life in a tiny apartment.

July 24, 2013
corners8205

Tip #73: Embrace your crazy corners.

It’s possible that I should be the last person on the planet to recommend such a thing. Truth be told, there are a few corners in this apartment that could use significantly more attention. That weird alcove next to the bed? It’d look awesome with a built in bookcase made from reclaimed wood. The loft in general? A coat of paint could be transformative.

But the relative impermanence of our stay here, coupled with the more important limitations of renting our space and living on a restricted budget means that some projects don’t happen, and won’t happen.

Still. It can be worth the effort to work with the oddities of your small space, rather than against them. In our loft, the ceilings are less than 5 feet tall. {On the day that we ever move to a larger space, I will do somersaults on the bed, just because I can}. The short ceilings make hanging things on the wall difficult. But then—and this is largely related to Tip #22: Hold on to What You Love—sometimes you just have to hang something because you want to and not because it looks perfect in the place you have.

For our wedding last summer, one of my cousins framed for us a signed lithograph by Stow Wengenroth. It’s about the most special thing we own and even though it’s in a kind of funny spot, we went with it. In an effort to make the space work, I added a hanging basket {another v. special wedding gift} and hung the litho in line with the stairs to make for a cohesive look. It might not win “nook of the year,”and it’s near impossible to photograph it well, but it’s a sweet little corner in an apartment that doesn’t have many of them.

Do you guys also suffer from strange corners? What have you done to make them work for you?

Tiny Apartment Survival Tips 1- 72, here.

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17 Comments

  • Reply Pearl July 24, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    Love, love your blog..I check it every day for updates. I'm obsessed with small, cozy spaces. I would move into your apartment in a heartbeat! Keep writing…
    I also read a cool blog about a family of 5 in Wyoming who live in a 665 sq ft cottage. Its perfect and with beautiful photos,too.

    2
    • Reply Erin July 24, 2013 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks, Pearl. So nice of you to share! That Wyoming family is totally intriguing–will have to do some googling to find them!

      2
    • Reply Kari July 25, 2013 at 6:09 pm

      They are at assortmentblog.com. It's great.

      2
  • Reply kristyn July 24, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    I think you turned the awkward corner into a pretty little piece of space! We have this weird "dressing room" space, which is basically a storage area without a door. It links to our bathroom though, and has a full length mirror–so we put a cute little cabinet in there, bits of artwork, and fun rug and organized our storage stuff in neat bins. It makes it feel more like a cozy corner instead of a strange space!

    2
    • Reply Erin July 24, 2013 at 8:45 pm

      Thanks! Yours sounds lovely.

      2
  • Reply The Sill July 24, 2013 at 4:24 pm

    It's nook of the year in our book 🙂 Lovely.

    2
    • Reply Erin July 24, 2013 at 8:43 pm

      Oh, good! Thank you, thank you.

      2
  • Reply Kari July 24, 2013 at 6:50 pm

    We've done something similar upstairs in our house. We have short walls under the sloping ceilings, but we've hung some artwork on those short walls anyway. It looks great.

    2
    • Reply Erin July 24, 2013 at 8:43 pm

      Glad to hear we're not the only ones!

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  • Reply Amanda July 25, 2013 at 1:30 am

    That piece of art is so lovely.

    2
  • Reply Cindy July 25, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    i've noticed that when there is a < in your post title i'm not able to view it in feedly on my iphone. the app freezes – it's crazy :).

    1
    • Reply Erin July 26, 2013 at 7:36 pm

      Sometimes the internet drives me batty.

      1
  • Reply Pearl July 26, 2013 at 7:33 pm

    I really like your blog, and like other readers, I check it our very often. I like your hanging planter very much. I know it was a gift, but do you have some information on it you could share with me, like who made it and where they might be available? Thanks!

    1
    • Reply Erin July 26, 2013 at 7:37 pm

      Hi Pearl! Thanks for your note! Yes: the basket is from Pigeon Toe Ceramics out in Oregon! I think they still have them in stock!

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    • Reply Pearl July 27, 2013 at 1:28 am

      Thank you Erin for replying so rapidly! I had a look at their Etsy shop, and they have two planters left- lucky me!

      1
  • Reply отпуск испания December 24, 2013 at 7:51 am

    I like this picture of art that are on the wall..It looks beautiful or seriously,i also likes the apartment that are small in size,This apartment looks so cute..Thanks..!!

    2
  • Reply grady william December 19, 2014 at 7:40 am

    This is really a remarkable topic close to my heart thanks. Keep up the good working! lynchburg rentals

    1
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