Big solutions for small spaces

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Living practically and attractively in a small space is a delicate dance. It requires colors and scales that don't overwhelm; accessories that look good but also perform a function, and a type of just-right storage and organization that keeps necessities at hand yet somehow barely noticeable. It helps to have the assistance of someone who has worked with small spaces, although even then, a certain amount of trial and error is unavoidable. It ain't easy, that's for sure.

The job has gotten slightly more achievable in recent years, however, as the home-design world has started paying a lot of attention to small-scale living. All of last year's major home furnishings markets featured small-scale furniture in a prominent way. Certain companies have made small-scale a permanent, premiere offering in their stables. One such company, Rowe, is currently featuring its Mini Mod collection as part of a sustainable-living exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Kitchen and bath manufacturers have been thinking small for some time now, too, downsizing everything from stoves to dishwashers to bathtubs.

The small trend is so big, as a matter of fact, that a single newspaper story could never do it justice. A more efficient way of handling it, perhaps, is to show off a small sampling of the smartest innovations to come out recently.

1. Callie Modular

Aspenhome's very versatile Callie Modular offers an entire living room's worth of furniture in the package of one sofa. Keep it connected as the main _ and perhaps only _ seating in a tiny room, or break apart and reconfigure into different seating arrangements (chaise longue, love seat, ottoman, corner chair, armless chair) when guests converge. Built-in metal connectors keep the unit hitched into the sofa state and fold in when you want to rearrange.

Cost: Order as many or as few pieces as you'd like; $499 (corner chair), $399 (armless chair), $299 (ottoman), $1,197 (three-piece group shown in photo).

Where to get it: Most Walter E. Smithe locations, 800-948-4263, smithe.com.

2. Versatile Vanity Collection

Sonia's new online "configurador" allows you to customize the sink, mirror and vanity arrangement that best fits your bathroom. Play around with arrangements online (sonia-sa.com/configurador/configurador.html) and bring your favorites to your local retailer. The collection's sleek, thin aesthetic and colored-glass finishes are especially fitting in the closetlike half-baths that populate so many Chicago condos.

Cost: $155 (glass front of base unit) to $2,450 (37-inch-wide glass top); a fully decked-out system can run up to $8,000.

Where to buy: bannerplumbing.com.

3. Series 200 Wall Mount

Pocket doors have the potential to save the average 8- to 10-square-feet of floor space taken up by traditional swinging doors. Johnson Hardware's new Series 200 Wall Mount is a hardware kit that "fakes" the functionality of a pocket door through the use of a mounted sliding track. Just the thing for rooms that require the privacy or security of a door but don't have the space to accommodate one.

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Cost: $175 (48 inches) to $230 (8 foot).

Where to get it: johnsonhardware.com

4. Affinity Laptop Cocktail Table

Working in front of the TV has become part of the daily agenda at this point, and furniture manufacturers have been accommodating that habit. Broyhill's new piece continues the trend in an especially sleek and compact fashion. With a little maneuvering, the Affinity becomes a hard-working desk. The front panel rises to an ergonomically conscious height to set your computer, while the rear panel conceals a removable desk organization tray. Beneath both surfaces are storage cubbies.

Cost: $749

Where to buy: Darvin Furniture, darvin.com.

5. 30-inch, 5-burner gas cooktop

KitchenAid

KitchenAid figured out a way to fit the number of burners normally monopolized by commercial ranges (five) into a non-commercial, 30-inch cooktop. How'd they do it? By placing one burner _ the largest of the five _ in the center of the other four. All five burners are sealed for easy cleaning.

Cost: $1,349

Where to buy: Call 800-422-1230 or visit kitchenaid.com to find a retailer near you.

6. Vapor Dining Chair

CB2

The clear, molded acrylic of this new Vapor Chair makes it there and not there at the same time. Scattered around a table in a cramped dining room or tucked in a corner next to a desk, it serves its purpose without making a big show of it.

Cost: $179

Where to buy: CB2, cb2.com.

7. Palomba Collection Wall-Mount Toilet

Laufen

Wall-mount toilets are becoming all the rage for their space-conscious design _ the tank, base and pipes are concealed within the wall. This version from Switzerland-based Laufen is about as simple as it gets _ yet somehow still beautiful. Best for remodeling or new-construction projects, as their installation requires fairly major plumbing.

Cost: $1,485

Where to buy: Waterware, 1829 S. State St., Chicago; 312-225-4549.

8. Mia Nesting Tables

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

In this set of three high-gloss lacquered nesting tables, the largest table has a removable drawer that doubles as a 20-inch square tray. Stack the tables when you need to conserve space or use them individually as end tables or a graduated coffee table. Available in two finishes, Shale and Sugar.

Cost: $1,130

Where to buy: Bloomingdale's Home & Furniture Stores.

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SMALL-SCALE ROOM DESIGN TIPS

An example of multitasking and discreet organization: a custom-built media center designed by Michelle Rohrer-Lauer with pullout columns for CD and DVD storage and seamless drawers.

Buying right-size furniture and accessories is one way to live well in a small home, but if you really want to be smart about small-space living, it's the ideas and strategies that will keep you happy. We tapped the brains of two people who know a thing or two about close-quarters style: Michelle Rohrer-Lauer of Michelle's Interiors Design Group in Chicago and Grayslake, Ill., (michellesinteriors.com) and Janel Laban, managing editor of Apartment Therapy: Chicago (apartmenttherapy.com/chicago).

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1. Triple-tasking. For a client's one-bedroom, 1,000-square-foot weekend condo in the Trump International Hotel & Tower, Rohrer-Lauer is making the most of a combined kitchen/living room area through the use of a custom-built alcove. The 6-by-2-foot alcove will stand at equal height to the surrounding kitchen counters for a seamless look, but it will also stand alone so as to perform a variety of functions. "We incorporated a wine cooler underneath for entertaining," Rohrer-Lauer says, "and we tucked roll-out stools beneath the right and left sides for the family to pull out when they want to eat or sit."

2. Stick with sectionals. Rohrer-Lauer plans to furnish the same kitchen/living room space with a sectional sofa facing the TV. "Sectionals make it so easy to break apart for guests, or keep together for watching TV," Rohrer-Lauer says. "The chaise longue part of the sectional is always great for a single person wanting to read."

3. Be transparent. Speaking of the hundreds of small urban spaces that come across her desk at Apartment Therapy, Laban remarks that, "Time and time again, we've seen the power of going reflective, see-through and light when decorating small space." She specifically refers to the use of large wall mirrors, Lucite tables and mercury or clear-glass table lamps to make a room feel brighter and lighter.

4. Organize upon entry. "Another Apartment Therapy staple has been the idea of a 'landing strip' in entryways," Laban says. "Having somewhere to hang your coats, bags, helmets and keys, and to stick your mail when walking in the door is very helpful."

_Shaila Wunderlich

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

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Small room? The right piece can help you get the most out of a limited footprint

Aspenhome's Callie modular sofa is a three-piece system_corner chair ($499), armless chair ($399) and ottoman ($299) _ with limitless applications.

Door hardware: The Series 200 WM from Johnson Hardware ($175 to $230) converts any door to a pocket door.

Bath vanity: Sonia's Versatile Vanity Collection is a system of sleek sink and vanity components ($155 to $2,450) that can be customized.

Cocktail table/desk: Broyhill's Affinity Laptop Cocktail Table ($749) is a part-time desk and part-time cocktail table.

Toilet: Laufen's Palomba Wall-Mount Toilet ($1,485) displays only the toilet bowl, concealing the rest behind the wall.

Cooktop: KitchenAid's 30-inch, 5-Burner Cooktop ($1,349) fits five burners into the space usually reserved for four. KitchenAid photo

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Nesting Tables in Shale ($1,310).

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© 2009, Chicago Tribune.