My Small Space: Starting Out in Style

by Anna Ottum

My Small Space is the ultimate guide to moving out on your own--whether that's in a campus dorm, an apartment with four of your friends, a two-bedroom with your buddy, or your very own studio. With photography of all kinds of spaces, smart design tips, interviews with renters, and more, this book proves that size doesn't matter when you have great style.

Learn how to decorate around immovable furniture in a dorm and what to pack (and leave behind) from home. Get creative in a cramped apartrment that you share with others. If you're thinking about living solo, see what it's like to finally be in control of all of the decision making. With tips on making floor plans, picking out color palettes, hanging wall art, choosing a rug, and more, this lookbook will help you feel right at home--wherever that may be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Interior Design, Self Help

128 pages, Hardcover

Published June 25, 2019

Reviews

[Barbara Dubravec · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first sentence in the "Acknowledgements" at the end of the book: "These photos began as a collaboration with the team at Urban Outfitters Home", tells you what you should have known at the beginning. This book is good for the student going away to college who has never lived on their own, and had a few helpful tips, but is not relatable or really aware of the average living experience for young people. Suggesting that affordable places for decor are Crate & Barrel and Urban Outfitters is out of touch. The spaces and photos are pleasant and have some inspration, but the spaces are not realistic either. Most young adults aren't living in beautiful old lofts with french doors, herringbone vintage woodfloors, and molding and paneling.

[FlyingBulgarian Svetli H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was annoyed that I thought this book would be about designing my small living place in style, but ended up being about college dorm rooms, finding an estate agent and random columns of advice that don’t seem relevant to style.

The recommendations in the book are also by no means affordable to the average person starting out (in terms of designing their space) so all in all I think this is a complete miss.

However some of the visuals are stunning and there are a few recommendations that are helpful and insightful - but given the premise and title of the book I would have expected it to be full of such insights.

[Aneesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Are you an 18-24yo moving to NYC? Me neither.

[nicole ☾ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother with this book. Just play Animal Crossing.

[April Steffen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up this book for a friend who is a natural when it comes to interior design and organization. I thought it would be a cute little birthday gift for her and because it was an easy read, I decided to read it myself and…

Yikes. Unless you’re 18 and living on your own for the first time, it’s a waste. It gets 2 stars from me for the photos that made it feel like a picture book rather than tips and tricks for designing your place how you like.

[Phobean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, airy little book with good suggestions for newly starting out small-space dwellers. I appreciated the bit on how to manage conflict with roommates.

[Hardly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay for what it was. It's more of a prep book than a book for when you're in the space. But it has a cute section about how to decorate your dorm room.

[Monica Hyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book does have some good tips, the title is a bit misleading. It's more geared towards sharing a space with someone, i.e. roommate, and towards college aged students. It did have some good tricks for styling when living with someone, even if that someone is a significant other, so I did appreciate those parts. I wish it had more to do with how to maximize living in a small space instead of how to live with other people and designing a space. Again, the title could have been better chosen for this book.

[merlin513 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous photography! seems like it would be a handy little book to hand to your stylish offspring as they leave the nest. Lots of inspiration for beginners.

Not so useful for those of us that have been out in the world several decades :P but did I mention the gorgeous pictures???

Being an old, I could spot several discrepancies between starting out and a several thousand dollar Swedish mid-century modern bookcase being owned by a 20 something but hey (shrug) maybe they have stylish parents?

This was explained in the acknowledgements where the author thanks Urban Outfitters for helping to style up the owner’s spaces.

Final verdict: a nice little moving out present for your kid for inspiration and also a less useful book for those long over their 20’s but nice pictures and inspiration for those wishing to thin out & possibly downsize stylishly.

[Red · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I thought I was going to find in this book, but I don't think I found it.

If you are a teenager or young adult who is going away to college or moving out of their parents home, or if you are someone who is going to have roommates for the first time or live in a communal situation for the first time, or if you are someone who just doesn't have any idea about their own personal style and want a starter point for figuring it out, this would maybe be a good book to check out from the library.

If you are someone who already has a solid grasp of your own likes and dislikes, and you're above the age of 20, it will be too basic for you.

[Ashley Bernardy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have a gorgeous rustic apartment in New York and an Urban Outfitters sponsor, then yeah this book is for you.

I think the author seems like a wonderful person. Her style and eye for design is very obvious. But the back cover literally says “This lookbook will help you design your place… whereever that may be.” I disagree, and am a bit disappointed.

This book would be a wonderful gift to maybe a 18-20 year old moving out on their own (college etc.) We are a family of 4 living in a two-bedroom condo and I was looking for ideas for our small space. I was given little to nothing to work with, very unrealistic for the average reader.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many others I thought that this would be helpful for decorating small spaces. I didn't realise that it's about decorating ... not on a budget, or with innovative ideas, but using retail outlets, and, I suspect, their designers.

It might have ideas for the university student leaving home for the first time, if the parents are kicking in a decent sized budget for the decor, but if you are simply looking for creative and innovative ideas for decorating a small space, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

[mikayla warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s all very boho-chic, which, *spoiler alert* that’s all urban outfitter is. It made me want to go back to college to customize my dorm room but for me, right now, it doesn’t seem totally relatable even the parts about living with your roommate/sig-o. While there were some low cost ideas for making a space your own, I think it’s a cool thing for me to look back at if I do have a chunk of cash to use on their suggested functional decor.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was a decorating book, but really this is a primer for anyone going out on their own for the 1st time - whether moving out or going off to school, on your own or with roommates.
So not quite apropos for me at this point in life, but I could see how it could be a useful reference for a young person.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a practitioner's guide but a quick and airy read. It has many general tips and some helpful tips for those who are starting out for the first time. It's not just about deco, but also about people, like how to get to know your new roommates and manage conflicts. It has a chapter on real estate listing jargons, too.

Photos are beautiful, some are inspiring.

[Lynsea Montanari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was too short to try to cover as much content as it did. So much of it didn’t feel relevant or helpful. This book felt like it superficially tried to skim over everything rather than just tackling one thing well. There weren’t even that many tips that I found useful as far as living in or decorating your small space. I hope someone else found it useful.

[Rini P · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be more of a DIY, cost-conscious ideas for creating a first living space. The book should have been clearer that it was promoted by companies such as urban outfitter so the reader could decide if that would fit their style.

[Susan Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with lots of stunning images and helpful hints!

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ideas. I wish it had more on small apartments though.

[Darlene Messenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for the first time apartment dweller or student on campus. Not much for more well established home dwellers.

[Kaylah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good ideas. Mostly how to make clutter "look pretty." Nothing to write home about.

[Carolyn Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

More for college students or big city dwellers. Good base advice, but very vague. Could have gone into more detail...

[Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick simple book about upgrading your space. Most of these tips I already knew, but some I didn’t. Very quick easy read

[Zara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di buku ini kasih info per topik saat kita ngekos, cari roomate dan setting batasan buat tinggal bersama dalam konteks rumah sewa. Tips dan trik cara bikin ruang sendiri terasa homey.