Rules to Live By #2: Think vertically.

Both of us grew up with pretty large backyards and floorplans. Houses, businesses, farms and ranches, all were free to spread out into the high plains. (Yes, we had lots of tumbleweeds.)

Horizontal space wasn't an issue, so nobody worried much about thinking vertically. The tallest things in our hometown were the grain silos.

Contrast that with New York City, where space is at a premium. Almost everything goes up because it has to. When your city is on an island, you can only sprawl so far.

Atlanta sort of has more room, so things aren't as vertical. It's sprawled pretty badly over the years. But here in Midtown, we're still pretty cozy. And with gas prices on the rise, traffic congestion on the interstates being horrific, and new condos springing up everywhere, folks are a little more willing to think vertically.

We're in a converted house that was pretty big and fabulous once (somewhat in length and width, but primarily in height) and has now been "carved up" into apartments. Being tucked away in the terrace-level apartment--which sounds so much more hip than "basement apartment"--our floor plan is pretty sparse. We affectionately refer to it as "Our Shoebox."

I've found the way to maximize our minimal space is to think of the apartment as New York City, and all of our furniture as buildings. The living room, with the sofas and main walkway, is like Central Park. There's not much you can do there except stretch your legs and enjoy. And you don't want it to be cluttered, so that you can enjoy the skyline. The bookshelves, desks, appliances, and even the walls are all fair game for turning into "skyscrapers." They are (mostly) around the perimeter, have lots of vertical room, and are of varying heights for visual interest.

Basically, they have to be tall, slim, efficient, and structurally sound. Good thing my husband is an engineer.

Onward and upward, friends!