Finding Space in a Tiny Home

Has anyone been catching the Tiny House Hunters on HGTV? I watch mostly for the amusement factor. People go down their "must have" list and it's always a king size bed and a full-sized bath tub, or a walk in closet and a bathroom that isn't any where near the kitchen, oooorrrrr some space where I can get away from the other person I am sharing this tiny space with. And I can't help but giggle every time they use the phrase 'But its just so small'.

My love cottage isn't on the 'tiny home' spectrum in that sense. We aren't on wheels. We aren't sleeping in a loft that has no head space. We aren't having to pee in our toilet/shower combo area. But one thing we do have in common with the tiny homes is finding storage in every nook and cranny.  Every time they show a hidden cubbie, built into the floor or raised bed platform or wherever, I think how clever it is.  It's really helped me think in the same way as I look around my own home.

It's not like we haven't talked about remodeling. Of course, we have. But it's just not a feasible option for us. Instead, I started to search for space that was being wasted. I started to hunt down items and products that would fit in those spaces. One of the more obvious areas that usually goes wasted is under the beds. We store several of the husband's guitar cases under the guest bedroom. We have a few different plastic containers stored under our bed. One of them is a container with a drawer (similar item here). I don't even have to dig the container out from under the bed to access what is stored in it, I just open the drawer up. It's pretty handy.

In our love cottage, another area that made me a little crazy was in the kitchen. Our washing machine is in our kitchen. But the dryer is outside in the utility shed. For years, we have had the typical large plastic laundry baskets to slub our wet and dry clothes in and out of the house. But because of the layout we didn't have anywhere to put those baskets except on top of the washing machine when not in use. Although they weren't technically in the way while on the washing machine, they just took up a lot of visual room in my small galley kitchen. Basically, I was sick of looking at them! So, I did a quick google search and found collapsible laundry baskets. Now, they aren't the most inexpensive thing in the world. The traditional laundry baskets cost under $10, so the price tag was a little jarring. I put them on my Christmas list (but I would have bought them myself if I didn't get them under the tree) and my sweet mother gifted them to me. Now, I just tuck them away beside the refrigerator (another spot that was just wasted space before) and they are out of sight.

You never know what is out there until you start looking. Find an empty space in your home and start thinking about what you could put in that spot that would help create new storage opportunities.

Do you have any areas in your home that you have found a storage use for? Or a handy item that has helped you keep your home organized? I want to hear about it!

Welcome to the Love Cottage

My husband and I bought this house as our "starter home" about 15 years ago. It is about 1100 square feet with three bedrooms (if you count the very tiny third room that has the backdoor in it), a bathroom, a eat-in galley kitchen, and a one car carport.

After so many years, we started thinking that it was time to upgrade to a bigger house. You know, because that is what people are suppose to do, right? People always seem to want bigger, and fancier, and newer. People don't just stay in the first home they buy. It's a social standard that has grown out of an increasingly self-centered, entitled, and ego-driven mentality. We must always be striving for "more". In 2010, we put our house on the market and easily signed a contract to sell it. And then we discovered we couldn't get financed for a new mortgage. We nearly lost our home and were looking at the possibility of having to move back home with our parents. At the time, we had five pets, so we were fairly sure no one would rent to us. And there was no possibility of giving our pets up. So, there we were....practically homeless and not sure what we were going to do. But by some miracle of grace, the buyer of our house decided to let us out of our contract after being told of our situation. I'll always be grateful to that woman for being so kind.

 I had a whole new appreciation for our home after that experience. And that is when I affectionately started calling it the Love Cottage. That is also when I started trying to guide my thoughts in the direction of "I do not need more space, I just need less stuff". Would it be nice to have more storage? A walk-in closet? A second bathroom? Sure. I'm sure it would be very nice. But having less storage really makes me think about what I'm buying. How bad do I want it? Do I have a place to store it? Am I ready to get rid of something else in order to bring it home? It forces me to really think about the attachment I have to the items already in my home. If I don't love it, if it doesn't hold any sentimental value, if it's not useful..I give myself permission to get rid of it.

This new thought process has allowed me to really narrow down what I need vs. what I want. It has allowed me to create a warm, cozy home that holds a lot of value to us. Our base-boards are dusty, we have several on-going remodel/paint projects happening at any given time, there is animal hair on all the furniture, and coffee splatters on the kitchen floor, our sink is stained a colorful kaleidoscope from our artistic endeavours, our grass isn't very green and we have weeds. But, the walls of this tiny house are filled with music, laughter, creative energy, and love. Lots of love.

So, I hope you come back to visit. Follow along as I share my ideas of remodeling, redecorating, re-purposing items and space. Follow along as I share recipes and gadgets that make life in a small home easier. Follow along as I continue to learn what it means to live a simple, yet purposeful life.