Staying Rightsized (Part 4)

Staying Rightsized is a weekly photo roundup featuring some of the many space-saving considerations around our cottage. I share this as a reminder that we usually don’t need a bigger space— we simply need less stuff, and more creativity. As minor as some of these moments seem, the little things really do add up, providing more space for navigating daily life within limited or awkward square footage.

Above: A vintage, folding ironing board provides us with a collapsible, dog hair-free surface for sorting never-ending laundry. (Lately it’s been functioning as a mobile desk as well.)

Above: A swivel-arm, wall-mounted rack holds accessories / functional decor for our 7 year-old, while a lower wall basket keeps art supplies (and magic wands) within reach of both kids.

Before & After: Adding Character to Furniture

I’m a fan of working with what we’ve already got. It’s usually better for our wallets, better for the planet, and a way of making our homes look and feel our own.

A wobbly vintage rolling cart might just need a replacement wheel to be functional.

A broken planter might be useful when transformed into the perfect frog (or fairy) house on the stoop.

And a bland piece of furniture might just need a few reclaimed and repurposed accents to achieve its true character.

Our fold-away storage desk was one such piece:

This desk is perfect for our needs here in the cottage. It functions as an ample workspace when open, a narrow and unobtrusive console with storage when closed, it offers a standing-height tabletop when desired, and it’s almost the perfect width for this pocket-door frame-filled wall, which can’t support any substantial weight on its own.

But there was just no getting around the fact that it looked new and stale compared to pretty much anything else in our little home. The most obvious way to add character would be to paint it, but not a day has gone by since we installed this piece when it hasn’t been a heavily relied-upon workhorse for my small business. So rather than paint it — at least for now — I opted to work with materials we already had here at home in order to give the desk a beating heart.

The brushed nickel nobs got a (hastily applied) coat of leftover textured bronze spray paint. The interior cubby received a remnant piece of peel + stick wallpaper from Rebel Walls, a scrap from our closet makeover. The exterior became a touch of extra book storage thanks to a clever, made-to-order suspended system that we were gifted upon moving in. Lastly, we layered the top shelf with a reclaimed wood board that was once the tabletop of narrow kitchen island from one of our previous homes.

While the end result isn’t the century-aged, eco-friendliest antique of my dreams, it is a highly usable, purposefully chosen, and mindfully modified desk that I plan to use for years to come.

If you already have newer furnishings for one reason or another, consider adding a dash of reclaimed materials to them in one or more ways. Vintage hinges, door knobs and pulls can work wonders. Similarly, consoles, countertop segments, accent pieces, and more can be enhanced when securely topped with a layer of repurposed or reclaimed materials, sized to your specifications. Additionally, paint, wallpaper, and secondhand accents can further transform a flavorless piece into a story-rich heirloom.

Tiny Greenhouse Bedroom + Office

In a recent poll on social media, folks asked to see our tiny greenhouse as a sleep + workspace combination through the introduction of a daybed.

As we’re currently pulling furniture from storage in anticipation of our Cottage move-in date, as well as keeping the greenhouse flexible in preparation for the brick flooring installation in November, we figured we’d give the new setup a try.

After all, ever-versatile (and small) spaces are my favorite…

We hauled out West’s organic Avocado mattress, which he’ll be using in the Cottage when the time comes. (If we decide to keep this daybed setup out here at the greenhouse, we’ll ultimately secure another.)

organic mattress

(healthier for people. healthier for the planet.)

use promo code WHITNEYLEIGHMORRIS125 here

Adam and I have — and loooove — the same mattress in a Queen (with the topper add-on). We even got another Avocado in a King size as a gift for my parents last year. And yes— even the dogs have Avocado pet beds. After all, they’re as much family as the rest of us.

With the introduction of the daybed came the need to balance out the space with a larger work surface, so I brought in this slim, folding, reclaimed wood table.

I find that narrow, collapsible, yet expansive surfaces like this are ever-useful in compact rooms.

I’m a fan of this new format. Once the Fireclay brick floor is installed, I suspect we’ll make a daybed a permanent piece.

What do you think? Could you work and doze here— all in 114 sqft?

Adapting a Small Home for a Growing Child

Arts and crafts, coloring, carving pumpkins, playing with trucks, and dining with friends— these are just a sliver of the many activities our son enjoyed while at his compact, collapsable table. He used it daily, indoors and out, and it suited him from the time he began to walk until 2 years later. Now he’s a (tall) 3 year-old, and has officially outgrown the much-loved table. (Luckily we were able to fold it up and stash it in the back of the closet to keep for beach trips, canoe rides, etc., putting it to continued use.)

I quashed the we-need-a-replacement-right-now! impulse, and instead took some time to find a suitable replacement. I knew I wanted West’s next desk to be pre-used, space-savvy, and able to accommodate his current size plus a reasonable amount of growth. 

After browsing our local vintage shops and checking Etsy repeatedly over the course of a month or so, I finally found a unique piece that was perfect for our space and West’s needs.

It’s a vintage folding chair + desk combo with a tabletop surface and a flip-up chalkboard. 

The only thing lacking is a bit of storage, but we cobbled that together on our own with a couple of cupholders whose glass inserts broke long ago.

After eyeing the desk suspiciously upon introduction, West finally hopped up onto the chair when he was ready, and he has since been routinely using the desk for long stretches of time. (Success!)

All this to say that a second-hand purchase (which can enrich the style of your home while reducing your household’s environmental impact) can be well worth the wait— we just have to let go of our modern urge for instant gratification.