How to Live in Small Spaces: Design, Furnishing, Decoration and Detail for the Smaller Home

A comprehensive, practical, full color guide to living in small spaces. Topics include storage, bedrooms, children's rooms, lighting, appliances, and more - with an eye to creating a home whose comfort depends on efficiency and integrity rather than size.

"Founder of Habitat stores, designer and author Conran (The Ultimate House Book) recognizes in this prescient work that being upwardly mobile no longer translates into living large, particularly for urban dwellers. Opting for a smaller home enables one to live in a more desirable location, perhaps closer to work; a smaller home is cheaper to run (think energy), easier to maintain and forces one to be more selective in purchases and less acquisitive. 'Think laterally and creatively' is Conran's dictum, for example, in assessing needs, decorating the space to make the most of light and air, simplifying architectural details, building in storage and investing in functional, dual-use furniture, i.e., wall beds in neutral shades. Conran is fond of open-concept layouts to permit freer circulation space and is not afraid of suggesting strong color for tight spaces. He emphasizes the importance of lighting, especially diffuse lighting. And once you've done all you can yourself, subsequent chapters treat hiring assistance for converting attics, basements and sheds. In 'Area by Area,' Conran tackles each tight living space specifically for maximum use — kitchen, bedroom, children's room, bathroom, even small yards. Six cases studies nicely conclude this enormously accessible volume, from a studio in L.A. to a split-level apartment in Paris and an engawa house in Tokyo." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

A world-renowned design authority shows how to make the most of every square foot.

Whether motivated by soaring energy costs, smaller families or the desire to live more simply, homeowners are abandoning McMansions for smaller housing. In How to Live in Small Spaces, Terence Conran explains that what's paramount to livability is not square footage, but how the space is divided.

In this comprehensive, full color book, Conran tackles the many challenges posed by small spaces. Chapters cover storage, bedrooms, children's rooms, lighting, extension and much more. Assessing your needs checklists and points to consider sidebars add valuable ideas. The six case studies that conclude the book provide excellent examples of great designs.

The author offers practical advice on exploiting every inch of space through: Using fold-down and pull-out featuresBuying slimline appliancesInstalling indoor portholes and windowsLessening the impact of furnitureUsing scale and proportion to advantageManipulating color, texture and patternUsing screens, partitions and platformsImproving circulation paths.

Terence Conran never forgets the challenges posed by small spaces or the ingenuity and compromises required. He shows how easy it is to create a home whose comfort is not dependent on size, but on efficiency and integrity.