WARM AND FUZZY Warm and Fuzzy Our old ...

Our old place was so little, it was like miniature size. I didn't have my own room, and my stuff was all over the living room. Sometimes I had trouble finding things. I never had friends visit. I thought it was a really good idea to move. But it took so long, like a year. I kept saying, when are we moving? I just couldn't keep waiting. We went to 24 apartments. I liked going because it was fun to see how other people lived. But all the apartments were small, or dark or old. Just when I felt like giving up, we found our apartment. The rooms were big, with big windows and interesting things to look at. Well, I told my mom that I really liked the nice rack in the dining room for keeping sneakers like at the gym, but Mom said it was for wine. Mom liked the apartment, too. She called my dad to come from work right away. We made an offer and got it. Now I have my own room with a place for my toys and all my dress-up stuff. My friends come over to play. They even stay overnight. I miss my doorman from my old building, but Mom takes me to visit him pretty often, so that isn't too bad.

? Taryn Briskin, 8, third-grader and daughter of Diane and Mark Briskin, New York hoteliers.

For Diane and Mark Briskin, real estate was all about finding sufficient space for Taryn's toys.

The East 90s coop?actually two apartments combined?they bought in 2000 has about 1700 square feet, including a large living room, huge kitchen and dining room, two bedrooms, and storage space galore.

"We were renting a small one-bedroom, trying to save up for a house in the suburbs. I realized the house wouldn't happen any time soon because Mark, who works 24/7, didn't want to leave Manhattan, and I thought commuting to work would take too much time," says Diane. "So we looked for a larger East Side rental?we wanted to stay on the East Side because of Taryn's school. At first, the search was unsystematic because we would get distracted. But Taryn was ready for her own space. After a year, l signed a lease on a beautiful two-bedroom for $3400 a month. Friends told me I was foolish to pay that much rent?why didn't I just get a mortgage and buy? The comments made sense. I switched my strategy and started reading real estate ads for condos and coops. We found coops were cheaper and financing would be easier, but we were afraid of the hassles of coop board reviews because they could take so much time."

Three weeks later, Diane, accompanied by Taryn, found their coop. The asking price was $425,000. The Briskins paid $417,000, avoiding a board review by buying from a conversion sponsor who'd purchased 80 units when the building went coop.

"This area is considered transitional, so we got a lot of space for our money. The building is very neighborhood-y. It's like the suburbs. Taryn's friends hang out; we have sleepovers at least once weekly.

"We're casual. Frankly, the place is always messy. We've done little reconstruction?just removing a wall to make the space more open. Actually, Taryn's room is a walk-through to our bedroom. She likes that?it makes her feel safe. This is the first time she's slept in her own room, away from us. I figure she's too young to require privacy and when she's old enough to want it, that's just when I won't want her to have it," laughs Diane.

Meanwhile, the coop looks like a Toys R Us branch. Dolls, PlayStation, books and dress-up paraphernalia are everywhere.

"When we got more space, we got more toys," says Diane. "The Container Store is my new favorite haunt?I find boxes there for everything. I'd love our home to be as streamlined and neat as a hotel room, but I haven't got time and money to make it happen now. By the time I do, Taryn will be all grown up and the toys will be gone."