Whether you live in a ‘sub-compact’ condo in the city, or a smaller-than-you’d-like home in the burbs, you may be desperately trying to find room. You need space for yoga, crafting, or meditation. You may need another work at home office since your partner talks so doggone LOUD! And there’s one thing which is perfectly clear…. ‘finding’ space is a challenge.

You’ve read about Murphy wall beds (the space saving bed which folds down from the…

Your walk-in closet is more tightly packed than sardines in a can.

Your tiny spare bedroom has virtually NO ROOM to walk because the space is eaten up by the bed.

And the fixed wire shelves in your pantry are such an unmitigated disaster, you don’t know where to start to make sense of the mess.

If words like ‘tightly packed, zero room and unmitigated disaster’ describe your rooms and storage spaces, you may be at your wit’s end (even if you…

At first you thought about buying a low-priced Murphy wall bed over the Internet. You’d roll up your sleeves and put it together yourself. You knew there would be a ‘price’ (‘er your time) you’d pay to save money vs. a professional installation.

Then you started reading DIY wall bed reviews. Your ‘concerns’ became clearer.

• Concern #1) Baseboard trim – You learned Murphy beds need to be mounted to the wall. This requires removing your baseboard…

Lou Slangen immigrated to the United States from Holland as a young man with 2 simple suitcases, a boat-load of dreams and the perfect formula for success. He exuded passion, persistence and eventually found the perfect partner for his journey – his wife Linda.

He and Linda raised 4 kids while moving around to multiple cities during his journey. He led large sales teams for a multinational healthcare products firm - rising to become the…

You decided to host the big holiday gathering. Now you’ve come to your senses and the reality of this big-time commitment is slapping you in the face! You’re saying to yourself, “Oh crap (OK – you’re using some ‘choice’ swear words, but this is a family-friendly blog, so I cleaned it up) my house is a cluttered disaster!”

Your mind wanders to the ‘state’ of your guest bedroom, your pantry and your mudroom entryway (areas your guests will…

After you dropped Jack off to start his freshman year at Ohio State it finally hits you. Unless his older brother Jim or sister Stephanie ‘boomerang’ back you’re finally an empty nester. And since Stephanie is due in a few short months, living in Chicago, and game fully employed (Thank God) the boomeranging child effect is unlikely to happen – at least with her.   

Somehow you thought being transformed into an empty nester would feel more…