If you are living in a small house, apartment, or townhome, it doesn’t mean your small space can’t be neat, well-organized, and well-decorated. Here are some tips for living well in a small space.

1. A spot for everything: A space looks much bigger if everything is organized and put into attractive storage containers. Leave as few items out on furniture as you can.

2. Smaller furniture: Replace big, overstuffed furniture with smaller pieces that fit the scale of your small space. Also, buy pieces that can multi-task such as ottomans and coffee tables with built-in storage.

3. Bring in light: Make sure your space is as light as possible. Place mirrors in your rooms to reflect the light and hang light-colored window coverings to help brighten the room.

4. Choose appropriate colors: Light and cool colors expand a space. (Warm colors make a room seem cozy.) Choose a neutral palette for your overall design and add pops of color throughout your space.

5. Divide a small space correctly: If you need to divide your small space, do it with a room divider that serves as a storage space and a decorative item.

The Library’s Home Neighborhood has many books on decorating small spaces. Two of the newest books are Better Homes and Gardens Small Space Decorating and Living in a Nushell: Posh and Portable Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces. Come browse through these books, get some great decorating ideas, and start living large in your small space!

Large or small, we fill our houses with the things we like and the things we can’t seem to get rid of.  Because we do, we have to find a way to organize all that we own so we can find what we want when we want it.  Home Organizing & Closet Makeovers by the editors of Sunset Magazine is a good how-to manual for organization and storage solutions.

• “The key to organizing is to edit, then sort, then place.  If you don’t have room for it, don’t love it, or don’t use it, donate it.” Kit Davey, interior designer

The editors at Sunset Magazine brought together a panel of interior designers and professional organizers “to provide real-world advice and solutions.”   Advice from the panel includes getting rid of the things you no longer need or use, determining your goal for a particular space, accessorizing shelves, and keeping to a theme for a particular space.  The book addresses what makes a well-organized home and how to get it done with appropriate storage solutions.

• “People get overwhelmed when they think about how many areas need to be reorganized, and they end up never tackling the problem.  Instead of figuring out how to complete the project in a day or a weekend, schedule two hours at a time during the next month of Saturdays…Chipping away at the problem in small chunks like this will be far less overwhelming.”  Sara Eizen, professional organizer.

Whether you are looking to organize one room or every room in your house, Home Organizing & Closet Makeovers is the book for you.  You can find this book and many other books on storage solutions in the Home Neighborhood @ your library®.

photo credit:
Home-Designing Inspirational Home & Interior Design Ideas

Here’s some advice from Renee about easing into green living:

• Being green is not black and white. It’s about making the best choices whenever we can.
• Consider the life cycle of a product. First, what is it made with; second, how is it made; third, how does it affect you when you use it (safe or harmful); and fourth what happens to it when you’re done with it
• Start small. Try changing one thing a month.
• Green living is a process. It’s not an all-or-nothing game.

She also gives you 25 ways to go green at home, at the office or on the go. For instance, did you know you can turn your old-style toilet into a low-flow toilet just by placing a full plastic water bottle or two in the tank to displace the water? Older toilets use 3.5 to 7 gallons of water, but by putting a 1.5 liter bottle or two inside the tank, you can save that much water per flush.

Her book is so full of information, you probably won’t be able to sit down and read it cover-to-cover. It’s great for thumbing through or looking up a specific area.  The chapters are arranged for separate areas of living, such as the kitchen, the bathroom, or personal care. Then, in each chapter she gives you tips for going green, explanations of product labels like “Natural” or “Organic,” information on the chemicals and what they do for you and to you, products you can buy that are green and products you can make at home.

Or take a look at these “going green” books:

The Essential Green You! is the third volume in Deirdre Imus’s Green This! series. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about how to be environmentally friendly  when purchasing or using cosmetics, personal care items, food, medicine and clothing.

Go green and save money with Go Green, Live Rich by David Bach, the best-selling author of The Automatic Millionaire. He gives you 50 ways to help save the planet and add to your bank account.

The Lazy Environmentalist is a catalog of earth-friendly places to buy everything from outdoor gear to furniture to pet accessories.  Author Josh Dorfman developed the Lazy Environmentalist radio show in 2005 and has become a leading spokesperson for the green movement.

Come to our 5th annual Green Fair, Saturday, April 21 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm for more ideas!

Now that March has arrived and winter is almost behind us, it’s time to think about a little redecorating. Cottage Style is the perfect thing to use if you would like to freshen your look and give your home a simple, clean, light, and airy feel.

Easy Cottage Style: Comfortable Interiors for Country Living proves that cottage style can be created in all types of home. The authors show how to use fabrics, colors, and rustic materials to turn every room in your home into that special cottage spot. Included are easy-to-follow projects for cottage-inspired furnishings and decorations.

Cottage style includes faded fabrics, antiqued furniture, and whimsical accessories, and Decorating Cottage Style demonstrates how to use all these things. Projects shown are simple yet beautiful and show how both old and new can work together.

New Cottage Style: Decorating Ideas for Casual, Comfortable Living provides lots of ideas on how to achieve a cottage look in a home in the country, the suburbs, the woods, or the oceanfront. It gives practical ideas on paint, furniture, fabrics, and accessories. It also shows how to incorporate architectual features when creating your cottage look.

Find these books and many more in the Home Neighborhood.

Martha Stewart has written a guide that will help prepare you not only for spring cleaning but everything required to run a clean and efficient household.  The book is Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide for Caring for Everything in Your Home.  This book is located in the Home Neighborhood, with other useful books on the same subject.  Stewart’s useful handbook tells the reader what they need to know to start, run, and maintain a household.  Do you want to know how to store knives?  Mend a ripped seam?  Keep track of warranties?  Keep bouquets fresh?  Find the best tools for keeping everything in your house clean?  All of this and much, much more is in this guide.
Stewart starts off with an explanation on how to use her book, and she moves to a tutorial on cleaning products.  She follows this advice with checklists for what cleaning should be done on a daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal basis with two extra checklists for spring and fall cleaning.  The rest of the book is packed with information and advice on how to complete these checklists.   She includes step-by-step instructions illustrated with photographs to assist you in whatever you are cleaning, repairing, or maintaining.

So to answer the question of where to start, start with Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping  Handbook.

Photo Credits
The Gardeners Network
BuySell.com

After staring at your walls all winter, you might be ready to try a new color or painting technique on them. The Library’s Home Neighborhood has many books on interior painting that could give you some great ideas.

Painting and Wallpapering Secrets from Brian Santos, the Wall Wizard compiles the best ideas from his three previous books and brings the information up-to-date. Readers will find new information on how to use paint, faux finishes, and even a little wallpapering. Santos also discusses environmentally-safe alternatives to hazardous materials and provides information on current tastes and styles.

Another book that gives great tips for transforming a room with paint is Simply Creative Faux Finishes with Gary Lord: 30 Cutting-edge Techniques for Walls, Floors, and Ceilings. Lord gives step-by-step details for using the newest tools and paint products to achieve an updated look without using a professional painter.

Elise Kinead offers 150 of the most popular painting techniques is her book Decorative Painting Techniques for Walls, Floors, Ceilings, and Furniture. The techniques include sponge painting, color washing, wood graining, and age distressing. These techniques will yield spectacular indoor painted walls.

Find these books and many others in the Home Neighborhood.

• The EPA has a great website that will give you the tools you need to mitigate your exposure. It is chock-full of information for consumers including the very useful A Citizens Guide to Radon.

• The Kansas Radon Program, a joint effort between Kansas State University and The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, is an excellent source for locating certified contractors in radon mitigation.  They have a toll free hotline for anyone needing assistance with radon issues.  The toll free number is 1-800-693-5343.

If you are interested in obtaining more information or an inexpensive test kit to measure radon levels in your home, contact your local county extension department.  In Shawnee County, the extension office is located at 1740 SW Western Ave.  Their telephone number is 785-232-0062.

While testing for radon, you may find cracks in your foundation that need to be repaired.  The Home Neighborhood has books that will help you repair the cracks to keep not only the radon, but moisture from seeping into your house.  5 Steps to a Dry Basement or Crawl Space: A Guide for Homeowner and Professional by Ron Gay is a good place to start your basement repairs.  The Home Neighborhood is a great place to start all your home repair projects.

Now that the weather has gotten colder and the furnaces are turned on, it is important for all of us to think about some energy-saving tips. On December 13, the library will be hosting a program presented by Danny Lichtenauer from Westar Energy. Mr. Lichtenauer will present easy-to-implement ideas on how to cut your heating costs.

The Library also has books in the Home Neighborhood that can assist you in saving energy consumption in your home. Spend-a-little Save-a-lot Home Improvements: Money-saving Projects Anyone Can Do by Brad Staggs shows how you can reduce energy costs and improve the effeciency of your house by doing a little preventive maintenance.

Teach Yourself Saving Energy in the Home by Nick White provides achievable cost-cutting and energy-saving strategies. There are even chapters on how to save energy in your garden and how to generate your own power.

Come join us on December 13 and browse the Home Neighborhood to learn about all those energy-saving tips!

The library subscribes to several magazines such as Mother Earth News, Grit, and Natural Home & Garden that are wonderful resources for developing self-sufficiency in an urban setting.  They provide good advice on canning methods, choosing chicken breeds, building structures such as coops and greenhouses, and renewing and reusing instead of discarding.

If you are thinking about keeping domestic fowl or livestock, the first step is to check the city ordinances for your community.  Some communities do not allow domestic fowl or livestock within the city limits.  Others do, but have strict guidelines on housing them.  Title VI of The Code of the City of Topeka, KS outlines what is permissible in keeping fowl and livestock within the city limits.  Topeka’s ordinances are accessible at the library and online.  If you live outside the city limits, we are happy to help you ascertain your community’s ordinances.

Books available in the Home Neighborhood will help you consider, plan, and implement a strategy for becoming self-sufficient.  A few of the titles available are:

The City Homesteader: Self-sufficiency on any Square Footage by Scott Meyer.  No matter if you live in an apartment or on suburban acreage, this book gives great advice on canning, composting, container gardening, and many more subjects.

Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-reliant Living by Deborah Niemann.  Are you interested in keeping your own goats and sheep as a “fiber flock”?  Perhaps you are planning a sustainable garden or backyard orchard and need practical advice.  This book gives you the information you need to achieve a more sustainable, organic, and self-reliant life.

The Self-Sufficiency Specialist: The Essential Guide to Designing and Planning for Off-grid Self-reliance by A & G Bridgewater. This is a nuts and bolts guide on becoming self-sufficient whether you live in town or in the country.  The first thing this guide does is help the reader consider what is involved in moving to an off-the-grid and self-sufficient lifestyle.  The guide then gives the reader detailed advice on planning and implementing the changes.

Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living by Rachel Kaplan and K. Ruby Blume.  Like the others, this book gives the beginner the knowledge they need to become urban homesteaders.  The first few chapters focus on the philosophy of urban homesteading, the state of our environment, and the need to reduce consumption and waste.  Included are instructions for all kinds of projects such as community gardens, bee keeping, canning, and composting

Check-out these and many other resources @ your Library®.