Space planning begins with thinking through how you plan to live on a d ay-by-day basis. Start with waking up, grabbing breakfast, going to work, coming home, relaxing and spending your evening hours. Think about how each of these activities would be made easier and more comfortable with the right amount of space. For most apartment dwellers, lack of space is a perpetual problem. If you don’t have the space, think about what can be compromised.

Following a space budget is really no different than watching your money. The more space you have, the more you can allow for things and the more you can separate your activities with space allocated for entertaining, living, home-officing exercising, and sleeping. The less you have, the more creative you need to be.