Condo Living: Tiny Pads, Big Books

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A MULTI-ROOMED, mammoth castle sounds like a dream home to many nesters. But most condominium dwellers (and folks not contemplating marriage to one of the Windsor boys) must struggle with one common problem: not enough room for their stuff, or at least a lack of ideas about how to decorate in a weensy one-bedroom unit.

A suburban McMansion isn't the only suitable canvas for an inspired decorating job, as evidenced by a slew of recent books on small-space design. These photo-filled tomes use glossy photos and advice from pros in an attempt to help folks who want their pads to look snazzy no matter what the size. Here, we thumb through the most recent crop of dinky-is-divine books.

» Making Room: Finding Space in Unexpected Places (Wendy A. Jordan, $20, Taunton Press)
Produced by a publisher known for its well-illustrated, easy-to-use DIY books and magazines, this volume gives measurements, mini-blueprints and some step-by-step instructions for space-expanding projects.

Like a really packed issue of "Better Homes and Gardens," "Making Room" is stuffed with photos of somewhat trad-looking dwellings. But the ideas here go waaay beyond middle American ingenuity: sliding file drawers tucked under a breakfast bar bench, a spice rack gorgeously covered by a weathered horse stable door, a mini-office set into a hallway niche.

A few of the ideas seem a little bizarre: a built-in magazine rack by the toilet, a fold-down Murphy bed that, when not in use, is painted to look like a Hobbit hut. But overall, "Making Room" is more inspirational than aspirational and is appealing to those handy with hammers.

» Best for: Crafty types who enjoy fixing their own places.
» Best tip: In a tiny bathroom, install a fold-down ironing board.

» The Smart Approach to Small Space Living (By Susan Boyle Hillstrom, Creative Homeowner, $22)
"Is your kitchen undersized?" "What kind of light spills through your windows?" "The Smart Approach to Small Space Living" asks a lot of questions throughout the nearly 200 pages of photos and dense text. But this title proves to be so jammed with practical info that it's worth the extra time it might take to read.

Well-styled room shots — think modern with Asian sculptures or hipster French country — help readers get ready to decorate. There's a weensy library tucked under the staircase, a pint-sized kitchen with sleek, kiwi-green cabinets and a sculpture-filled rooftop garden to die for. Interiors tend to be trendy and urbane — love the lime-green curtained home office — yet not Park Avenue unattainable.

But it's the practical info, garnered from interior designers and architects, that makes this book more than real estate porn. Advice ranges from how choose a comfy sleeper sofa to the average hanging length of men's pants, which would help any dude redoing his closet.

» Best for: Organized people who want to rethink their spaces or take what amounts to Interior Design 101.
» Best room: A teeny attic bedroom where a steel canopy bed sits against gray toile wallpaper — so ye olde meets ye new!

» Small Spaces: Making the Most of the Space You Have (By Rebecca Tanqueray, $20, Ryland Peters & Small)
Modernist interiors in London, Paris and New York headline in this volume, and while they clearly aren't owned by any members of the Trump tribe, most appear to be upscale, and many have been cleverly re-jiggered by designers and architects.

In many cases, "Small Spaces" features details on the nitty-gritty of how owners have rehabbed these homes by installing built-in bookcases or carving larger kitchens out of balconies.

Photos show rooms that are low on accessories and unrealistically uncluttered — these folks must never read their books! Still, such Zen-like, boutique hotel-ish oases seem nice enough to live in, if not likely to inspire unduly passionate apartment envy.

The book's best bits? Frequent lists of "Space Saver" tips for particular areas of the home. In the living room, keep your mantelpiece neat and seating low, and invest in furniture that does two jobs at once, like a stool that becomes a table. In the boudoir, go for a bed frame with built-in shelves, and put mirrors on the door to visually double the space.

» Best for: Fans of keep-it-clean rooms, anyone with a penchant for all-white decor à la "2001."
» Best tip: In a cramped kitchen, put spice racks or hooks for gadgets on the backs of the doors.

» The New Apartment: Smart Living in Small Spaces (Montse Borras, $35, Universe)
"The rich are different from you and me," said F. Scott Fitzgerald, and he might have been talking about the folks who inhabit these undersized-yet-luxe pads.

Glossy photos show "don't you wish-you-were-here?" flats. Think a 680-square-foot converted attic in Barcelona, with a sleek black-tiled bathroom and deck with a view, or a weensy Paris pied a terre with custom Macasser ebony woodwork and modern artwork "for a couple that wanted a relaxing space in which to spend short periods of time." Must be nice.

It's somehow insidery and inspiring to spy on the quirky, well-designed homes of what must be international men and women of great mystery, or at least hipness. A white-on-white apartment in Madrid demonstrates how less color looks like more room. A coastal condo in Belgium puts forth a strong argument for sleeping in its nifty, pod-like bunk beds.

There's not much text, only lots of photos that may make readers jealous or inspired. It's a nice candidate to live on the coffee table.

But why did the publishers include a messy, cluttered "Interior Cabin" in France? The beat-up pans and rangy houseplants reminded us of, gulp, our own townhouse.

» Best for: People who go to open houses when traveling, fans of quirky interiors or homesick Europeans.
» Best pad: Where is Rubi, Spain? We don't know, but we covet the musician's apartment there for its steel beams and walls hung with guitars.

» House Beautiful, The Apartment Book: Smart Decorating for Spaces Large and Small (By Carol Spier, $25, Hearst)
Mirrors open up small spaces. Go for things of good quality. Use lightweight furniture with legs. There are so many tips strewn throughout this tiny tome, it's hard to know which one to pay attention to first.

Basically a picture book with captions (and dozens of one-sentence tips), "The Apartment Book" serves a similar purpose to the glossy magazine it draws images and ideas from: to leave readers salivating for these decked-out rooms. A small bedroom takes on old Hollywood glitz with a mammoth mirror and silvery curtains. A vintage cabinet with glass pulls and a tiled top adds storage and sass to a retro bathroom.

Though many of these interiors seem stolen from jet-setter pads, they all provide good ideas for color schemes and storage. But regular subscribers be warned — you'll recognize some shots from back issues.

» Best for: Folks just starting to think of decorating who don't want to thumb through zillions of shelter mags.
» Best tip: Love to read in bed? A solid headboard provides a way to prop up the pillows so you can lean against them.

First two photos by Chris Everard from "Small Spaces: Making the Most of the Space You Have"; third photo by William Waldron from "House Beautiful, The Apartment Book: Smart Decorating for Spaces Large and Small"