Author Caroline Clifton-Mogg makes a persuasive case for designating personal space for homework, business and creativity in every home. “In a moment,” she says, “you will find yourself more productive, more organized, even more creative.”

A Space of My Own: Inspirational Ideas for Home Offices, Craft Rooms and Studies takes a look at both the practical and decorative aspects of home work spaces. She offers ideas for reclaiming neglected corners to create multipurpose rooms. As well, she provides tips for choosing furniture, storage, shelving and lighting.

Although she advises not to sacrifice comfort for style and offers a specific list of dimensions for creating an ergonomic office, not all spaces pictured adhere to that mantra. A quibble, perhaps. There are serious work spaces pictured including some very attractive studios for craftspeople.

Speaking of craft, if you have been thinking about making money from your passion, check out How to start a home-based Craft Business, a recently revised title by Kenn Oberrecht and Patrice Lewis.

They will help you plan the enterprise with information about working from home, marketing, financial planning and management. Although the legal advice is American, the outline of topics will alert you to issues that should be considered.

The chapter on computer use includes taking advantage of social networking to build the business.

Last blog I wrote about reworking the dining room in my apartment to create a multipurpose space. I use the room for eating and also reading, painting and sewing. Shelving units moved from my home office provide the storage space for books and dishes.

There are a lot of books and magazines about this topic. So let me dip in.

New Diningroom Design brings a modern esthetic to some fabulous rooms. In this book most of the dining rooms are integrated with other spaces, either kitchen or living areas. You have to spend time studying the rooms because there is no text for clues. Think “a picture is worth a thousand words” for this one.

In Small Spaces: Maximizing Limited Spaces for Living, Elizabeth Wilhide, supplies all the clues. The book begins with design strategies that examine flexible layouts, natural light, extending sight lines and finding hidden spaces and storage. She then embarks on a room-by-room house tour.

It’s interesting to note that Dining Rooms are not on the list. “Eating areas” are integrated into other spaces.

Small-space living is a popular topic with the shelter magazines. The July/August 2011 issue of House Beautiful shows a richly decorated New York studio (650 square feet) where the book-lined entry also doubles as a dining room. This issue is full of tips for making the most of modest places.

Have a look at their Small Space Decorating Workshop for more ideas on multipurpose rooms. The decorating style tends toward traditional or contemporary classic.

Apartment Therapy hosts an annual Small Cool contest where it welcomes submissions from homeowners in four categories ranging from Teeny tiny (1 - 400 square feet) to Small (801 – 1000 square feet).

Apartment Therapy's big book of small, cool spaces is based on the creative solutions to small-space problems by designers and homeowners.

When I was living at my previous house, I purchased black shelving for my home office. At the time, it was a new style at IKEA, it looked fresh and trendy and complemented the office furniture. But, what was I thinking?

The room it occupied had little sunlight and the black furniture sucked out all the light from the room. I compensated with vivid striped curtains and a good overhead light fixture.

In my new condo, the home office (aka guest room) is also the darkest in the apartment. Pretty striped curtains are out. Condo bylaws dictate that you can have any kind of drapery you like, as long as it is white. And the overhead fixture is located in a corner in front of the closet.

Time to play the furniture game. This is my optimistic label for a home sport that requires a serious amount of grunt labour.

I moved the secretary from the dining room into the master bedroom. The white shelving from the master bedroom went into the home office/guest room and the black shelves from that room are now relocated to the dining room. Here an enormous, east-facing window provides enough light to balance the dark volume of the shelving.

What I like best about the new arrangement is that it supports the other uses I make of the room. The shelves hold my cookbooks, bird and gardening books. I have added an easy chair to the corner by the window where I like to read the newspaper in the morning. In addition, the dining room table offers a nice long work surface for sewing and painting.

When you move to a new home, you need to live there awhile to determine how best to use the space. I'm still fine tuning. When you no longer have a basement or garage for messy projects, you find another spot or abandon messy projects. Seriously, who's going to do that?

Next blog: More from the collection on small space decorating and multipurpose rooms.