Small but perfectly formed: Cosy can be cool

Every urban city has its heartbeat and every city slicker wants to be a part of the action. With space at a premium, big city living comes at a price – dreams of a big sprawling family home with a rolling lawn bordered by a white picket fence, must give way to taking a few flights of stairs to get to one’s nest in the heart of urban suburbia.

You may need to sacrifice square meterage in the pursuit of location, location, location but you should never ever have to sacrifice style… which is why, before putting the furnishing touches on your nest you should read these tips for small spaces, it’s like free apartment therapy…

Bigger isn’t always better: Replace your big refrigerator with a smaller, under counter model – your apartment isn’t a family home so you don’t need to store enough food for The Brady Bunch.
Give interior doors the heave-ho: Using curtains on cupboards, or instead of doors, gives the illusions of grandeur and solves that pesky ‘when the door’s open, I can’t get to my closet’ problem.
Add a little (or a lot) of luxury: The bonus of a small space is that you need less to fill it which is why you can afford to splurge a little on the good stuff – great linen, cookware that’ll turn your granny green with envy and window treatments that scream ‘I live here! Aren’t I fabulous?’
Suck it up and buy the best vacuum you can: Small spaces get dirty quickly, so get a vacuum that makes sucking up all the debris a breeze.
Get on the light track: Track lighting aimed at walls frees up floor space and makes even the coziest room feel bigger. Put an end to scrounging around for your stilettos in the dark – Install lighting inside closets so you can see what’s in there. You’ll feel less like you’re living in a box and more like you’re living in your own little clothing boutique.
Put your home in the spotlight: Energize and liven up your small space with full spectrum light bulbs. Intimate, dim lighting is for homes that need to look more cosy… and that’s not your issue.
Got a view? Keep it clean: Don’t let grubby windows block your view – Clean your windows often to make the most of the morning light streaming in.
Cut the cords: Go wireless, transfer all your music to your computer and say goodbye to that space drain that was your CD tower.
Be a social butterfly in your own cocoon: Ask any events planner and they’ll tell you that people feel more at home socialising in a more intimate environment. So, throw lots of dinner parties, crack open the good bottles of wine (you don’t have anywhere to store it anyway) and practice being the perfect hostess.