9 Big Ideas, 1 Small Space

Steel office shelves, which store books, magazines, CDs, and the stereo, fit snugly on either side of the fireplace. The homeowner chose the 13-1/2-inch-deep shelves in a color to match her off-white walls.

By day, this stainless-steel table (from a restaurant supply store) works as a desk. At night, it's recruited for cozy meals. Instead of an overhead fixture, a floor lamp adds mood lighting.

Open shelving can add clutter to a small space. The look is kept tidy with translucent filing containers and woven boxes. They hold catalogs, fabric samples, and design plans- all what the homeowner/designer needs close at hand while she works.

The living room sofa is actually a twin bed draped with a canvas drop cloth that can instantly shift into a guest bed. Oversized pillows form the back of the sofa.

The homeowner/designer said it is important to see through furniture to the floor in a small space. For her nightstand, she chose a plywood-topped table with an open metal base. The design keeps the bedroom light and airy.

Frosted glass panels in both interior and exterior doors bring more light into rooms. "They let you look beyond the room and make the small space feel slightly larger," said the homeowner/designer.

A wide linen panel covers the 8-foot-long closet, taking up less room than the bifold doors it replaced. The drapery's khaki-gray color nearly matches the walls neutral hue, creating a cohesive look.

The homeowner expanded her living space by turning the deck outside her bedroom into an alfresco sitting room. The platform sofa is upholstered in weatherproof fabric and is shaded by a pivoting umbrella.

A wooden stool extends the homeowner's love of earthy elements to the outdoors. Tall, easy-to-maintain ornamental grasses add a green buffer to the deck railing.