Out of Curiosity:: Small and Fabulous, or Large and Sparce?
Most of you probably already know this, but I live in a tiny little condo (my TLC) that is a mere 834 square feet. I know some people hear that and think, “Oh my goodness! How does she live with so little space?!”
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| Tiny cottage via The Tiny Life |
The truth is, I absolutely love my little condo. I love the fact that I don’t have room to collect junk that I’ll never use. I love the fact that we have just enough room, but not too much. I love the fact that I’m not having to clean rooms that are never used. But most of all, I love the fact that we can actually afford (although the process is slow) to completely design and decorate this place just as I want it…something that we could probably never accomplish in a large house.
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| McMansion via Reality On Realty |
This seems to be something that others deal with as well. I’ve walked into many homes…large houses with rooms that are sparcely decorated, no window treatments on the windows, no personal touches…just the bare minimum, because the occupants are house-poor. They have just enough to pay their large mortgage, the utilities, and maybe just a few extra things, but no money to decorate and make their house a warm and inviting home.
I would hate living like that.
So my question is…if you had to choose between one or the other, which would you choose? Would you rather learn to edit your belongings and learn to live in close proximity with your family members while having a beautifully (and completely) decorated, warm, inviting home? Or would you rather have the extra space to spread out in, even if you couldn’t afford to decorate it, and had to live with the bare minimum?
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
We went from a tiny tiny 2 bedroom townhouse with 819 square feet to a moderate sized house and I'm still struggling to decorate it all! I wouldn't go back to the tiny tiny house with 2 kids, but if it were just me and David, heck yes!
I love small! We have to spend time together as a family, no place to hide 😉 And, really, it makes you stop and question purchases and the purpose of an item. Give me wonderful and small any day!
I've spent the better part of this past year trying to go paperless. I've cleaned closets, and tried to free up space. It seems the more shelves I have, the more I fill them.
Yes, I could definitely downsize and have a perfectly comfortable life in a small space. It's less to think about. Possessions have a way of adding stress, which I think is an interesting observation in this materialistic society. I'm happy to see that people are beginning to take a long look at Stuff and how they relate to it…myself included!
Great post – enjoyed it a lot.
I didn't vote because I didn't feel that either response fitted me. We recently upgraded to a moderately sized house and while we are feeling a little house poor right now, the plan is to be here at least until our kids are out of school (15 years+). So, while I may not be able to afford to fully decorate my rooms, I'm enjoying trying to get that first "layer" done and figure I have plenty of years to add to it.
That's a hard question for me too. I've lived in the same 2,500 sq ft for the last 35 yrs (yes, I'm old enough to be your mother!), and after that much time, I've tried so many different things to decorate and design my house. I don't mind having rooms I don't spend time in, but the real issue for me is having enough space for family and friends to feel comfortable in. Oh, and Big Dog Henry, takes up alot of that room!
I live in a 2 bedroom 1,000 square foot house with my hubby and puppy and woudn't trade it for any McMansion! No one needs rooms with no purpose…however and laundry room would be lovely!
I live in a 1100 sf house with no basement or other storage besides my 3rd bedroom. I hate not having room to have things I want just because there just isn't enough ROOM. I have to get rid of 2 things just to get one. I'm sitting with my old stove and dryer in my dining room right now because I have nowhere to put them and nowhere to take them. A garage would be nice. Having my dining room table in my dining room would be nice!
I live in a 1100 sf house with no basement or other storage besides my 3rd bedroom. I hate not having room to have things I want just because there just isn't enough ROOM. I have to get rid of 2 things just to get one. I'm sitting with my old stove and dryer in my dining room right now because I have nowhere to put them and nowhere to take them. A garage would be nice. Having my dining room table in my dining room would be nice!
We built what is considered a small home, and wouldn't want more space. Besides decorating, and cleaning what would be unused rooms, they would also have to be cooled.