Since downsizing to our 1400 sq. foot home three and a half years in the past (as a refresher, our earlier home was greater than twice as massive – clocking in at 3150 sq. ft), you’ve most likely heard us proclaim that sensible storage is vital. It actually makes dwelling in a smaller dwelling much more sustainable and satisfying, however there are additionally particular structure options of our home that make sharing much less sq. footage go much more easily for us.
So whether or not you’re considering of downsizing, contemplating a brand new dwelling with any of those structure particulars, constructing a brand new dwelling, or are simply interested in what a few of our favourite “living-larger-in-a-smaller-home” options are, we’ve put collectively the next record. Plus, we’re ending with one caveat that’s positively sensible to contemplate for those who’re considering any structure choices or modifications.
#1: Separation Between Bedrooms
This characteristic is #1 on our record for a purpose, and after dwelling this fashion I believe it could really be troublesome for us to return to a structure with out this characteristic. The factor that we love is that none of our 3 bedrooms share partitions with one another. The children have a hallway between theirs, and our bed room is on the complete reverse facet of the home (all of our bedrooms are on the primary ground).
This separation helps everybody really feel a bit much less prone to be woke up by another person banging round (we are able to watch some night TV and erupt in laughter with out worrying that we’ll get up the children) and every of our youngsters usually have a pleasant personal feeling whereas they’re in their very own rooms (they’ll every hearken to completely different music or a podcast with out listening to it by a shared wall for instance).
Folks usually fear about being “on prime of each other” in a small home, and this little element actually helps us really feel like that isn’t the case right here (contrasted for instance by our first home’s structure, which was the same quantity of sq. footage, however all three bedrooms emptied into the identical finish of a shared hallway). Even in our final home, which was greater than twice the scale, we shared a wall with our son’s room – so this structure replace actually appears like we’re dwelling massive.
#2: Two Distinct Dwelling Areas (One On Every Stage)
This one stunned us as a result of our authentic thought was to make our downstairs frequent space (it’s a giant 22′ room, about the identical dimension as our final home’s very massive kitchen) into only a kitchen & eating area with a pleasant massive lounge upstairs. In brief, we didn’t initially consider using half of it for a first-floor hangout space with legit sofas and a espresso desk – however that’s the place we’ve ended up. And let me inform you, it’s a large purpose that we really feel like this home works so significantly better for us and we don’t really feel on prime of one another – even after we’re entertaining and have 10+ folks over.
Once we lastly renovated the kitchen final yr, we cemented half of the room’s operate as a hangout zone (since we used the informal sitting space on that facet of the room so closely for the earlier two years). And this yr we ordered two bigger sofas to make it much more lounge-y and comfy. And let me inform you, it was the very best factor we ever might have finished.
It’s nice to have a giant informal TV room/artwork area/hangout zone upstairs (we’ll cowl what that room provides to this home within the subsequent bullet). And because it seems, our informal sitting space downstairs will get used closely daily by our whole household – and anybody who stops in for a go to. It’s an awesome place to chill out/learn/chat that’s not upstairs in entrance of a TV and, as a result of it’s centrally situated, we spend MOST of our time as a household there each morning earlier than college (and on weekends) and each night earlier than and after dinner.
It’s attention-grabbing as a result of one factor you may take into consideration a smaller dwelling is likely to be: don’t repeat zones like two sitting areas as a result of two could possibly be a waste of your valuable area – however after dwelling with this setup for years, we couldn’t disagree extra. Since every of those dwelling zones are on completely different flooring, adults can hang around downstairs within the kitchen/sitting room whereas an entire gaggle of youngsters are upstairs taking part in some very loud recreation or music or watching a film and no one in both zone is concerned by the opposite one.
Even when it’s simply the 4 of us at dwelling, this structure Is nice for permitting us to unfold out. It’s extraordinarily useful that one child might be upstairs watching TV whereas the opposite is down on the kitchen desk doing homework or studying with out being disturbed or distracted by the TV. We are able to’t think about our home with out the downstairs sitting space and are so glad we didn’t simply stick a eating desk in that spot or one thing.
#3: One Massive Versatile Multi-Use Space
Whereas we’ve by no means had basements as grownup owners, each of us grew up with basements as youngsters, and so they’re simply so nice for all the things from sleepovers and film nights to a spot for youths to do massive messy artwork initiatives and have pillow fights or construct a large blanket fort (all of which have been finished in our massive upstairs household room). Our whole second ground is only one massive room (it’s about 22′ lengthy, like our kitchen under) so it’s principally… an upstairs basement of types… perhaps?
The purpose is that having a giant area like this that fills a bunch of various features for us has been extremely helpful. The truth is, it does all the things that three completely different rooms in our final home did (plus one added factor we didn’t even have in our final home!).
We name it our “household room” but it surely’s actually an area that fulfills all of those descriptions:
- an workplace (we each use laptops that we are able to simply place on that desk within the window (and ALL of our work paperwork is saved within the bookcases with 8 complete drawers that flank the desk on both sides)
- a youngsters’ craft room with a double desk for them (full with 12 drawers for craft provides & a giant 8′ lengthy counter)
- a TV hangout area / sleepover spot (because of the additional lengthy couch, massive space rug, and movable ottoman – it’s an excellent versatile facet of the room)
- a spot for piano observe (one among our youngsters takes classes, and we have now a keyboard up there at a desk with a bench – this can be a bonus zone that our final home didn’t even have)
In brief, this one massive room simply accommodates loud or messy actions – like working towards piano, making artwork on the ground, the aforementioned large blanket fort, watching a film with pals, and many others. And because of this room being tucked upstairs, all of that may occur with out spilling over into the remainder of the home. Each time we have now pals over, the children all run upstairs whereas the adults congregate within the kitchen & sitting space, so as soon as once more these two separate zones are key to feeling like we’re not all on prime of one another.
#4: Ample Out of doors Area
Though this lot is one-tenth of the scale of our final home’s lot (sure, that’s not a typo, this lot is round 1/tenth of an acre and our final home was on a complete acre) we squeezed as a lot operate out of it as we might! So one other factor that positively contributes to feeling like we have now room to unfold out right here is the truth that we have now PLENTY of exterior areas for quite a lot of issues, like:
We’ve had as many as 20 folks in our pool space (there’s really seating for 19!) so it’s protected to say that these areas give us extra choices for spreading out. I can go learn within the hammock if it’s too loud inside or take my laptop computer out on the deck upstairs for a change of surroundings – or perhaps a convention name. We’re additionally in a position to offload a few of our inside features into these out of doors areas, because of the climate being hotter right here than after we lived additional north. As an example, we hold our sneakers exterior on our kitchen porch’s out of doors cupboards, liberating up space for storing inside.
We additionally beforehand had a big water heater in a closet off of the kitchen, that we have been in a position to transfer exterior on the again of our home (by changing to a tankless system) which freed up an inside closet for lots extra operate.
Once we purchased this home, I don’t assume we absolutely appreciated the distinction that quite a lot of out of doors areas with quite a lot of features might make (and in quite a lot of places – off the entrance, facet, again, and second ground of the home!). It positively contributes to feeling like we stay in an even bigger home than we really do because of all these spots we are able to increase into exterior.
#5: Tons And Tons Of Glass
For its dimension, our home has a loopy quantity of home windows and exterior doorways (all of which have full glass panes in them in addition). The truth is, there are FOUR TIMES as many exterior doorways right here in comparison with our final home (12 vs 3) regardless that our home is lower than half the scale. The profit to all that cup right here is two-fold. Initially, we get a ridiculous quantity of pure mild, which makes all of our rooms really feel brighter and fewer cramped than they may really feel in any other case.
Moreover, all of those home windows carry your gaze exterior, past the partitions – which additional contributes to the ethereal feeling that our rooms are bigger than they really are… as a result of the surface feels extra like an extension of the ground plan. It’s one of many causes we’ve opted to not put any window coverings on something apart from the sensible blinds and blackout curtains within the bedrooms.
This so-much-glass-letting-in-so-much-light phenomenon was really a pleasing shock to us after shifting in. It was wet and overcast after we purchased this home, plus there have been plenty of janky blinds on the home windows. We really anticipated the home to be fairly darkish primarily based on the day we purchased it – so this was a really good discovery that we actually made on our move-in day!
#6: Prioritizing “Area To Reside In” Over “Area To Move By”
Hear me out on this one, as a result of it is likely to be arduous to articulate – and it would sound counterintuitive at first. Aside from the brief hallway between our youngsters’ room and the slim stairs to the upstairs household room, our home has little or no sq. footage devoted to simply getting from one room to a different.
Perhaps that’s sure to occur in any smaller dwelling, however I can consider a number of modest houses I’ve been in with lengthy hallways, outlined foyers, or winding open staircases. I’m not saying these aren’t obligatory or stunning in lots of conditions, however in a smaller dwelling it could possibly shortly eat up in any other case helpful sq. footage.
For instance, if we had a extra grand staircase that opened to our kitchen on the fitting and missed that room, it could really feel breezy however we’d lose a complete 10′ run of kitchen cabinetry and a spot for the fridge. So on this case, we’d a lot relatively have our floor-to-ceiling pantry cupboard and our built-in fridge than ethereal open stairs.
We’d additionally relatively have room for a sitting space within the kitchen downstairs than have an outlined lobby (identical to we’d quit a protracted hallway for just about some other area we might all use as a household). It’s possible you’ll bear in mind our final home had a looooooong hallway upstairs and a generously-sized lobby. They made excellent sense for that home, however we’re grateful that a lot of the sq. footage right here is extra multi-functional than merely being an entry zone or a protracted hallway that you just go by.
In order that’s what I imply once I say that minimizing these in favor of gaining extra precise area to hang around versus go by can positively be a perk in a smaller home.
One Structure Warning: A First Flooring Bed room Off The Primary Dwelling Area
As a lot as we love the structure of the bedrooms on this home (it’s #1 above for a purpose!) there may be one factor that stunned us in how all of us use this home – and whereas it really works effectively for us (I repeat: we don’t wish to change this factor), it actually could possibly be a disadvantage for different folks, relying in your preferences. So the structure caveat is: since our bed room is situated proper off the downstairs dwelling space, it sees much more household exercise than our outdated bed room ever did.
Our bed room in our final home was upstairs on the far finish of a corridor, so we actually solely used it for sleeping and preparing within the morning. We wakened in there and went to mattress in there, however have been hardly present in there at some other time of the day (we have been often downstairs on the primary stage). It wasn’t off-limits to our youngsters or something, however there wasn’t a lot purpose for them (and even us) to go in there all through the day.
Against this, since our present bed room right here is downstairs and situated proper off of the primary dwelling space (the place we have now our kitchen and often-used sitting space), all of us simply find yourself in our bed room much more all through the day. We’ll discover the children in there sprawled on our mattress petting the canine or studying within the swivel chair by the fireside. Sherry and I each have been identified to work in there every now and then (on the desk or within the swivel chair since we are able to shut the door for privateness on a name or zoom assembly) and we generally do puzzles on the desk with the children. Our son even ranked the swivel chair in our bed room as his favourite summer season studying spot of all. Actually, it received the complete bracket.
These aren’t dangerous issues to us – it appears like an environment friendly and versatile technique to share the most important three rooms on this home as an alternative of conserving one all to ourselves – but it surely’s 100% appropriate to say that the bed room usually feels extra like a communal area than a personal area besides on the finish of the day when the children are tucked into mattress on the opposite facet of the home (which is when it really feels good and personal – see level #1 of this record).
So for those who’re somebody who treasures that feeling of getting a bed room sanctuary or a kid-free zone to flee to all through the day (once more: no points after darkish – however in the course of the hangout hours ours positively sees some site visitors), I’d warning you that this structure simply appears to attract folks into the room all day lengthy. Though you possibly can argue that a few of that could possibly be furniture-related… maybe if there wasn’t a swivel chair or a puzzle desk by the fireside (or a candy canine in there to cuddle), the end result is likely to be completely different.
And naturally, you possibly can submit a kind of KEEP OUT indicators that sitcom youngsters placed on their doorways once they’re feeling angsty and even make some kind of rule to discourage anybody else from coming into the room. In distinction, we simply acquired a brand new puzzle for the puzzle desk…
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