people's experiences in small homes. I can't imagine doing 100 square feet (I live in an 800 square foot studio space now attached to my parent's home). But, if I was alone (my bf lives with me) and I could pare down my life the way I'm working on, I don't think it's impossible or unbearable. Particularly if it enabled me to have the freedom to make other big changes in my life. If I could write instead of working a high pressure corporate job, had more time to exercise and had nice outdoor space available too, I can see it definitely working.

I had considered whether we should have a loft in my current space but heat becomes issue in Hawaii and although I wish I had a for sleeping or office/crafts from time to time, I would've lost some of the insulation that keeps my home cool (I wonder the same about a tiny home). I did worry about climbing up and down as I'm no spring chicken.

I love small space living and the only time I wish for a bigger home is during Christmas. It would be nice to leave my crafts out rather than having to always put everything away since my work surfaces are multi - functional.

I love this, especially the tassels hanging from the big black balloon.

I'm kind of in the middle. The aesthetics of my computer and printer for home is important to me because I have a small space and like nice design in my home. My "office" is a corner of my bedroom and it needs to scream creativity and design, not "work" since it shares a space with sleeping. I work a day job outside but use my home for writing/blogging after hours. In some ways, I'm thinking of downgrading my tech because I'm getting more and more intrigued by moving my files off of my hardware/software and on to cloud based storage. The blogger of yesandyes.org indicated she only uses a netbook because she travels quite a bit and when it died, she could just throw it away on the road and get a new one because she stores nothing it. That is appealing to me more and more especially with photos.

I'm also starting to rethink the apple. I love my macbook, ipad and iphone but I really don't use my apps on my laptop and I HATE the way the mac manages files, Windows really does a better job of it. Also hate the mac version of excel and word so when I do have to partake in day job work at home, I can't get much done since excel data is a big thing for me. Some of my ipad/iphone apps that sych to my desktop now have cloud versions so even if they were mac only I can probably do away with the desktop software. When this laptop dies I am seriously considering a cheap small pc as I don't really use much apple software anyway but have always loved the clean design of apple and the seamless integration of all my devices. The ipad and iphone aren't going anywhere because of app usage.

So, I'm in the middle, long story short.