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  • JANET LEE: My name is Janet Lee.

  • We are actually in my apartment in lower Manhattan.

  • It's my little nutshell decorating lab.

  • And the basis of my blog and book.

  • In 20 years, I've lived in about a dozen small space

  • apartments.

  • But along the way, I really have road tested what works

  • and what doesn't for small space living.

  • So I'm always fighting the good fight against clutter.

  • So as soon as I walk in the front door after a long day,

  • my mail lands here.

  • And these are just rubber boating straps.

  • I always like to use untapped design

  • resources 'cause it's cheap.

  • And also it gives your space a unique touch.

  • So in my one bedroom apartment, I created all these

  • different living zones so that there's a nice flow and a

  • sense of dimension in the space.

  • And this kitchen flows right into the living room, so I

  • wanted to give it a visual division.

  • And I did that by using caviar tins.

  • They're brand new, so I didn't have to deal

  • with the clean up.

  • But I liked using them as a collection to make a real bold

  • style statement on this wall.

  • I guess I got kind of crazy about chalkboard paint, 'cause

  • it really comes in all these vibrant colors.

  • I didn't know that.

  • I used it for my back splash.

  • And since I like typography so much, that is actually an

  • equations for a hard-boiled egg.

  • So every time I look at it, it makes me smile.

  • So my first approach here in this apartment was with color.

  • And I actually went dark and chose grays for the wall.

  • But by choosing a cooler color on the color wheel, it

  • actually tricks the eye into thinking that walls recede and

  • go further back than they really do.

  • And so my living room does look a little larger

  • than it really is.

  • Right here is my living room slash home office, and it has

  • to really function as a home office.

  • This is a six foot desk where I do all of my work at home,

  • all my blogging.

  • It doubles as a buffet table for parties.

  • It doesn't take up visual real estate, because it is clear.

  • When I moved into this apartment, it had no

  • architectural interest at all.

  • It was pretty much a featureless box.

  • I'm a renter, and most renters have these ugly

  • folding closet doors.

  • I decided to use artist's stretcher bars to create my

  • own paneled moulding on the closet doors.

  • And I used removable picture hanging strips so I can take

  • it with me when I move to my next space.

  • So we're in my bedroom.

  • And the ceilings are really high.

  • I liked keeping it white, but I wanted to have a little bit

  • of dimension and art on the walls.

  • So I found this really great artist, his name is Tord

  • Boontje and loved his paper die cut curtain.

  • So I hung a couple panels on the wall with just a few

  • tacks, so that I can take it with me when I leave.

  • Shoes just seem to take over my space.

  • So I am always looking for storage solutions, and one of

  • them is to hang them on the wall.

  • All my favorite pairs hang on these lightweight

  • polyurethane strips.

  • I hang them with removable picture hanging strips.

  • It's strong enough to hold the shoes without any

  • damage to the walls.

  • I created my own floor lamps out of wall decals.

  • The trick here is the fact that I found out from my

  • hardware store that a flashlight wall caddy fits a

  • lamp cord perfectly.

  • And there you have it, 3D floor lamp that takes up zero

  • floor space.

  • And voila!

  • I really try to fight clutter along the way.

  • But I realized I have to create storage solutions that

  • look great and are really easy to maintain or I'm

  • not going to do it.

  • And I'm always tricking myself into being neat and tidy,

  • 'cause it's not natural for me at all.

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JANET LEE: My name is Janet Lee.

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