Lonnie Unger, co-president of Susan Fredman and Associates, offers insight on urban living and how one Chicagoan can create a sense of unity and personal style in her home. Unger visits the downtown apartment of Ann Stockman and provides helpful insight for Stockman or anyone designing within a small space.

Unger, who is ASID certified, has worked with Susan Fredman and Associates for 20 years. Her diverse talents have enabled her to create innovative designs for residential and commercial clients across the United States. Unger's work has been published in the Chicago Tribune and Showcase of Interior Design.

As Unger works with clients to design a space, she assesses her clients' needs, how many people are living in the space and the challenges the space poses. "It is important to talk to the clients about their lifestyle and how they would like to feel in a space before designing it. This way, you can set objectives and accomplish the goals established for the space," said Unger.

"The first thing you notice in this particular space is the flower arrangement above the fireplace. This arrangement is distracting because people will focus on the hole in the wall and wonder what its purpose is, which is for a television set. The solution to this dilemma is to either place the television set in the wall space, or to create an interesting focal point by covering the space with a piece of artwork or a mirror," said Unger.

Another way to add personality and dimension to a space is to display a collection. "Anything that you collect will bring new life and spirit to an existing space. Make an exhibition of your bird cages, rocks, toys or antique containers," said Unger. In this particular space, the homeowner has one pitcher displayed along the tops of her cabinets. The space can be enriched by adding an additional series of pitchers along the cabinet tops.

"It is helpful to look at the dimensions and the floor plan of a room and then provide a furniture layout for the room. By creating a layout of the room on paper, you can see what items are needed in the space and how the furniture should be arranged," said Unger.

The kitchen area in this space is especially congested. Unger said, "Avoid the cluttered look in a room by simply putting your items away when you are not using them. It is okay to leave the coffee pot out if you use it everyday; however, the crock pot should be put away and the countertops should be cleared." Removing the accent table behind the sofa will also help open up the space. Cleaning up and de-cluttering maximizes space, which is a precious commodity in a downtown apartment.

In this room, the furniture is arranged well; however the space is crowded. "A small built-in wall unit for the television set would alleviate some of the clutter in this space. A wall unit would allow for storage and hide all of the cords to the entertainment systems," said Unger.

"In this room, the window treatments behind the lamp are two toned which give the space discontinuity. The window treatments should be the same color and should blend more with the background of the room. For this space, curtains or drapery in a cream color would blend beautifully," said Unger.

According to Unger, the drapery rods in this room should be thicker. The rods in this space seem small compared to the large, open windows and should be more in proportion with the room. Adding more width to the window panels will open up the space.

All of the windows in this room have pleated shades, which are a great budget solution for window treatments. One alternative for window treatments in this space would be draw drapery, which are reasonably priced. Choose a fabric for the draw drapery that blends with the wall color and place them on a larger decorative rod with new rings.

"While the window treatments in this space should be subtle, the flooring needs color! Bound carpet is a great budget solution for adding color and pattern to the floor. Additionally, a bound carpet or rug should extend beyond the furniture in a room to make the space seem bigger," said Unger. Consumers can select a STAINMASTER® carpet broadloom design and create a custom bound or surged carpet.

"Artwork, bound carpet and pillows with texture and pattern can be added easily to this space to fill it with life and personality. The objective in this space is to open up as much of the area as possible, while maintaining an intimate setting," said Unger.