Website Wednesday

You probably know that I'm a sucker for small spaces.

When I visit the so-called trophy homes, either friends or open houses, I'm really not impressed by large, open rooms. But when I visit the IKEA models of 350, 500, 700 square feet of living space where they include a kitchen, a living room, at least one bedroom and a bathroom; I say "Wow!."

Maybe it's because I live in a large loft-sized area which I've divided into a kitchen, living room, dining room, sun room, office, bedroom, den and a big play area for the kids. (Before you wonder; there is a bathroom, but that, of course, is a separate room.) It's amazing what you can do with screens and large artificial flower arrangements in way of creating privacy It's also gratifying for the restless souls, of which I am one, how portable screens and flowers can be when you get bored with the layout and need a change.

That's why this website sang my name:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

Their mission is "Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online."

And: "Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it."

Good thoughts, and how great to have this website for inspiration.

Currently, you'll get to see pictures of a 600 square foot apartment in Brooklyn, NY; international bedrooms (click on the U.S. bedrooms also; I think there is an obvious difference); and an East Village, NY apartment with a bathtub in the kitchen,

Click on archives for more, including storage solutions with pictures from the UK. Or, read the article, The lives — and remnants — of others, which tells about a warehouse in North Portland, OR that collects unneeded furnishings, etc. and distributes them to the needy. This article also has two found letters, from 1944 and 1950, which make interesting reading. (This is a good reminder to pull out the drawers before you donate furniture.) The archives even have a link to 101 Cookbooks for recipes. Coco Choco Clusters look good even at 5 a.m.

So bookmark this site. It's definitely worthy of a lot of return visits.