10 Ideas to Steal from Rue Magazine's Small Space Issue

Digital lifestyle publication Rue magazine released their 25th issue
this week, all about small spaces. Between their editors' smart ideas
and tips from three real New York City studio dwellers, the issue is
ripe with inspiration for living small.





Here are some of our favorite tips:

• Nesting tables are a space-saver. They can be collapsed to maximize
  floor space, or pulled out when extra company is over. In the issue,
  Rue Art Director (and blogger at Design Conundrum) Maia McDonald picks her favorites.

• Turn books around, their spines facing away from you, to visually
  de-clutter a bookshelf. Photographer and mixed-media artist Emily
  Johnston thinks it makes her East Village studio space more restful for
  sleeping.

• Large-scale prints of landscapes and cityscapes can feel like windows and open up a small room, as seen here in Emily's kitchen.

• Try hanging a hammock indoors to make use of vertical space and
  have a fun spot to host spry guests. The hammock in Emily's bed nook
  makes the space a "lounge" and gives another place to entertain friends
  or catch up on reading.
• Be thoughtful about what's on display. Not all storage can be
  concealed in a small space. Emily uses open shelving in the kitchen, but
  hides clothes behind a curtain.

• Think of every surface as an opportunity. Dru Ortega, part of the
  PR team for One Kings Lane, uses the windowsill in his Long Island City
  studio as a mini cocktail station when he entertains.
• When building an art collection, start small and keep it personal.
  Dru and his One Kings Lane colleagues believe that an art collection
  should be a layered visual timeline of your past.

• Don't let a small space dictate how you live. Artist Caroline Z
  Hurley uses the kitchen in her West Village apartment to host dinner
  parties.
• Always make your bed (even if it's lofted). Caroline swears that even a tiny mess looks so much messier in in a small space.

• And a tip for homes of any size... bring in something living.
  Plants and flowers brighten any space, says Caroline. Scale the plant to
  your space (we love this tiny potted plant in her kitchen).

 | Apartment Therapy