I am writing about my small and very cute condo. It’s all of 495 sq. feet. A few years ago a friend gave me a small wooden wall hanging that says “Cubicle. Sweet Cubicle.” Haha! That’s right!
Well if that is all you can afford than that’s all you can afford! But I think I set it up very cute, ahem. The living room is small but leads into a small dining area. I have my piano and keyboard, a love seat which is a hide-a-bed, and another small fancy bench-like seat with matching end table. I have numerous silk flowers around and a couple of live plants, plus some very nice paintings. And my cuckoo-clock. Love it! I also have a small shelf by the front windows like a window pane. So I can put some doo-dads on it as well. My window coverings are pleated shades and a lightweight valance with flowers, of course, on the edges. Just enough to be pretty and practical.
My dining area is a nice little table and chairs, plus a bookcase, an old-fashioned 3-drawer cabinet and a Grandfather clock my Dad made for me. He did that for all of us in the family. Creative guy!
The kitchen is a kitchen. The end. Ha! But my bedroom again has flowers in it and pictures. My window coverings are room-darkening shades, and pink and white lace curtains. And the bathroom is a bathroom. I put in a new shower area a few years ago.
So how do you decorate your space…large or small? My answer is don’t hesitate to decorate. Don’t be afraid to spiff it up with stuff that spells YOU. Be reasonable but do it. I think most people know what they want and how to fix it up (after a few trial-and-errors), and how to make their space look good yet not overly obnoxious. Yes, less is better. But sometimes you just need to fill that space with…something. And as you live in a place you revise it as you go along. It actually took me 20 years to find a suitable piece of furniture…a music cabinet…to match my piano. I got it at a Church rummage sale for $5. I also got some small fancy decorative plates and vases from our Church’s Yia-Yia’s Attic, a high-end rummage sale with used items in good condition, including china and glassware, etc. It’s a Greek Orthodox Church and Yia-Yia means grandma.
One thing about living in a small space is that it’s hard to have a lot of company over. You can fit maybe 4 people. Another thing is that you learn to live with nice things but not a ton of things. And you live in a space you can actually live in without needing 10,000 sq. feet to keep you happy. I can adequately decorate for Christmas and Easter, etc. I always have a wreath on my front door. I’m right by the laundry room and usually have it to myself when I do laundry.
I watch some of these high-end home shows…buying multi-million dollar homes…and think “that’s way too much space for me!” At this stage of the game I can’t imagine a huge space for everything. I would like a little larger dining area but I don’t grieve for it. Ha! You realize what you need and what you don’t need. You make life work. Some people even live in a sizeable trailer. Now I would think that would take some getting used to. But people make it work. And you know, you actually own something. Nobody ever said you needed to own a mansion. Owning something like your own home, whatever kind it is, is an accomplishment. You did that. It’s yours. You give it the personality. You leave your mark on it. That’s great!
This is also where you bake your wonderful pies and other desserts. You didn’t think I would end this article without a shout-out to pie, did you? Hehe!
Eve Sophia 