How many of us have to leave a beloved cat or dog at home while we're toiling away at work? The Petcube was designed to give pet owners a virtual connection from our beloved furred ones from afar, a pet monitoring device designed to connect to a home Wi-Fi network and allow pet owners to call out to their tailed companion, control a laser for remote entertainment, and even take and share photos of a pet to share with others while away from home...

Spring showers and abundant sunshine bring beautiful green grass ... and that grass is going to have to be mowed. Small yards are ideal for old fashioned reel mowers, which rely on blades powered by your own energy. Reel mowers are smaller than bulky gas and electric mowers and you can pretend it's the 1950's while you push one around.

The nursery in Aimee, Rene and Max's Sweet and Sophisticated Family Home has some serious grown up style going on. Except for the crib, all of these pieces could be transferred to an adult room. Or, make like Aimee and Rene and give your baby a stylish space to slumber.

Pogo 3-in-1 Step Stool

• $89
• All Modern

One of the best strategies for small space living is multifunctional furniture. The Pogo can be used as a step-stool/booster, a small table or a toddler seat. It comes in 6 color/wood combinations.

Building your own desk can range from super easy ("buy 4 IKEA legs and pick out a table top") to more advanced DIY projects requiring woodworking skills and proper tools. In either case and everything inbetween, half the work is done when you've got all your resources planned out...

No frames? No problem. Photographs, especially instant shots like Polaroids with their natural vintage styling, are plenty beautiful for display on their own. And when grouped together, the effect — which manages to be bohemian, artsy and modern at the same time — is multiplied.

Braun global radio controlled alarm clock radio
• $100.00
• Horne 

Introduced last year under the direction of Makus Orthey, senior designer at Braun, and winner of the Red dot award for product design, the rounded corners digital table clock offers an easy to read LCD screen illuminated with blue LED backlighting, alongside alarm/snooze functions and an AM/FM/ radio. And no need to change the time while traveling, local time is automatically set utilizing global radio frequencies specific to regions, making this clock equally suited for the bedside table or in the travel bag for global excursions.

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.

Living in a small space often means giving up a dining table in favor of extra floor space for other furniture. Thanks to a crop of height adjustable coffee and side tables, you're no longer forced to eat with your plate balanced precariously on your lap. 

This sort of rustic project isn't for every taste. But if pallets suit your design palette, you just might love this ridiculously easy DIY project that turns a utilitarian wood shipping accessory into a compact fold-down desk perfect for a hallway or bedroom.