Create the Look: A Small, Sustainable, Multipurpose Corner
Sharing tips regarding interiors feels pretty ridiculous at this moment in time, but I think there is something important to it.
There are so many ways to approach our homes mindfully. We can make the most of our interiors by being deliberate about what we acquire, curiously exploring items we can reuse and repurpose, and getting creative with the space we have. Embracing smaller spaces, repurposing, choosing local, handmade and/or used goods, and sharing resources are all ways to look out for each other and out one shared home.
While used finds like the ones pictured here in our home and those curated below are such gems, there are plenty out there. Remember that homes have only ballooned in square-footage within more recent years, and that newly manufactured “apartment” furnishings are by no means novel concepts. There are so many clever designs that have long been circulating out there - let’s find and use them.
Please note that I sometimes earn a small commission from sales of secondhand pieces.
Repurposing Household Items: The Baker’s Cooling Rack
Note: While this entry is about a very specific item within our cottage — a reimagined, vintage baker’s rack — the message can be extended across countless home goods, as outlined towards the end of the post.
When we were designing our little bathroom / laundry room combo, I knew I wanted to leave space for linens to air dry.
Our shower is one of those spaces. When it’s not in use for bathing, we sometimes pop open a vintage, collapsible drying stand for larger, damp linens beneath the windows and skylights. Another area we reserved for drying out (smaller) textiles was the wall space bordering the stacked washer-dryer. I wanted a fold-down, slated platform for items like still-damp, clean cloth diapers, and freshly washed Swedish dishcloths, but I didn’t want a newly-made plastic or metal rack from a big box retailer. So I went shopping within our home instead.
My eye fell upon an old French bread cooling rack that was dangling decoratively on our kitchen wall, waiting to serve a new purpose. It’s the kind of willow and reed shelf once used in a French boulangerie for supporting freshly-baked loaves of bread while allowing oxygen to flow around them. This was THE PERFECT size and design for what I had in mind by the washer-dryer. But what hardware would I need in order to attach it to the wall in a way that would allow it to function as needed?
Again, we looked around our home. We found spare mug hooks in various sizes, two leftover chords from a suspended book rack (pictured in this post, 5th image), and a small piece of driftwood— all of which we could put to use to make the rack fold up and stay put, or fold down and support the necessary amount of weight.
What we ended up with works for our tastes and the semi-foraged interior we hoped to create, while serving the necessary purpose.
If this approach to interior decor sparks your interest, try this when sourcing items for your home:
Stop searching for newly-manufactured goods by a specific name, such as “drying rack.”
Instead, imagine what items could serve the same purpose based on general functionality, design, materials, size, etc.
Then consider if you already have something that could work…
… Or if you can find a vintage or second-hand item that can be repurposed.
You’ll likely save money and enhance the character, originality and functionality of your home… all while being a more responsible steward of this planet.
Designing an Adaptable, Built-in, Small Space Sofa
Post Summary: How we designed our custom, adaptable sofa, which includes a side table, ample storage, a console / tabletop surface, and drop zone cabinets.
Compared to our previous home, which measured under 400 square feet, our current home feels positively palatial to us as about 900. Despite the increase in space, it’s still undeniably and, for us at least— delightfully compact for a family of 6 (2 adults, 2 kids and 2 pups) and a set of small businesses.
We’re run into all the usual small space hurdles, like how to maximize inches, comfort and maneuverability when it comes to the living room layout and sofa.
I initially had my heart set on a Sixpenny sofa, as they look so timeless and beautiful to me. But in the end, as always, we realized that we would get the most for our budget and space if we designed a multi-functioning piece ourselves.
I sketched out an idea for a couch with an “L” component that could move as-needed, functioning as a chaise in one position, a wide ottoman in another, or even an extra deep longe or bed in another.
To make sure we didn’t lose the inches beneath the couch, we kept the hollow core accessible via lift-top seats, which can be removed entirely to reveal generous storage for items like luggage, evacuation / emergency kits, seasonal decor, and more.
We opted for a basic, lift-off style of lid so we didn’t risk hinges dropping heavy surfaces down onto little fingers, and so we’d have a clean look along the front rather than a cubbied exterior.
Even the sofa arm lifts off, providing us with a slim but highly usable compartment for spare throw blankets and our foldable projector screen.
Since the sofa backs up to the entryway, I worked a drop-zone component into it by adding a functional pony wall and set of cabinets. But that’s another post for another time!
We determined the depth of seating we desired by measuring a few seats we like in other homes. We decided the lengths of the piece by making sure that the tallest members of our family could stretch out fully and comfortably overnight, and lounge leisurely by day. In the end, we ended up with seating measuring 2’ deep, and 7’ long on either side.
And, just like everything else in the house, the couch is a bit higher than standard due to our heights.
While designing a custom piece can be costly depending on materials selected and labor involved, we estimated that this piece cost us less than store-bought pieces would have, as it’s a convertible sofa, storage space, guest bed, end table, entryway console, and row of cabinets all rolled into one.
Sources:
The decorative wood tops are made from river recovered cypress boards from Goodwin Heartpine in Micanopy, FL.
I oiled the cypress with Rove & Dwell’s Fiber Oil, which is Hemp Oil, sourced directly from local farmers and cold pressed, which means no chemicals or solvents are used to extract the oil. Fiber Oil delivers a beautiful, natural oil tone without the harmful ingredients found in most solvent-based and oil-based finishes.
The cushions (seat + back) are from Cushion Source
The throw pillows, made from repurposed rugs, are from Tumbleweed & Dandelion in Venice, CA, and a maker on Etsy.
The paint is the same as the walls to give it a built-in look: Shoji White by Sherwin Williams
The coffee table is vintage via Etsy
The rug is Lauren Liess via Rugs USA
The cabinet pulls are via Connected Goods
Windows are Marvin