kaohinani's Profile

My trick for making small spaces feel large has always been fewer pieces, more function. When you try to add extra furniture, I always feel that it just makes the smallness of your space more obvious. A loft, for example, always seems cool in theory. But you can usually get the same functionality by choosing double duty pieces instead.

I agree with suggestion #2 by colophon. Put the bed under the windows, then add lots of pillows. It may cut into your dining nook opening, but that's ok. The bed will low enough to see out the windows without problems, and then it won't be the very first thing people see when they enter your space. Plus, how nice to wake up to the SF sun in your very own studio? Then put the couch in the corner where the bed is now. Get some floor pillows, so you won't need to cram a chair into that area when guests come. Or chose a couch with a built in chaise, to get extra guest seating in one sleek piece. TV on the wall, and if you're ambitious you can put it on a pivoting arm for easy bed viewing.

Then in the kitchen... can I suggest a round table? It seems like you have plenty of space in there so don't need to be efficient, and it can be really nice to break up the squareness of a kitchen with something curvy.

Good luck! Post updates!

I never enter this type of thing... but ooh, it looks so comfy! And with the adorable kid picture? I'm totally sold. Whatever our living room transforms into, this rug would make it insanely cosy...

I know I'm super late for asking questions, but didn't see how you made/where you got that insanely awesome lamp shade featured in the first photo! Your entire apartment is awesome, but I'm especially enamored with that light shade. Is it DIY?

Thanks Enamorada and FromThe Future! It's nice to know not everyone thinks I win worst-future-mother-of-the-year for wanting to put my munchkin in the closet.

So I played around with the floor plan to test out some suggestions:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22723415@N00/2492125089/

In blue: Selena's suggestion for a corner office armoire. It looks workable, but a little crowded next to the couch (which, unfortunately, is just too big to go anywhere else in the room -- trust me, when we moved in, we tried every possible combo.)

In green: An idea based on aesteve212's visual separation strategy. We double up the Ikea bookshelves to section off an office in the middle of the living space. Partner says this will look ridiculous, but I'm not sure. This is my favorite solution right now.

In pink: I love the idea of the living pods I always see on AT (like Tony and Hilary's place on Small Cool -- love it!) So I was thinking we could spin the bed around and loft it to the exact right height that allows us to both walk upright to the closet and sit up in bed (this is a delicate balance; our ceilings are high, but not monstrous.) The baby still goes in the closet (still the most peaceful place in the house), the closet contents move under the bed, and there's some breathing room next to the window.

The drawback to the loft idea is that I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing mini-me into bed with us that high up, so would need an option for sleeping next to the offspring on level ground during the first crazy months. It looks like we could just squeeze in a futon lounger. Then when we don't need it, we have space for a desk, a rocking chair, or even a crib (if the closet thing falls through.) But I'm worried that the bedroom will be just ridiculously crowded like this. Oh, and that it will cost a ridiculous amount of money.

I have a different suggestion for heating: try one of those cheap warm-air-blowing humidifiers (ours is Vicks.) The cleaning's super easy when they're tiny and carryable -- since you need to refill the tank every night, you have the perfect opportunity for a quick rinse. We never had a problem with mold and were able to keep our (granted very small) Boston bedroom warm all night last year without any other heat source. Plus, it was way better for our skin and mucous membranes (as an aside to allycat -- according to med school, dry air is bad for everyone, regardless of Ca/K levels), it only cost $20, and it barely raised our electric bill.

For super-inexpensive, mono-color rugs, I used to have a lot of luck with Home Depot of all places. I've gotten huge (8x10?) carpet rugs that are much softer than jute for under $100. Of course, they look like uninstalled carpet, which might not be your aesthetic. But unlike some of my Ikea rugs, I never had a problem with shedding (and certainly never had a problem with smell!)

Thanks Olya -- great poster resource, but the one I'm thinking of had these HUGE posters... I remember the splash page was of a loft displaying some modern art exhibition poster that was maybe about 20 feet high? Is this ringing a bell to any one besides the other patrick? They included those huge posters that cities put up on telephone poles and street lamps.