Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
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tion." For example, a reading nook or a little "Mom central" type work station, she says, would not lend itself to a space located near the front door where guests would walk right into it. "It's just not good karma." There is almost always space to be found. The trick is matching the function with the space, then perfecting scale and function. Or, con- versely, matching the space to the function. "What people often are doing," says Newman, "is inviting me over and saying, 'we're going out of our minds. We have to have a place to put a small lav in.'" A "lav," or powder room, may be one of the more popular ways to convert a bit of unused space. In historic and older homes, there sim- ply wasn't enough thought given to guests who needed to use the, well, water closet without tromping up to the second level of the home. The tiniest of spaces, just enough for a toilet and sink, can double or triple the convenience factor and add value to the home. Laura Brooks Meyer of Meyer & Meyer Architecture & Interiors is called upon to work on many historic homes and described a graceful, turn of the century home where she recently designed a first floor powder room. By taking advantage of the area tucked tightly under the home's main staircase, she was able to eke out enough space for a pow- der room, creating a cozy hideaway complete with Swarovski crystal pendant lights, a gold framed accent mirror, and a demilune shaped marble shelf, perfect for hand milled French soaps and embroi- dered linens. The Many Uses of Small Spaces You'd be surprised — the smallest of spaces can be transformed into something useful. Unused corners where you might think only a plant on a pedestal could fit can be trans- formed into floor to ceiling storage opportu- nities. A three foot by three foot space is enough room to hold a comfy chair. Add an end table with enough room for a task light, a snack, and a good book and you've created a cozy reading hideaway. Just a little bit more square footage and the reading nook can become a comfy, private library. To be truly conducive to reading, a nook or a library should be a bit off the beaten path. Perhaps tucked up into a landing or some 48 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 Interior designer Mollie Johnson transformed a small room into a large walk-in closet with an abundance of natural light and plenty of useful space Creative Uses for Small Spaces Something Useful C O U R T E S Y O F M O L L I E J O H N S O N I N T E R I O R S / M R I C H A R D M A N D E L K O R N 046-053_WWMa14_Small Spaces_v3_WellesleyWeston Magazine 2/1/14 3:33 PM Page 48