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Gregory De Peña and Kelly O'Neil turned their 650-square-foot San Diego apartment, which they dubbed "a shoe box" in the Spring 2008 issue of O at Home, into a spacious home that hosts parties and guests with equal aplomb. Here are some of the couple's big ideas for living in a small space:
1. Lose the entertainment center: A flat screen mounted on the wall eliminates the need for a TV stand or armoire.
2. Fake soaring ceilings: Paint the walls and ceiling in a continuous color to make the room seem taller.
3. Choose convertible furnishings: A daybed that converts into a comfy guest bed, for instance, is a multitasking space saver that precludes the need for another piece of furniture.
4. Embrace built-ins: In the couple's case, the room divider between the living room and bedroom serves as both a headboard and storage for books.
5. Use every corner: Mounting a work surface and shelves can transform an otherwise pokey corner into a useful nook.
6. Don't forget flooring: Another trick the couple used to make the space feel larger was laying tile diagonally from corner to corner, which highlights the condo's longest axis instead of chopping up the floor plan into individual rooms.
7. Create a secret electronics stash: Hide A/V cable clutter in a cabinet for a cleaner, leaner appearance. The couple used speaker cloth for the front of the cabinet, so that sound from their 400 CD-changer and infrared from remote controls could pass through.
See also: :: Make a Small Space Look Bigger in Seven Steps and ::Live Large in Small Spaces
Difficulty level: Moderate
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