Whether home owners really want or need apps connecting their fridge to the internet is still yet to be seen. But there's no need to purchase a whole new fridge to tap into online services and apps designed to better manage the biggest plugged-in device in your home and its contents...

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In my apartment with just one small closet, shoe storage is my biggest challenge. This is compounded by the fact that I have a definite shoe shopping problem. (Why must there be so many great looking shoes!) To help the other space challenged shoe collectors out there, here's a handy shopping guide with storage pieces and ways to use them. 

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Z2 iPod Dock and Wireless Speaker System

• $399
• Apple Store

This year I've devoted myself to testing a number of new things, including wireless stereo systems because I've been moving a lot and want less stuff in my life.

Stepping up from a system I discovered last year, this little unit by B&W has a better, bigger sound at half the price. Connected to your Mac or iPhone with Airplay technology and packing two 87.5mm (3.5in) full range drivers, I was extremely surprised and impressed with the sound. With a relatively small footprint, it blew away the other system I'd tried and was nearly as good as the more expensive A7 B&W unit that I was also testing.

With sound big enough to fill a living room, but small enough to fit on a book shelf, the Z2 is B&W's newest entree at their most affordable price point. It has a new generation dock which powers phones and iPods up top, a very easy set up app, and comes in white and black.

Name: Marisa Vitale and Peter James
Location: Venice Beach, California
Size: 1250 square feet
Years lived in: 3 Years; Owned

Marisa and Peter are a couple of world travelers with a serious case of wanderlust. Beloved souvenirs abound throughout their sunny, airy, one-story, Venice Beach home. Their home’s newest decor, however, speaks not to globetrotting, but to an entirely different sort of adventure, -that of first-time parenthood...times two! Marisa and Peter welcomed their twin babies Macy and Oliver into the world one year ago and it has turned their lives and home upside down in the most wonderful way.

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Name: Beatriz Macias of Mid Mod Mom
Location: Mission Viejo, Orange County CA
Size: 120 square feet
Years lived in: 10 years, but only used as an office for 2 years.

Beatriz has the great advantage of working from home in this converted office space. Once a bedroom, she redid the floors in cork and transformed the closet to a work bench for her vintage goods and artwork. With amazing taste in design and her everyday hunt for vintage finds, I love how bright and "no fuss" this workspace is. 

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Small Cool 2013 is well underway, and we've seen some really innovative space solutions so far. I've been so inspired by all these small homes that I've even begun visiting the archive to get more ideas. Here are some of my favorite small space tricks, drawn from last year's Small Cool entries. 

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Who has the smallest coolest home? It's up to you to decide. Click through to check out today's entries and then vote for your favorites.

• International: Valentino's Little Nest
  
• Teeny-Tiny: Erica's Tiny Two-Bedroom
  
• Tiny: Amal's Victorian Details
• Tiny: Katie's Beach Shack
  
• Little: Hollyanne's Home for Three
  
• Tiny: Yamini's Love at First Sight
  
• Teeny-Tiny: Lauren's Best Solution
  
• Teeny-Tiny: Alexandra's Cozy Little Cave
  
• International: Benjamin's Lush Green View
  
• Little: Stefan's 31st Floor Perch
  

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Last week we officially launched our new book The Art of the Party at the chic temple of style, Bergdorf Goodman.  To celebrate the launch, we also created a series of hand-made art pieces (called Paper Tales) exclusively for the store, inspired by paper sculptural pieces that are both featured in our book and have proven  so popular that our we are often asked for them to be available outside party environments.  

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I just got a tip about a fantastic hidden gem of a NYC design week experience. Held in a home in Nolita, this not-your-usual show home is open just one more day...

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If you're looking to dress up your stairs a bit, there's painting, tiling, or... wallpapering! Take a cue from UK designer Sarah Moore (of the online shop Sarah Moore Vintage) who used subtly different patterns of paper to cover the risers of her stairs.

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