Small cabin
A deck that wraps around the cabin almost doubles the living space.
To preserve the view but still allow for ventilation, the kitchen sink is centered between two different-size windows. The one on the right opens, while the left portion is fixed. The cabinets are cherry, and the countertop is slate.
Heaton tried to integrate as many local woods into the design as possible. The ceilings throughout are pine, the doors are hemlock, and the window and door casings are ash. "The warm tones of the polished concrete floors complement all the other finishes," she says.
To give the bedroom a cozier feel, the ceiling was dropped and drywall was used instead of wood. Drapes provide privacy.
Clean, simple furnishings define the main living space. The Scandinavian-style sofa is manufactured by Softline and was chosen for its stylish practicality: It converts into two twin beds or a king-size one. "Not only do I like the form of the furniture, but it's slipcovered so I can change the fabric if I choose," says Heaton.
Use in all the bedrooms
The interiors of the Tumbleweed homes are reminiscent of ships. Desks, shelves and sleeping areas are built seamlessly into the design, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Incorporate small luxuries so that going small doesn't feel like a sacrifice.
Another garage renovation, this time in Seattle, feels much more spacious than its 250 square feet suggest. Light floods in from the French doors and high windows, and keeping the center of the main room furniture free helps maintain an open feel.
Take a cue from homeowners and architects Lauren and Kyle Zerbey and pare your belongings to what's necessary but still beautiful. For example, choosing gorgeous handmade white dishes means you can leave them on display and they look great. Plus, they go with everything, so you can get rid of multiple sets of dishes.
A guest room in the River Road Cottage uses a bed that fills the space nearly wall to wall but manages to look cozy rather than cramped. Think about it — once you are tucked in, wouldn't you be more comfortable in a full bed than a shrimpy twin, even if the twin made the room look more spacious?
Two bunk beds with built-in storage, a pullout closet and a full guest bed (not shown) make up the kids' minimalist room.
Jessica Helgerson Interior DesignSave to IdeabookEmail Photo The sleeping loft requires the couple to think carefully before bringing anything into the space. "Our general thinking is that if it's not beautiful and useful, then we probably don't need it," she says.
The great room "takes quite a beating," Helgerson says. It houses the kitchen, the dining room and the living room. She and her husband designed the built-in sofas with drawers; they double as twin beds for guests and toy storage.
Little touches make the space feel like a secret fort. The light switch to the lamp was carefully measured and placed right above the headboard for easy access when it's time to read or sleep.
The custom L-shaped headboard solved both problems. The short headboard against the window attaches to the bed itself, but the longer headboard attaches to the wall with bolts and to the bed with Velcro straps. Mom can unhook the Velcro and pull the bed out on its wheels to access the storage underneath.
The room is 48 square feet, but a walk-in closet and the entry door meant that McClendon could use only 32 square feet. "But for kids, small isn't necessarily a bad thing," she says. The bed becomes the immediate star of the narrow room, so they wanted it to be "nice and striking," says McClendon. "It was important to have a soft, comfortable bed and linens, since that's all he would really have in the space." The new bed, custom linen headboards and bedding cost about $1,500.
Pullout pantry. No room for a proper pantry? A slim pullout one can be tucked into the tightest spaces, and even items way at the back are easily accessible.
MacGyver-style island. Instead of lining up everything galley style, try opening up the room and putting all of the necessities in a compact all-in-one island. The custom island shown here contains a sink, a stove, a range, prep space, storage for pots and pans, knives, spices and garbage. As if that weren’t enough, the opposite side has space for a few people to perch on stools.
Stephanie SabbeSave to IdeabookEmail Photo 4. Wall-mounted storage. Have a slender bit of blank wall? Don’t just hang up a calendar or artwork — make the most of the available space by mounting rows of racks on the wall from floor to ceiling. Drape towels over a bar, use S-hooks to hang kitchen tools and install a magnetic knife rack.
This family room doubles as a guest bunk and provides a place where you can cozy up with a book when the movie gets boring.
There is a happy medium between a guest cottage at the ready and a blow-up mattress in the living room. Murphy beds take advantage of vertical space; when guests leave, they can be flipped back up, and your life can get back to normal.
A laundry room in and of itself seems like luxury. Combining it with a home office or a workshop is brilliant. I mean, why not pay the bills, write a novel or check your email while the clothes are agitating?
Save to IdeabookEmail Photo Bookshelves in the dining room don't have to be built in, but it helps if they span the entire length of at least one wall. This looks intentional rather than like you ran out of shelving.
This almost goes without saying, but ottomans, footstools and benches are a downsizer’s best friend — especially if they have hidden storage. Coffee table, footrest, hider of all things ugly … every small home needs at least one.
bed was built as a loft, leaving room below for a chair and table. The vertical support for the bed serves as a great-looking ladder, as well as a room divider.
This is a totally different style, but it’s just as functional (if you can displace Milo, the cat).
If your master bedroom, like mine, also has to serve as your office, consider the double-duty nightstand. This application is particularly clever, with a mesh desk chair that is almost invisible and the matching desk lamps. Love the use of color.
lf your smaller home has a great room, lucky you! Combining living and dining into one room allows great flexibility in the use of your space and the number of people you can accommodate. That fabulous bench behind the sofa here is a stellar example of a double-duty piece, as it can also serve as dining room seating.
Smaller homes often have very limited dining space, if any at all. If you stick with the double-duty mind-set, this will be no problem. This intrepid occupant did the same thing Mike and I did: used a long, narrow table that fits against the wall as a multipurpose piece that can also be pulled away from the wall to accommodate diners. Plus, those nifty dining/desk chairs can be turned toward the living area, and just like that there are two more seats for guests.
This small but well-dressed room fulfills multiple purposes so well. The desk against the entry wall stands ready to serve several functions, including becoming a base for a wall-mounted TV, if necessary. Much the same has been accomplished here, with the entry table also ready and willing to serve as a desk or TV stand. The flat-panel TV has been incorporated into a grouping of wall art, making it wonderfully unobtrusive.
All of the furniture and interior elements were designed to keep a rustic but elegant look,
Q