When it comes to living in a small space, double duty is key. No inch can be wasted.

Take a recent office I created inside a client's 1920s Los Angeles studio apartment. One main room held the bed, lounge chairs, dressers, bookcase and TV cabinet. Fitting in all these pieces of furniture was no small feat, and we were left no space for a desk — and all the things that go along with working from home.

How did we create an office in the studio? The answer was the closet.

The closet was largely vacant because a dressing area stored most of the client's clothes. But the closet needed a lot...

In 2008, architect Kevin Tsai was working for Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects when he stumbled on a rare empty lot in Playa del Rey.

He bought the property with an eye to the future and proceeded to design a modest, modern home for himself, his wife and their two children.

“It was a dream house for my family,” Tsai said. “I designed it so I could add a second story later.”

PHOTO GALLERY: A bittersweet home remodel in Playa del Rey

Six months after he completed the 1,450-square-foot home, Tsai lost his job in the wake of the economic downturn and was forced to sell the...

The concept for the TogetherFarm interlocking garden blocks was born at Concordia University in Portland, Ore., where MBA students Joe Aakre, Doug Holcomb and Matt Stormont were working on a business plan.

"We thought, why not try to create something meaningful?" said Holcomb. "All three of us are avid gardeners. We care about the environment and want to make sure we make things as good as we can for the next generation."

The trio live in the metro Portland area, where they said many urban dwellers are without access to gardening space. "We wanted to come up with a product that would meet a...

You don't have to be a hoarder to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of an organized home. For most of us, an environment where every paper is in its place is nothing more than an elusive fantasy.

How to get organized? "Start somewhere," said Los Angeles organizing consultant Kim Anker-Paddon. "It doesn’t matter where. I usually start with something that is bothering the client but is not so big that it’s overwhelming."

Acknowledging that organized living takes commitment, time and loads of effort (and in some cases, finances), Anker-Paddonshared some simple tips on how to get...

If you worked on a house for five years, you'd call it a labor of love, right? What if that process took 25 years? Is there a name for that?

This is the story behind architect Paul Zajfen's epic quest in Laguna Beach.

Zajfen, a design principal at the Los Angeles firm CO Architects, bought an ocean-view site on the steep, winding bluffs of Laguna in 1989. His dream was to create a modern oasis, hugging the landscape and opening to the elements. Then things got messy.

First, a lawsuit by locals to ensure that lots on Zajfen’s street were buildable held up the project for about five years....

Acorn owners Maggie Lobl, Erin Tanaka and Laura Tanaka said they wanted to open a home and garden boutique in Eagle Rock because of Colorado Boulevard's amiable vibe. “It’s so friendly here,” Lobl said. “People really walk in this neighborhood and favor local indie shops.”

Indeed, earlier this week, repeat visitors from the neighborhood stopped in to shop for gifts and peruse the sunny, welcoming space. Packed with terrariums, planters, books and ceramics, the former paintball supply store features a refreshing variety of accessories that won’t break the...

George Nelson's 1952 Bubble lamps are icons of Midcentury Modernism, arguably some of the most enduring designs of the era. But now that famed illumination, so soft and diffuse, finds itself in the harsh spotlight of one the year's most interesting design disputes.

The George Nelson Foundation, which in court documents describes itself as a nonprofit "dedicated to preserving the legacy of Mr. Nelson," filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in May against Los Angeles-based Modernica. The company, owned and operated by brothers Frank and Jay Novak, is exclusive manufacturer of the Bubble lamps....

At the beginning of the year, I took an angst-ridden test drive of a Solidoodle 3-D printer. Since that clunky ride, the aptly termed "disruptive technology" has extruded a slew of firsts: bionic organs, electronics, stem cells, plastic and metal guns, bonbons, prosthetics (including eyeballs) and two Lady Gaga dresses.

The new rule: Imagine and design anything, then extrude it through fevered nozzles that layer material into three-dimensional shapes.

Those who believe the hype are betting that all savvy consumers will own 3-D printers within 10 years. Here are trends that may turn that...

The Global Garden started two years ago with the mission of meeting the people and exploring the cultures of Los Angeles through the prism of what we plant. Now as 2013 comes to an end and I close out this series, I've been thinking back on how the experience has changed what I put into my own garden and subsequently what goes onto my plate.

It began with a rooted hoja santa stalkgiven to me by a gardener from the Francis Avenue Community Garden in Koreatown. I knew the herb with the huge leaves from my travels in southern Mexico and didn't expect it would survive in my east-facing hillside...