I read on Yahoo today that Internet stories on small spaces are becoming more prevalent and more popular. As people struggle to make a living in today’s rough economy, I am sure smaller, but more affordable, spaces are more in demand.
I watched a video today about Felice Cohen, a woman who makes her living as a professional organizer and lives in a miniscule 90-square-foot apartment. The pluses to her small New York City space are that it is centrally located, is only a block from Central Park, and rents for only $700 a month — which is a steal for Manhattan. I watched videos today about her both on Yahoo and on YouTube (see video below), and learned several things from her experience:
– Less Can Be More: This idea goes against typical American consumerism, but making do with less can be a good thing. I live out in the suburbs in a 2,000-square-foot house — which is huge compared to Cohen’s apartment. But while Cohen lives in Manhattan in a sought after location, and I live out in the burbs in a not-so-sought-after locale, her rent is far below the staggering property taxes that I pay to my little town. Cohen makes the most out of her space (which it appears she shares with a significant other) by only bringing in what she needs — she keeps few books and gets new reads from the library. She also food shops every few days — which negates having to have a big fridge or a pantry to store lots of groceries. Plus, she says she has money to travel and doesn’t spend much time worrying about her rent and overhead.
2. Keep Only What You Need: To make the most out of your space — whether big or small — it’s best to keep only what you really use. To keep her space tidy and clutter free, Cohen regularly goes through her books, clothes and other belongings and purges what isn’t essential.
3. Organize! It’s ideal that Cohen is a professional organizer — otherwise, she might have trouble making her incredibly tiny space work for her. For her apartment, Cohen makes the most of her small apartment by adding vertical storage and using a loft bed, which frees up more room for her desk, chair and reading area.
4. Conceal and Beautify: If you do have stuff to store, you don’t want it to cramp your style and hinder your living space. Cohen keeps her stuf from impeding her living space by hiding and organizing it in coordinating cloth bins and by storing her kitchen essentials in matching glass and silver jars to give her space a cleaner look.