One of the biggest challenges to living in a tiny place is storage. Whenever I watch TV programs that feature popular, up-and-coming tiny houses on wheels I am struck by the reality of extremely limited storage. It is much like living on a boat. I imagine that everyone featured must have an off-site storage unit.

It's not just the "tiny house" movement that presents storage problems. Consider the typical urban studio. It is essentially one open space with a bathroom and maybe some small-scale accessory dwelling units, long-known as mother-in-law suites or granny-flat units. People create these units in basements, over-the-garage spaces and in attics and use them for both personal and profit-oriented reasons.

In a fresh new book you can find some basic guidelines and practical ideas for compact living environments. "Apartment Therapy: Complete + Happy Home" is brought to you by the Apartment Therapy brand and offers tips from house hunting to coping with funky space. Let's be honest and admit that the more affordable homes are very often older with peculiar add-ons or quirky situations. But this shouldn't discourage anyone from feeling that they can be artful. Often necessity breeds trends in the first place. Struggling actors, dancers and writers gravitate towards urban centers and live as modestly as possible. Just think of famous Montmartre in Paris, where the likes of Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas lived in tiny rooms to save money.

So what to do with strange space like this awkward corner? A mobile coat rack and a dress mannequin squeeze in to provide storage for coats and shoes. In addition this strange crook is host to art and a useful wall clock. The most appealing aspect of this book is the realism. Nothing looks staged like a model home. Maybe this is the secret to living happily in very small space: acceptance of what is.

Create privacy by hanging movable curtains from the ceiling instead of building a wall in a rental home. Consider of storing towels and bed linens in an armoire in the living room if you don't have adequate linen closet storage. You might have to position three twin beds inches apart for your little boys instead of worrying about the optimal circulation room around a bed. I'm not suggesting that one gives in to chaos, but rather that you do the best with the space available before throwing up your hands in despair. In a smaller home you must use every square foot and that presents challenges regarding keeping things pristine. I say this as I begin the daunting task of my annual office cleanup before Thanksgiving.

You will also notice a critical design truth in the publication: Each room is equipped with the right size of furniture. If the breakfast nook is tiny, then you need a very small table and slim chairs to work with a narrow built-in bench. Every sofa is just perfect for the room. My favorite idea is for the person who cannot bear to part with their old magazines. One designer used them to make a unique coffee table by creating two equal-size stack of magazine and placing a piece of glass on top! This works best if the magazines are all the same, like National Geographic or Elle Decor.

Photo Credit: Photographs by Melanie Acevedo

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email to [email protected]. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com