Learning to live small

Life in the Pearl

Moving to the Pearl often means accepting less space. Weasked Pearl District residents Jeff Alden (whose condo is shown atright), Clair Callaway, Becky Porter, and Shaun Sjostrom for theirbest tips on living small.

Don’t cram. “The fastest way for a small place to look evensmaller is to fill it to capacity,” Callaway says.

Take advantage of storage professionals. “Our bestinvestment was the custom closets we had installed before weunpacked. We’re able to use our storage to the max,” saysSjostrom.

Avoid overusing rugs. “Rugs define spaces and create warmth,but they also close down a room,” Alden explains. He suggestsbalancing warmth and openness.

Hide stuff that you are not using. A wall unit in Porter andSjostrom’s condo attractively conceals a Murphy bed and a 6-footwork surface.

Have a one-piece-in, one-piece-out rule. “Anytime we buysomething new,” Porter says, “something else has to go, so we buyonly stuff that we really love.”