11 THINGS Boomers DID NOT KNOW ABOUT MAKING A HOUSE A HOME!

Apartment Therapy "Madeline"s Colorful Studio"

     Apartment Therapy is running a contest sponsored by Benjamin Moore.  The contest is called "Small and Cool".  How wonderful is that?  People submit their pictures, Apartment Therapy screens them and then selects the ones that are the best.  Best of all we get to vote for a winner.  The contest rules are here.  I check the pages every few days to see what is new.  I suppose that is why my conversations are all about decor these days.

     My friends and I were talking about our young married life the other day.  We recall days when only "acceptable" decor was allowed.  Grandma's dining table and Aunt Lulu's sofa moved into our tiny apartment living room.  We left the walls bare because the only "real" picture we owned was the one that had hung in our childhood bedroom!  How times have changed!  

     Today living in a small space does not mean that you must live with dingy decor. In this day and age places like Ikea and Target have everything you need to live surrounded by color at a very little cost. Websites like Apartment Therapy shows us the best examples of living without a lot of stuff...using those things we find on the curb or when we shop.  It is my go-to website for small home decor.  

     There was a lot we DID NOT KNOW ABOUT.  Here is the list: 

1. The fabric store. Inspirations, small pieces of left over fabric and trimmings can provide you with art at dumpster diver prices.
2. Spray paint.  The first person to use spray paint to give a dresser a new life was a genius.  I just learned a couple of years ago that a table sprayed with black or espresso spray paint will look brand new.   The finish is flawless and very durable.
3. HGTV. I call it the designer classroom of the 21st Century. People are learning to take care of their homes, decorate with some confidence and upgrade what they have.  This tv stations has been invaluable for me.
4. Paint is cheap.  Apartment walls can be painted just as long as you put them back they way they were or get the landlord to agree that you made a good choice.  Who knew?
5. Antique stores/used furniture stores. While I was accepting my families used stuff, it never occurred to me to dig through the used furniture store merchandise and clean the stuff up. I had the idea it was not good enough. What was I thinking?  
6. Ross, Home Goods, Tuesday Morning, The Party Store...need I say more. A lot of the things in the party store are considered disposable but it is better than the things I started out with.
7. Magazines displaying designer ideas. Country Home, Style at Home, etc. Better Homes and Gardens was the only choice and, at that time, the publishers spent very little time on decor. 
8. Online web sites that show ideas from around the world.  Apartment Therapy, Style at Home
9. Import stores
10. Power tools for women....now it is okay for a woman to want power tools.
11. Small space living.   Loft, park model, apartments.

I am sure you could all add to this list. Applications for the ideas are endless:  Frame small beautiful pieces of fabric with frames from the used furniture store.  Spray paint Aunt Lulu's dresser or dining table. Use ideas from HGTV to upgrade your house, de-clutter, give the house curb appeal. Haunt the stores and buy those sale items.  Find unique ways to display them. Visit Ikea and get what you need for storage so your mess is not on display. Learn to do power tools...your husband or partner or roommate might even learn to use them too. Live simply, small, frugally in style. Our marketplace is set up for you to succeed.  

I need to go.  Tomorrow: recipes that have been the real winners this winter season.

Have a wonderful day.

b
Link to great decorator site:  Lettered Cottage

Related articles

• Hilda's Sunny Swedish Highrise House Tour (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Spray painting canvas patio "walls" (artfulparent.typepad.com)
• Easy Ways to Add a Spring Color Theme to Your Home Decor (gomestic.com)

Small Space Room Design...multifuncition is the key!

The iPhone also includes  a Kindle...more than one use for this piece of technology.Image via WikipediaNote:  For added information of inexpensive living after retirement go to: Resort Living in Tucson AZ

What young people know about their iPhone and iPad is a lesson we can all use for all parts of our life...nothing should have only one use!  So what is so different about our furniture? 

Whether it is a modern living room design or any other room in the house we need to make  the best use of the space we have.  While having a beautiful space is important the old saying form should follow function could not be more true in this case.  With the right combination of furniture and storage units we can live in a small space without sacrificing comfort or beauty.

Motor Home multifunction space!

Lets say, for example, a small dining table or hutch area is transformed into a desk area with hidden or beautiful containers for letters, bills and tech equipment.  Big box stores and stores like Marshall's or Home Goods carry wonderful decorator and storage items at a reasonable price.  If you buy your computer with the idea that it can be stowed easily when you need that area for entertaining or even to rest your eyes, it is possible without covering the bed with "stuff".  Even by repurposing what you already have, you can begin putting the "multifunctional" into your space.
We have converted a pantry in our kitchen into a small office area where I keep my laptop computer for reference purposes.  A small desk chair slips in under the desk when not in use.  That space is used for a art table when grandchildren visit and if I had children they would do their homework in the kitchen with me as I prepared meals.

The seating in any room can serve more than one purpose.  In a small living room ottomans can convert into a side table with the use of trays.  That same ottoman can be used as seating even at the dining table if it is the right height. (I have an ottoman with legs.  I remove them for everyday use and just screw them back on when I need an extra chair at the table.)

For the guest bedroom space in your home there are even chairs that convert into small beds for visiting children.  Ikea has one that I have actually used.  I found it to be very comfortable even after using it for 5 nights in a row.  A couch coupled with a Murphy wall bed is on the market and is sometimes called a Euro Bed System.  They are put out by SICO.  You can even purchase the Murphy bed hardware separately.  We used one of the Murphy wall bed in the couch designs when we rented a condo last year and it was so comfortable it could have served as our everyday bed at home nicely.  We have considered putting one of these in our park model in Arizona.  Then our bedroom could serve more than one function.

So multifunction is the key word here.  Young techies know it and so should we.  Nothing that we buy should serve only one purpose.
I just thought you would want to know.
b