Often, living in a small space means dealing with a nearly minuscule kitchen. I couldn't help but be inspired by the myriad ways in which this year's crew of Small Cool entrants made the most of their small cooking spaces. Read on for lots of ideas for making a small kitchen work for you. 

The magic of Small Cool contest is seeing, time and time again, how square footage doesn't determine a cap on style. From the tiniest homes on up to the biggest of the smalls, each of our entries make the most of light, color and serious space-planning skills. To help tide us over while our judges do their thing this weekend, here is a look at the very smallest of the small from this years competition - the wonderful homes that clocked in at under the 300 square foot mark...

→Voting is still open on all the Small Cool entries - check them out and choose your favorites!

Small Cool 2013 is going strong as we near the judges phase. With over 180 amazing spaces to explore and all the voting still active, now is your chance to dig in, survey all the entries and support your favorites. There are truly inspiring homes in all styles and sizes of "small" to discover, including some from this, our fourth week of posting. Dive in now and help send your choices to the next round!

Using mirrors in a small space is a classic strategy for making a room look brighter and feel bigger. There are many terrific examples in this years crop of Small Cool entrants from floor-length mirrors to strategically placed mirrors and even a Murphy Bed with a mirrored underside. Take a look and get inspired! 

Sometimes they're standing far in the background ears perked in curiosity, other times hidden among the pillows on the couch or sheepishly peering around the corner. Occasionally they're relaxing proudly and prominently on our beds: they're our pets. Trying to find all the cats and dogs from this year's contest was like playing a fun four-legged game of Where's Waldo?, our furry friends embodying the axiom, "home is where the heart is". Here are the pets of Small Cool 2013!

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.

• Little: Jay's Industrial & Adventurous
  
• Tiny: Dara's Live/Work Small Space
  
• International: Gabriel & Laura's Do-it-Themselves
  
• Small: Larissa's Cotton Mill Loft
  
• Tiny: Rob's Flooded With Life
  
• Small: Nicole's Beautifully Bonkers View
  
• International: Juhana's Creative & Colorful
  
• Small: Robin's Vintage Character
  
• Teeny-Tiny: Stacey's Sweet Small Space

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

Name:

Stacy

Location:

Los Angeles, CA

Square Feet:

361

Division:

Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

I love the glass paneled wall. I can watch movies from my sofa or my bed! My apartment is also seven minutes from work and in a great neighborhood for walking my two dogs, Page and Molly.

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

Name:

Robin

Location:

Winter Haven, FL

Square Feet:

905

Division:

Small

What I Love About My Small Home:

I love the character of my older home. To me, this was one of the most important things while house hunting. My bathroom has yellow tile, which wouldn't have been my first choice of color, but I love vintage tile, so I'm thrilled to have it. I painted my bathroom a dark grey-green, which is almost black, to compliment the tile and make it look more intentional. Everyone thought I was crazy to paint my bathroom black, but now we all love it. I also love that I've been able to almost completely furnish my home with vintage finds, Etsy purchases, family pieces, and gifts (except my giant IKEA couch, of course-- I love finally having a regular-sized couch). It makes it that much more special to me. I also love the paint color in the living room. It's a super light "greige" that most people probably don't even notice, but I hunted so long for the exact shade that I wanted.

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

Name:

Juhana

Location:

Turku Finland

Square Feet:

700

Division:

International

What I Love About My Small Home:

It is a perfect place to think and create great things! That was my dream: to have a place to live where I can also do my actual job: write books. The home is creative. My designer had the courage to use bright and inspiring colors, with good taste. There are playful elements everywhere. It excites the brain!