Smart Small Space Ideas from Apartment Therapy
Author: By Renée J. Schomp, Director, Napa Sonoma ADU Center: Crosspost from Adrienne Breaux for Apartment Therapy
Does anyone else look at photos of interior decor to soothe their minds after a long day? We can’t be the only ones! To that end, we have been loving the small space design ideas from Apartment Therapy for years -- especially because the blog highlights actual, real human beings and their actual, real living spaces.
They talk about where the residents purchased the furniture, accessories, and decor for their home, plus they tend to highlight some excellent DIY projects and budget finds.
Not only that, but the Apartment Therapy blog got started with a focus specifically on how real people design their small spaces to be functional yet enjoyable to live in. And this fall, they included an inspiring Bay Area small home that we wanted to share with you for your own design inspiration -- it is a 280 square foot unit that brings in plants and textures to create a beautiful, light, and airy space.
The home of knitwear designer and sewing pattern maker Denise Bayron, the featured unit takes advantage of indoor/outdoor space to make room for hosting friends safely outside and socially distanced, even during the pandemic.
As Apartment Therapy blogger Adrienne Breaux explains, “Some of the ways she maximized her small home’s space: She created a sleeping nook with a bookshelf that serves as both storage and a divider. She utilizes all the space under her bed for things like laundry, shoes, and even exercise equipment. She installed a long shelf high on a wall to make the most of vertical space. And perhaps most interestingly, one of the things she did to keep her small home feeling good is embrace negative space — there’s no art on the walls and no TV. ‘When I move through my space and I see intentional space between items, my eye is able to rest, and then psychologically I am able to rest,’” Bayron said.
Check out photos and more details about this lovely small home over at Apartment Therapy here!
And for more inspiration from your neighbors in Napa and Sonoma Counties, check out our ADU stories and sample floorplans right here.
Remember -- if you want help kickstarting your ADU project, sign up for an ADU Feasibility Consultation with our nonprofit today, and start checking out the designers and architects on our Vendor Registry when that small space design inspiration strikes!