You already have curtains you like. They fit the room, they give you the privacy you need, and you probably have no interest in replacing them just because you want them to open and close automatically. And if you rent an apartment, replacing the entire curtain system can be even less appealing. You may not…
Living in a rental doesn’t mean you have to accept whatever level of security came with the apartment. The problem is that many of the obvious security upgrades involve changing door hardware, mounting cameras to walls, running wires or making permanent changes that your landlord may not allow. In a small apartment, there’s another problem…
Living in a small apartment usually means you don’t need more technology. You need fewer things to remember. The lamp that gets left on. The fan that runs long after you’ve fallen asleep. The decorative lights you switch on every evening. The bedroom light you wish you could turn off without getting out of bed….
How to add better bedroom lighting without drilling, hardwiring, or giving up precious space A small bedroom can have plenty of lighting problems even when it has a perfectly good lamp. Maybe there is no ceiling fixture. Maybe the only place for a bedside lamp is already occupied by the alarm clock, flower vase, phone…
There’s a particular kind of closet problem that ordinary decluttering advice doesn’t solve. The closet is overflowing. Getting dressed in the morning involves moving things to find other things. You know, logically, that there is too much in there. But every time you try to declutter, you hit the same wall: you actually like your…
A bedroom can look perfectly nice and still feel terrible to be in. The bed is made. The surfaces are relatively clear. Nothing is obviously wrong. And yet you walk in and feel restless rather than calm. There’s a difference between a bedroom that looks relaxing in a photo and one that actually functions as…
A small bedroom can give you privacy without turning into a maze of furniture. The trick is not to divide every inch of the room. It is to decide what actually needs privacy, then create just enough separation to make that area feel protected while keeping the main walking path, light and usable floor space…
You don’t need an entire room to have a place to read. Sometimes a reading nook is a comfortable chair beside a window. Sometimes it’s an unused bedroom corner that has been sitting empty for months. It might be a small bench at the foot of the bed, a chair beside a nightstand, or a…
Blue is often treated as a masculine bedroom color, but that really comes down to how it’s used. A deep navy bedroom with black furniture and sharp white bedding can feel dramatic and tailored. A dusty blue bedroom with cream, soft textiles and warm wood can feel romantic and feminine. Pale powder blue can make…