This post is sponsored by Lori Beds. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Fitting furniture into a small or even tiny home is tough. You want something stylish, sustainable and functional. (And preferably something that doesn’t break the bank!) That’s a lot to ask in a piece of furniture. But luckily, Lori Bed’s Murphy Bed fits the bill!
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When I show videos of my home online, I often get comments from folks who can’t believe my home is just 800 square feet. And I take that as a compliment because I use a lot of tips and tricks to make my home seem larger than it is. Here’s 5 ways I make my small space feel bigger.
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I believe it was the designer, Jonathan Adler that said if he was designing a room on the sun, he’d still put lighting on it. And that has stuck with me. Lighting is incredibly important to the ambiance, feel and style of the home. It’s truly the functional jewelry of your home!
I’m no Jonathan Adler, but I’ve learned a few thing about lighting a small space, ‘cuz it ain’t easy! You’d think it was no problem. A small space only needs a few lights, right? Well, yes and no. I’ve made the mistake of choosing lighting that wasn’t bright enough, was too small and was poorly made. Here’s what I’ve learned about choosing lighting for a small space. Continue reading
No turning back now!
We’ve made so much progress on our home and I’m so proud of the work we’ve done. But if I’m being honest, it looks like we haven’t done much. In reality, we’ve done all the unsexy stuff that renovation shows just breeze right over, but has taken us almost six months. Let’s review, shall we? Continue reading
I finally got this video uploaded and posted on YouTube! YouTube coupled with country Internet makes me want to gouge my eyes out. It literally took a full day to upload. Oh well, it’s ready now! I thought it might be nice to have a little walkthrough tour of the “before” version of the house. Sometimes it’s hard to envision layout and spaces in photos.
I hope that I can now move on to our progress shots which are scary, but encouraging. Ya gotta tear it up before you build it back up, ya know what I’m saying?!
As always, let me know what you think in the comments!
– Melanie
Leah is here for another installment in tiny house design. Leah Nixon is a fellow tiny houser and today she’s talking about something that I myself even overlook in my home. Take it away, Leah! Continue reading
A Small Life is more than just talking about Airstreams. A Small Life is about living a happier, more minimalistic lifestyle. That’s why today I’m branching out a bit with a post from my friend, Leah. Leah is a badass who has built her tiny home from scratch. I love her can-do attitude and her realistic approach to tiny house living– something I don’t often see online or on television. Today Leah is going to share the top 10 reasons she and her boyfriend built, not bought, their tiny house. Take it away, Leah!
Hey ya’ll! Today I’m excited to share the Airstream of my friend, Dre. Dre is an incredibly talented artist whose work I have long admired. She lives and works out of her 1975 Airstream Sovereign! Take it away, Dre!
Please introduce yourself (name, occupation, current location, etc.)
Hi! I’m Dre! I’m an artist with a day job (the day job is visual merchandising). I have been actively working towards being a full time artist for about 3 years. I work with textiles; making quilts, tapestries, embellished re-purposed clothing, and other things! I currently live in West Virginia. I grew up in WV, and moved away to Savannah, GA for college when I was 18. I was there for 4 years then I moved to Los Angeles where I lived for 5 years and I returned to WV about 2 and a half years ago. Continue reading
I often talk about living small, but I don’t think I’ve ever defined it. I know many people talk about tiny living and the tiny house movement, but I don’t think that phrase is all-encompassing. It also seems that no one can agree on what constitutes “tiny.” I’ve seen measurements as small as 90 square feet up to 1,000 square feet. Living small, to me, is much less about the measurements and more about the lifestyle. Here’s what living small means to me:
Living below your means
Living small is first and foremost about living below your means. It’s looking at your budget and consciously renting or buying less than you can afford. It’s knowing that by sacrificing some physical room you open up other financial possibilities for yourself. It’s about more freedom.
Living with less stuff
Logistically, by living in a smaller house, you’ll have to live with less stuff. It’s physics or something! But it’s also about being aware of the things that you own. It’s knowing that things are just that… things. It’s knowing that the important things in life aren’t really things. The important things are people, experiences and happiness.
Make do and mend
Living small is also about making do with what you have. People who live small aren’t tempted by the biggest, shiniest new toy. They see potential in their old toys. They have a D.I.Y. attitude, and an entrepreneurial spirit. They know that they can put in the hard work and it will pay off.
Prioritizing your life
Living small is making intentional choices about what is important in your life. People who live small know that if they don’t prioritize their life, someone will prioritize it for them. By making a big, flashy house a priority, you intentionally or unintentionally give up some of your other priorities.
Living more life
People who live small know that by sacrificing space and things, they make more room in their life for life. With less mortgage payments, they can take that vacation they’ve always dreamed of. With less house maintenance, they can spend more time on beloved hobbies. And with more money they can work less and spend more time with family and friends.
Do you agree with my definition of “living small?” Do you live a small life? Would you like to share your house and story? Shoot me an email to be featured in a future blog post!
love,
melanie