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Houzz Tours: Tips for Small Space Living and Renovation
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
This week I'm visiting my cousin Alison in Branford, Connecticut (just outside of New Haven). Alison completed a heroic renovation on the house (see BEFORE shots in the comments section). I say "heroic" because she lived in the house during most of the time the work was being completed. She took a house that was approximately 540 square feet and made it six feet wider. It's still under 700 square feet, but by carefully editing her furnishings and belongings, as well as coming up with clever storage solutions, it feels much larger. The results were well worth it, and now she lives right across the street from Long Island Sound in a cozy and beautiful home.
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| The cottage used to be the carriage house of the house in front of it, and the view across the street is of Long Island Sound. Her painter talked her into the purple trimwork, which fits right into this funky coastal town. "The day I knew the purple was going up, I drove home in a panic at lunch because I was so afraid of it," Alison says. "But he was right, and I love it." |
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| The portion of the kitchen from the edge of the island to the windows used to be the outdoor porch (see photo in comments section). What a difference 6 feet can make!
In sourcing materials for her house, "I traveled far and wide," Alison says. "After trying several different stone sources, I found this black soapstone with white veins in New Jersey." |
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"I decided to forgo upper cabinets in order to gain windows and keep the space feeling more open," Alison says. The kitchen island provides a lot of extra hidden storage space, including places for silverware, china, and glassware.
The lamp is by Simon Pearce, another one of Alison's favorites.
The lamp is by Simon Pearce, another one of Alison's favorites.
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| A drop leaf table is a great answer for a small space. You can fold down the sides, turn it 90 degrees, and tuck it under a window to save space.
The light fixture was a splurge at DWR. |
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| "When I saw the woodstove, I knew I had to have this place," Alison says. "It was the piece that really inspired the vision I had for the house."
It's hard to see how she had that vision when you see how covered in plants it was before (see comments section). The woodstove inspired her to mix clean white walls, hardwood floors, family antiques, a variety of artwork, modern pieces from DWR, oriental rugs and salvaged items from the original house and from her travels far and wide to architectural salvage and antique shops. |
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| "I have collected a lot of the art in my collection at the open studio event in New Haven every fall," Alison says. The sofa and chair are from Pottery Barn and the orange shelves are from DWR. |
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| "I fell in love with the exterior door, but it was so drafty my builder made me replace it," she says. She was able to paint it and use it as the downstairs bathroom door. She picked up the color of the woodstove, which is across the room.
The painting on tin is by Missionary Mary Procter. Alison picked it up when she met Mary at a festival in Atlanta. |
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The bathroom color scheme was inspired by the fox painting, by John Cornbread Anderson, another Georgia folk artist. The sink stand is a repurposed table found at an antique store in Vermont, with a Kohler bowl sink mounted on top.
A stackable washer/dryer unit is to the left of the sink and is hidden behind a curtain.
A stackable washer/dryer unit is to the left of the sink and is hidden behind a curtain.
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The upstairs bedroom is very cozy. The bed she chose has some hidden shelves in the headboard. The painting over the bed was done by a family friend. The pillow is by Thomas Paul.
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| A small bench serves as Alison's bedside table, filled with books about living in small spaces and a few favorite art pieces. |
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| These doors lead to a small balcony off Alison's bedroom.
The dresser is an inherited family antique (our mutual great aunt owned "Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe" back in the day). The lamp is from a favorite potter in Maine, Tony Oliveri. The black and white photograph is of our gorgeous Aunt Jennifer, taken by our Uncle Tommy. |
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| This is the view of Long Island Sound from Alison's bedroom balcony. She bought two used sea kayaks so she and her friends can take full advantage of the proximity to Long Island Sound. |
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In order to make the small upstairs space seem bigger but still allow privacy, Alison enclosed the guest room but used salvaged French doors she found in Vermont to keep the space semi-open (to see the before photo, check out the picture in the comments section with the keyboard in it).
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| This is the six extra feet she gained upstairs for her office/guest room. When renovating, Alison advises "Don't cheap out on windows and doors. Think about the style you want and make them a splurge; it's well worth it." The enamel-topped desk was found at an antique store in Maine. |
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When living in a small space, it's important to have furniture that can multifunction. The daybed functions as a sofa for lounging when Alison is using her study, but can transform into a bed for guests.
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When you love to collect art and you live in a small space, you can't let opportunities pass you by. This is the tiny pathway around the stairs to the new second floor bathroom.
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The other part of the renovation was adding this bathroom atop the downstairs bathroom. The inspiration for the entire bathroom came from the colors of the peeling paint on the mirror frame.
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Alison splurged on recycled glass tiles for the border in the shower and the bathroom floor. She uses a clear shower curtain in order to show them off and to make the bathroom feel larger than it is.
Renovation has its ups and downs: "One night I got home after a long day at work, and the tile guy had installed my expensive, splurge-I-felt-guilty-about tiles backwards, with the terracotta side facing out!" Luckily, they were able to peel them off and put them on the right way!
Renovation has its ups and downs: "One night I got home after a long day at work, and the tile guy had installed my expensive, splurge-I-felt-guilty-about tiles backwards, with the terracotta side facing out!" Luckily, they were able to peel them off and put them on the right way!
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When storage is at a premium, you need to edit your belongings carefully and find sneaky solutions. This windowseat has a cabinet beneath where Alison keeps all of her shoes.
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| Another solution was building in bookshelves that were "one novel deep" into the staircase railings upstairs. The stairs used to emerge from a big hole in the floor, which made navigating from bed to bathroom a bit treacherous in the dark. |
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To keep the television from taking over, it is tucked discreetly underneath the staircase. For movie nights, it swings out on an arm to face the living room.
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Bookshelves full of art, books, and supplies flank the guestroom/study doors. She keeps things neat by stashing supplies in coordinating baskets and tins.
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Sometimes art lovers need to pick functional pieces! This chair was designed by folk artist Chris Clark.
Ideabook updated on Oct. 26, 2010.
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Midmod, I have watched in awe as Alison has trimmed down her belongings and figured out how to store them. There truly is a place for everything, and everything needs to be put away in its place!
Betty
Wanted to ask about the wood stove. What is it made of? It is really unusual and great looking.