Sofas
Select sofas with thin arms in order to maximize the seating area. Comfortable, slightly hard-seat sofas can easily become a dining bench with a 25-inch-high table. By combining your living and dining functions, you save a lot of space.

Dressers/closets Make sure that you retire unused clothing and accessories. The best way to save space is not to clutter it to begin with. If you have to, high shelves (above your head) are perfect to display that cookie jar collection that you love so much.

Classic mistakes clients make Pay attention to scale. Everything in the room should "feel" free to move. A tall dark armoire in a small room will feel oppressive. But if the armoire if the same color of the wall, it will blend better and not call so much attention. Visual clutter is the most common mistake.

Space-saving tips/mistakes we make
• Never buy a piece of furniture with only one purpose in mind. A dining chair should also serve as a living-room chair; therefore, why make all the chairs the same? Make the host and hostess chairs your special chairs.• Why not have a coffee table that can easily be moved to the dining table and used as a bench? With the simple addition of a thin cushion you will make a hard surface into your all evening dining chair.• Also, use the color of the floor on at least one wall, if not two. This will create the illusion that you have more floor area.• When using rugs, large circular shapes visually enlarge the space.

Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz's studio is at 75 Spring St at Crosby St, 6th Floor, (212) 343-9709.