For those small space enthusiasts — or those forced by circumstance to live in small spaces — who don’t have much room for office essentials like desks and filing cabinets in their homes, but think that the foldaway desk from Ikea is just a tad too wee for comfort, I present this:

No, it’s not a chest of drawers or a mini dresser or a nightstand, though I suppose it could be used as such. Rather, it’s a complete desk designed especially with those without much room in mind. See?

Sold by Crate and Barrel, this unique space-saving desk is a clever way to make the most of small spaces.

When open, the top of the cabinet reveals generous storage space for a laptop, plus cubbies with removable dividers to stow paper clips, rubber bands and other smalls. Cord cutouts in back let you charge iPods, laptop and cell phones. Below are a storage drawer and one letter- and legal-size file. Integrated wood handles run the length of the drawers, which slide smoothly on ball-bearing glides.

At $499, it’s not exactly the kind of brilliant Craigslist find I treasured in my own days living in small spaces, but it’s not that high a price to pay for a piece of functional furniture that will actually fit into the bedroom of a tiny Brooklyn walk-up.

I can’t stop squeeing over these toy boxes from Mod Mom Furniture. When I was a wee one, I had a toy box, but it was nothing compared to these!

The crafter describes her wares thusly: “Construction: MADE TO ORDER. Made from eco-friendly 1/2 inch Baltic Birch plywood from Russia (E1 Certified)as well as USA-based Columbia Wood Products Purebond 3/4 inch birch plywood, hand drawn and cut veneer cut-outs, no-voc paint from Pittsburgh paints and low-voc, water-based polyurethane from Deft.”

The only thing that disturbs me is that you lift the lid on the owl toy box by sticking your fingers in the bird’s eye holes…

My own personal experience with Japanese furniture is limited to rice paper lanterns and Shoji screens, which is a shame considering how beautiful this hardwood furniture conceived of by Kozai Designs of Canada is. Their pieces offer up a modern take on traditional Japanese aesthetics and woodworking techniques, so don’t go looking for tansu chests, as interesting and wonderful as they are.

To paraphrase Kozai, solid hardwoods are turned into modern, minimalist furniture by rural Japanese artisans who appreciate the individual characteristics and personality of each piece of wood they manipulate. In most cases, the furniture is custom built-to-order, with a broad range of sizes and a variety of woods from which to choose.

Small spaces can be a pain to furnish, as so much furniture is made for the average house and not the average city dweller’s apartment. I can remember trying to cram a full size bed, a closet, a dresser, and a desk into the one-room apartment I occupied just out of college. There were no built in storage fixtures, so the closet and the dresser were non-negotiable. As I was working part-time from home, the desk was also necessary. Everything that didn’t fit into those pieces of furniture either lived on top (as was the case with the television) or under something else. It worked, but wasn’t at all nice to look at.

Tumidei in Italy could have saved me some organizational headaches — though not money — with their unique space-saving solutions for tiny bedrooms and apartments.

The company creates clean and modern furniture set ups that incorporate most or all of the furnishings one needs into a single unified whole, and the pieces can be fitted together in numerous ways, meaning you can customize your order to fit precisely into the space you have available. All in all, it’s an elegant solution to a problem many people face… if not a solution that’s exactly easy to implement.

I find myself inspired by this shot of designer Mary McDonald’s Hollywood guesthouse den. Pairing pink and black with green tones down the overwhelming girliness that is a characteristic of pink and black alone so your space doesn’t end up looking like a tween girl’s wardrobe.

Of course, a brighter iteration of this palette could easily work in a tween girl’s bedroom, as you can see.

Want to DIY it? Hit up Amazon (or click the pics!) for tons and tons of pink, black, and lime green accessories, furniture, and bedding.

Sustainability is super cool when David Sears Design makes it happen. Dedicated to “beautiful, intelligent and environmentally responsible” furniture, Sears began his career in woodworking in California, where he renovated period houses and had a cabinet shop before turning his attention toward furniture design. His Cube Furniture Collection (now available at EcoModern Design) marries function and form in an eco-friendly package that reflects Sears’ signature style.

I waver where pink is concerned. Whereas I know I’m definitely not into the whole bubblegum thing that I’ve posted about before, pink in smaller doses can pretty up an otherwise drab interior. On the other hand, it’s still so girly — case in point: I had a daughter, and suddenly my overwhelmingly gender neutral layette was immediately pinkified by friends and relatives.

The interior above — featuring fabric from Designers Guild — contains just enough pink to make a statement and, barring the fact that it’s just a tad too plushie for my tastes, I am definitely digging on the overall color scheme. There’s something a little retro about this living room, what with the thick furry couches and carpeting, but the jewel-like colors add excitement. Of course, you can achieve the same effect without ever introducing pink into your home’s color scheme with vivid and vivacious blues or greens or purples. Pink is just one place you might consider beginning your journey.

To help you start, here are six pink pieces that will add some va-va-voom to your office, kitchen, bedroom, or living room:

If you like what you see, click the pics for more info!

I’ve mentioned cardboard furniture at least once here at Manolo for the Home, but that was kid stuff and pretty basic, to boot. As it turns out, cardboard furniture isn’t just for FedEx enthusiasts anymore! In fact, there’s a whole group of people in France who love making classy cardboard furniture so much that they’ve even coined a name for themselves: the Cartonnistes. They craft cardboard furniture that isn’t just functional — it’s also beautiful!

Seriously, do these pieces look like cardboard furniture to you?

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Vancouver furniture designer Judson Beaumont knows how to have a good time. While his company, Straight Line Designs, sounds like it would produce nothing but conservative pieces for conservative people, the furniture that comes from Straight Line Designs is actually anything but straight-laced.

In fact, whimsical is the best way to describe Beaumont’s pieces.

Visiting the company’s web site page is worth it for a glance at the gallery, which is full of images of “tear away” cabinets, curvy credenzas, and some seriously amazing furniture for kids that no doubt costs a pretty penny but is likely worth every one. You can commission custom furniture if that fits into your budget, and Beaumont is happy to work with international customers.

Jonathan Adler is my secret boyfriend. He may not be jacked all the way into the whole uber high style racket, but that’s why I like him so much. Adler is playful. He’s quirky. And, unlike so many of the designers I dig on here on the blog, Adler’s stuff actually goes on sale AND reaches prices that I can almost afford!

Maybe not so much the furniture, though. I can ask for a hundred dollar vase for my birthday, but there’s no way Santa is going to bring me a gorgeous and glamorous $5,500 for Christmas. Oh well, at least it’s fun to look, right?