It took all my willpower not to title this SORTING MY FREAKIN' PENS because, for goodness' sake, I'm trying to get myself and my stuff across the country, as well as finish up my jobs here and spend quality time with friends before I leave, and PENS are the least of my worries. And yet...

Kim loved a recent post about making the most of bay windows and wanted to share how she uses this area in her home - as a dedicated "kid zone". 

Emily and her family of four live in a 1,000 square foot apartment in Westchester County north of New York City. They're expecting the fifth member of the family any day now and since her other two children share a bedroom, she's set up a corner of the master bedroom as a welcoming nursery nook for the new arrival. 

Of all the rooms in my house the "second bedroom" has been the hardest to resolve. Yes, I'm grateful for the extra space, but rather than be efficient with it, the room has mostly become an oversized storage closet — all the miscellaneous stuff gets thrown in there, including a desk, old couch, drying rack, books, etc. I'd really love for it to be a true combination home office and guest bedroom. But is it even possible? Here are few inspirational photos that give me hope.

I was first introduced to the concept of the ex-boyfriend (or girlfriend) box by the one and only Lorelai Gilmore. She advised her daughter Rory to throw all the mementos from her just-ended relationship into a box. That way, Rory wouldn't have to look at them, but someday, when she was old and grey, she could go through all her old boyfriend boxes and think, "My, what an interesting life I've had." Does that work in real-life, or just in Stars Hollow?

Candace Jackson just wrote an interesting piece for the Wall Street Journal about luxury, over-the-top spaces for kids. It's tempting to focus on the money being spent on these elaborate bedrooms and "teen lounges," but what I find much more interesting is the reason many parents cite for creating these teen havens at home and how it may affect kids and the family dynamic. 

Advances in technology are making excessive wires and cables slowly go the way of the buffalo but, the remote? It looks like we may be stuck with that one for a while. So if you can’t beat it, hide it! (Along with those goofy 3D glasses that seem to come along with every new TV.)

Name: Maxwell & Ursula
Type of Project: Light renovation of a rental apt
Location: Soho, NYC
Type of building: Two bedroom apartment

I had a big unsolved issue for this project, which was how to get a compact bed into Ursula's room along with all the storage she and I needed in both of our rooms for clothing, etc. Then I ran into George Evageliou again after posting about his company back in 2007. He was literally in our offices dropping off his new cards, when I asked if he'd come take a look at this apartment. Within thirty minutes he'd convinced me to rip out all the old, funky closets and work with him to install cabinets in both rooms, one of which would carry Ursula's bed. That's when the fun began. 

The Renovation Diaries are a new collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here.

They say you don’t really know someone until you’ve taken a trip together. I say the true test of the patience and kindness in a relationship occurs while holding up a heavy shelving unit and trying to affix it to a seemingly stud-less wall. I know, because it's happened to me. That day, I needed both an actual and an emotional anchor.  

Designers always have tricks up their sleeves to be pulled out in challenging situations. We've gathered some of the most helpful small space design tips and tricks to get all you can out of any size space. And these tips are not solely for the square-foot challenged — they can work in every home.