Room to breed

Family Life

Room to breed

Two design experts offer more creative suggestions for dealing with small city apartments. By Marissa Patlingrao Cooley and Rory Halperin

Problem 1 Our one-bedroom apartment now houses four of us.

Solution “Give the kids the bedroom and turn the front of the apartment into a Master Suite,” recommends Netto. Or, says Roee Dori, the owner of Tiny Living, a downtown shop that specializes in home furnishings for small spaces, buy portable furniture, like a folding bassinette or changing table. Try Cariboo’s folding bassinette—it’s stylish and folds flat for storage ($270, available at Mini Jake, 178 North 9th St between Bedford and Driggs Aves, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-782-2005, minijake.com). “And limit your belongings to the bare minimum. Give away anything you haven’t used in more than a year,” adds Dori.

Problem 2 Our baby’s nursery is a walk-in closet. Literally.

Solution “Take the door off and replace it with a beautiful flannel curtain, so it bleeds into the bigger space,” says David Netto, the designer of children’s furniture line NettoCollection. He also suggests buying a dresser lamp even if there’s a ceiling light. “It’ll feel more like a room” Our pick: Oscar Kids Lamp in grass or carrot ($49, available at Room & Board, 105 Wooster St between Prince and Spring Sts; 212-224-4343, roomandboard.com).

Problem 3 We wish it wasn’t the case, but our kids have to share a room

Solution “Standing room dividers are always a good way to separate space for privacy,” says Dori. We love Egawa + Zbryk’s puzzle screen—especially since tools aren’t necessary for assembly ($40-$60 for each piece, available at velocityartanddesign.com).

Problem 4 Help! There’s no space to store Matchbox cars and Polly Pockets.

Solution “Buy a couple of enormous baskets for firewood and fill them up with toys,” says Netto. “You can store them under the dining room table and then make a big deal of dumping them out when it’s playtime. Kids always find that fun.” Or, invest in some stylish boxes and bins. Try NettoCollection’s linen boxes in red, tan or yellow ($95 each, available at nettocollection.com) or Hable Construction’s storage bushel ($275, available at Modern Tots, 53 Pearl St between Plymouth and Water Sts, Dumbo, Brooklyn; 718-488-8293, moderntots.com).

Problem 5 Our home is a true work-life situation: The office doubles as the kids’ playroom.

Solution Dori suggests hiding your office in the room’s closet: “A computer cart and folding chair are a good start.” We like The Container’s Store white computer workstation ($149, available at The Container Store, 725 Lexington Ave at 58th St; 212-366-4200, containerstore.com). Another option: Tiny Living’s Roll-Up Keyboard ($30, available at Tiny Living, 125 E 7th St between First Ave and Ave A; 212-228-2748, tinyliving.com). It’s flexible, so you can roll it up and move away if you need more desk space.