Wicker often seems relegated to boxy outdoor furniture or whimsical bohemian pieces. As these lovely rooms show, however, there are plenty of wicker pieces out there for people who just want elegant, textured pieces. 

At Brimfield, my big score was a 1960's coffee and console table set in a light blonde wood. I snatched up the two pieces for $80 total, assuming they would be fun DIY projects to work on this summer. See, my living room is mostly dark wood, and I thought the pale pieces would never work with my style. But then I got them home, and to my surprise, really loved the fair finish. Inspired by the serene spaces above, I'm going to give the sandy shade a try.

Q: Hi! I have a very weird living room. I'm not sure where to put the TV, the fireplace is at an odd angle, and the walls aren't directly parallel. There are three different walkways into the living room that make it hard to arrange furniture. One thing I love about my home is how open it is, and I think that's the best feature so I don't want to cut off space by putting furniture in the middle of the room. Can anyone please help me with this?

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Name:

Ragnhild

Location:

Skien Norway

Square Feet:

452

Division:

International

What I Love About My Small Home:

I immediately fell for the high ceilings and exposed wooden beams when I first saw it. That might be why this is the first home I have owned! I love figuring out how to make the apartment work for my needs, and the open floor plan makes rearranging furniture really easy. One of my favorite features is the loft bedroom, so even in such a small space I have an extra bedroom for a roommate or for guests.

Assemble Shop & Studio is one of those sites you'll want to bookmark for future gift giving needs. Curated by Andie Powers and Emily Grosse, this online shop stocks adorable handcrafted gifts and housewares, as well as assemble kits, which are pre-packaged craft projects that are perfect for the DIYers in your life.

What looks good in a showroom or catalog doesn't always live up to expectations once you've put the Allen wrench down. So you might want to fire up the iPhone, Android phone, or iPad before even setting foot inside a store, and try using an augmented reality app to "try on" furniture before buying...

Like this Small Cool 2013 contest entry? Favorite it below!

Name:

Emily

Location:

London United Kingdom

Square Feet:

850

Division:

International

What I Love About My Small Home:

Our house is OLD (built in 1900), which can be challenging, but we love the cozy English cottage details, like the worn-in original floorboards, period fireplaces, and the rooms under the eaves.

Okay, so I signed up to do this party-gig-bash for a bunch of three-year-olds in June, and now I have to deliver on the goods. Because who wants to anger a gaggle of toddlers in the heat of summer? Not me, that's who. 

DIY bloggers Chris and Julia Marcum (of Chris Loves Julia) finally got to working on a project they've been meaning to for years (hey, we've all been there!):