If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I live in a huge house — 2200 sq. ft. huge. (If you haven’t been here awhile, welcome!). If you’ve been around a REALLY long time, you might remember the time we spent two months living in a camper in Florida. Ever since then, I’ve been a small space dweller in a mansion.
Even though we pulled our house off the market in the fall, we still would ultimately like to go somewhere warmer and smaller. That’s one reason I was so excited to take a look at the book Small Space Organizing: A Room-by-Room Guide to Maximizing Your Space
This book goes through the why’s and how’s of people who have chosen to live in smaller spaces and then goes through your home space by space. She addresses an astonishing number of “rooms” given that small space living typically doesn’t have. Covering everything from creative dining solutions to playrooms and office space, Kathyrn Bechen will help you come up with solutions to use your small space as efficiently, but warmly as possible.
I love that the tips are so versatile. I learned, for example, how to set up a living room for maximum warmth & conversation. I learned about setting up a functional foyer/entryway. She really emphasized the importance of a wish list and I’ve been using Pinterest for my design file since I’m mostly online anyway. I got a ton of other decorating and design tips that are helpful for any size house.
There were a few things that I didn’t like about he book, though. Some “rooms” had pages of bulleted tips with no apparent organization to them. I would have liked them broken into categories a bit further. Also, this book is not for the faint of wallet. She does advocate having a plan, but also has copious links to expensive stores and furniture items. While I agree with her premise of enjoying life in a small space, I still don’t have wiggle room for quality furniture in my budget. Some more frugal options or resources would be helpful as some might be in small spaces for financial reasons.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. The information was useful for any size home and really got my brain spinning on what I want my house to look like. If I need to replace something anyway (like icky kitchen towels) why not replace them with something that brings my home closer to my vision and is a joy to look at?
If you live in a small space, what’s your best organizational tip?
Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received. This post does contain affiliate links.
Kathryn Bechen
2 February 2012 at 10:04 PM (12 years ago)Thank you for reviewing my book and I hope it helps your blog readers!
Kathryn Bechen, Author of Small Space Organizing
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kim/nannykim
20 January 2012 at 9:18 AM (12 years ago)I meant–I try to buy most of my books on kindle now! ugh!
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kim/nannykim
20 January 2012 at 9:15 AM (12 years ago)ps. Would it be worth getting the kindle version or are there lots of helpful pictures that would be better seen in a real book. I probably won’t get it now–would like to hear more about it. ONe thing in downsizing is I got rid of tons and tons of books. We had built in bookcases all over the house. I try to many get books on kindle now!
kim/nannykim´s last blog post ..Giving thanks-3 at a time Jan 20
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jen Reply:
January 23rd, 2012 at 11:58 AM
There are VERY few pictures. In fact, I don’t recall there being any, so you’d be fine getting it for kindle.
Thanks for stopping by!
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kim/nannykim
20 January 2012 at 8:50 AM (12 years ago)Hey, I wish you would share more from this a bit more each day—especially from the book. I recently downsized from a cottage of about 2,600 square feet to a condo that has 1,600 square feet (that includes closets). It still feels pretty spacious. The most helpful thing for me was to get rid of a ton of stuff I had collected over the years. It felt good to simplify. I got rid of a lot of furniture as well. I could have earned money for this , but chose to donate to Good Will, Salvation Army, and we left stuff for the buyer as well. There was just too much to go through and not enough time to try to sell it anyways! I think the other thing is I have to think twice about buying anything! I am always amazed how quickly my closets get cluttered!!! ANyways, I follow a lot of blogs and have just started following people in Pinterest. If you blog more on this subject let me know, I might miss it!!!
kim/nannykim´s last blog post ..Giving thanks-3 at a time Jan 20
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