Small Spaces: Good Ideas [Paperback]

Cristina Paredes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Small Spaces: Good Ideas | Publication Date: November 8, 2005

Most homeowners would like to turn their small space into a home that looks and feels bigger, and Small Spaces: Good Ideas will help them do just that. The perfect "idea" book, it's full of photographs and organized by the key element rfor the best use of space -- furniture, décor, lighting, and more.

The wide range of examples in Small Spaces: Good Ideas makes it a helpful companion for homeowners looking to maximize living spaces between 110 and 910 square feet. This practical reference not only showcases innovative solutions with an emphasis on multifunctional uses for tight spaces, it includes a handy resource section with information about featured products and manufacturers -- making it simple for readers to implement what they see.

Small Spaces: Good Ideas will serve as inspiration not only for professionals in the interior design field but for apartment-dwellers and anyone else looking to turn small spaces into bigger places -- even if it only seems that way.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cristina Paredes has a degree in Fine Arts by the University of Barcelona and a wide experience in the editorial world, collaborating with several magazines specialized in interior design. She has also collaborated with various photographers as an agent. She currently lives and works in Barcelona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Harper Design (November 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060833378
• ISBN-13: 978-0060833374
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A nice little fantasy trip, March 20, 2006

By 

S. Saunders (Rocky Mountains USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Small Spaces: Good Ideas (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book to read if you want to imagine yourself living somewhere exotic in an uncluttered space with minimal (or no) possessions.

It's all about design and I'm sure design mavens and architect-groupies will love it.

I picked it up looking for "good ideas" (as advertised in the title) I could use in, or adapt for, my small condo. In my real life as a middle-class working person living in the US. I found none.

Pretty pictures, though, of some inventive solutions to putting bed, bath, kitchen, and sitting facilities into small areas.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Big pictures --- Little substance, August 8, 2006

By 

Rozarooni (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Spaces: Good Ideas (Paperback)

While these sort of books offer lovely, crisp photographs, they contain very few ideas that are realistic when you're on a tight budget...or if you have children and safety is a concern. This book in particular didn't take safety or budget into concern from my perspective.

Martha Stewart has a book geared at storage solutions and organizations that is actually practical and affordable that I have turned to time and time again. Truly, organization is the key to living in a small space successfully.

Your best bet is to save your money on this book and take a peek at something geared toward organization and stylish storage.... and visit your local IKEA for instead. Regardless of your personal style preferences, IKEA stores are set-up in pre-furnished rooms that really let you test their practicality. If you aren't near an IKEA location, IKEA's website has an entire section devoted to design ideas PLUS you can request a FREE catalog that is jam packed with storage solutions and furniture arrangements that are intended to maximize space when it's at a minimum. The objects themselves aren't important when it comes to your personal style, so focus on placement and use of space rather than whether or not you like that particular cabinet or couch and you'll do great. For example, if country is your style--when you find a room layout that you like, just replace the leather mid-century sofa with a fluffy, cotton duck one instead. IKEA has really warmed up their styles lately so I'm sure you'll find something that works for you when browsing their catalogs and website.

I've kept several of the last few IKEA catalogs at a cost of ZERO dollars for color schemes, hints on how to use light and texture, fun with fabrics and furniture arrangement with oodles of storage. Hold onto them because they run out fast.

If you are designing with practicality and comfort in mind but aren't near an IKEA store, I urge you to visit the IKEA website and browse their interactive catalog for hints..then print up a page that inspires you. You won't regret it!

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!, March 19, 2006

By 

S. Shields "Good Book Fan" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Small Spaces: Good Ideas (Paperback)

Of all of the design and architecture books in my library, I have to confess that this is the only one that I have ever read cover to cover. This wonderful book contains 51 gorgeously photographed small living spaces from 150-968 square feet - each one a jewel box of contemporary minimalist design. Here the art of living has been reduced to the basic essentials of ample light, beautiful design, clever storage, and minimal possessions. Each project is sparingly and simply described, with architectural drawings included in most sections. What a joy it is to be immersed in this book, imagining myself as a sophisticated debutante living in the chic apartment in Shepherd's Bush London, or a modern day hermit communing with the Divine in the Itamar Cave in Jerusalem, or an expatriate writer on a long, but fruitful sabbatical at Darmos House in Spain. Ah the joy of the simple life - unfettered by the weight of too many dusty possessions or heavy ornamentation - pure bliss!