Small City Spaces

Tiles are some of the most durable stuff around the house due to their makeup which makes them as hard as concrete. It will last years and can withstand any weather Mother Nature can throw at it. The down side is that, its durability is also quite harsh with shattered glass plates and glasses assured if one happens to slip your grip. They can also be hazardous when wet and children are quite injury prone on them due to, again their durability. The difficulty at which it was installed and also when re0moving them discourages people from reviving a dead space with a floor they hate just sighing out their frustration everytime they see the floor.

We’ve said it again and again, we know there are people who love vintage pieces that still work but these gizmos and gadgets don’t conform with current trends that have consumer goods consuming less electricity for the newer parts are more efficient and consume less electricity. Buying new gadgets might be costly at first but in the long run. The savings you get from your electricity bill can mount to quite a sum. If you have the money to burn, try to get the old and give them new life by having expert craftsmen upgrade them with purposely made parts that are for custom installations, like that old stove you can have re-fitted with more efficient burners that use less gas and makes the flame hotter it allows you to cook better and faster. Refrigerators are one of the most durable consumer goods on earth, look in antique catalogs and you’ll even find stuff from the old times that still work, they too can be re-fitted for a new life that also saves electricity. You get the same old look but it eats less juice.

Small city spaces are notorious for being bare and cluttered but with a little imagination, one can turn it into a green paradise. Hanging plants in planters can spruce up a bare window or wall; you can also use rectangular pots. Most spices do well in pots and other containers such as old basins and lavatories; place them in an area near the kitchen so you get your favorite spices and herbs saving you a buck from the grocer. Window sill is a great space for plants for they get the necessary sun and air for good growth. Water herbs as needed which won’t be often, for most herbs hate water laden soil which kills their roots which are prone to rot. If you have no view, say a patio surrounded by walls of a unit in front of the view, you could ask your neighbor if they wouldn’t mind you using some of their greens and cutting back a few shrubs to allow their garden to complement yours.

If often take out of eat out, don’t get a range with an oven you won’t have a use for. Choose small countertop units which can be placed on a counter-top with the shelves underneath free for storage of other stuff. Doors are often left with some space behind them where a lot of stuff can be stored wisely with the use of door organizers that have several pockets for placing books and other small stuff that would otherwise eat up precious space. Install wheels under heavy stuff such as beds and heavy tables to allow you easy moving around to get at those hard to reach areas. Fold-up tables that you can stow away if not needed are good for the space underneath can be used for other purposes. Get furniture that you can roll under each other to free up space if you need them. Say a side table that fits easily under the center table or a folding table you can store under the sofa.

This makes sense for most small rooms do have high ceilings. This allows you to get stuff hung on the walls leaving most of the space underneath free for use. Hanging cabinets and displays takes out the clutter from already precious counter-tops. When choosing electronics goods, opt for compact appliances, say a flat screen TV which would be a good investment in such a small space. Decorating is a good way of diverting attention away from the small space, say artwork and pictures placed together on a wall collectively and highlighted by lighting that can greet your guests taking their mind off the small size of the space. Opt to get rid of stuff frequently, like that side table you are using which you haven’t used due to all the pictures you’ve placed on them. Get glass shelves that are fastened to the wall and allows light to pass through. Arrange the pictures and other display items on them allowing you to free up the space occupied by the side table you can give away or throw out.

Most people think that a small space deserves small furniture for maximum utilization of the available area, not really. The choice of getting several small pieces of furniture will tend to make a room look a lot smaller and cluttered so choose key pieces and complement them with smaller ones to augment their use. Also consider getting multifunction furniture, say a sofa that has storage underneath and can also turn into a bed for guests should you choose to have them. Lighting also plays a big part in making a small space look even larger so choose lighting that is bright that illuminates all the nooks and crannies of the place (not too bright though for too much light can be stressful to the eyes)

Well, everybody wants it because it occupies less space making it ideal for small spaces but reviews are not so good on their environmental impact. Studies show that they consume even more electricity that the old CRT-tubes and they eat a lot more for the power needed to turn a gas into plasma is huge. Plasma is the fourth state of matter that can only be achieved with high electrical charges. So the next time you want to get a new set, try investing on newer LCD screen TV’s for they are the next best thing to that old tube you currently own.

Major designers have shifted focus and dedicated time in designing furnishings that are made and highlight the use of recycled goods. These even fetch high prices and are quite functional conversation pieces. They have even put up a house made of recycled materials from window glass panes to form the walls, old used doors for the flooring and old keyboards and other computer stuff to form the walls. The project was to show that recycling can turn old things into new ones such as the said house and that it need not look old and worn. The environmentally friendly house has been conceptualized with the government even issuing tax incentives for those which are rated to be energy star compliant which uses and maximizes the use of power, heat and cooling.

Give your space a warm look with earth-tone colors that mimic nature which is not only pleasing and soothing to the eyes but makes the room look larger. Lighter colors make small spaces larger and they also allow lighting to reflect allowing them to play around as the shadows and sun’s rays bounce off them. Be sure to mix and match colors and not stick with one solid colors, there is also paint that turns out like it has worn down for a couple of years softening the shades and hues. Check out magazines and online catalogs of paint colors so you get the whole picture on new products that can have the appeal and color combinations you want.

Give old stuff new lives by giving them a splash of color or re-finishing them. A table you bought last year might make a good antique piece if you know how and it’s probably banged-up anyway. Get any hard object such as keys and locks and take a whack at your desk making sure they are well distributed (you can use anything hard as long as you don’t hurt yourself by using it). After a whackin’, get some sand paper and sand off ant sharp edges that might have resulted in your whacking session so you don’t get splinters. Get a fine artist brush and some dark wood stain and stain in those cracks and crevices that you’ve just made. Let the stain dry and get hold of some semi gloss varnish or natural varnish and give it a few coats. You now have an antiqued table that is sure to make you smile (even after whacking it).