Feature: Better Homes & Gardens Podcast

Recently I had the joy of chatting with the folks at Better Homes & Gardens via their podcast, The Better Buy.

In the episode, we discuss designing limited square footage to multitask for your household, blending the outdoors seamlessly with your space, and taking an eco-friendly lifestyle seriously—from home renovation to everyday habits.

We also chat a bit about about the French Farmhouse, cottage and greenhouse.

Thanks for having me on the show, BHG!

Biophilic Design: The Greenhouse Office (Brick Floor Update)

Shortly after we constructed our 114 sqft greenhouse-office, I was inside tending to a potted plant by my laptop when a small garden snake slid from the leaves to my hands before dropping down to my boots and sliding beneath the deck floor.

While I’m happiest when blending the indoors with outdoors in our design, I’ll admit that interacting with snakes while going about my daily office work wasn’t exactly my intention. 

For the sake of the snakes and our family’s safety, I realized that we’d have to add either a screen to the underside of the greenhouse deck, or install decorative flooring within the structure.

As I wanted the interior to feel more like a traditional greenhouse settled into the ground (versus the raised format in which it’s constructed due to flood code), I opted for brick flooring. I’ve always loved the organic feel of brick, which is a material that’s long been used heavily throughout our region.

Rather than source traditional thick bricks, which would eat up valuable inches of height within the compact space and add extra weight, we picked a glazed thin brick from Fireclay. 

We selected a hue named “Wind River,” which we chose for the way in which it perfectly echoed the mix of green, brown and grey of the Spanish moss in the grand live oaks overhead.

So while we kept nature out in one way (sorry, snakes - it’s in everyone’s best interest!), we like to think we brought it in via another avenue.

The low sheen on the otherwise muted surface gently reflects the sky, along with the movement of the clouds and foliage in the wind.

And the pattern is the same we used in the bedrooms of the cottage with reclaimed, remnant pieces of wood. These domestically-sourced bricks are rustic in appearance, yet elevated thanks to their lead-free, hand-applied glaze.

So the main question is, of course: why is there no grout? 

The tile arrived in May 2021, but no contractor has ever arrived as promised to lay the subfloor and install the bricks properly since then. Rather than enter into month ten of waiting, our family (including our eager and loving 6 year old) decided to place the floor down ourselves. We figured that the loose installation felt reminiscent of informal brick floors of traditional old greenhouse anyway. Initially the bricks shifted and sang a bit, but they’ve now seemed to have settled. Soil and leaves sweep easily off the surface without much catching, but any little bits of earth that remain behind only add to the organic feel we welcome happily within this special space. 

Perhaps, in another season of life, Adam and I will tackle the formal installation. Or maybe a professional will even show up to help as as once planned! We’re not holding our breath. We’re grateful for what we’ve got: a nature-rich —  yet snake-free and mosquito-free — home office that gently brings the wild beauty of the outdoors in.

Note: Thank you to Fireclay Tile for generously supplying the bricks we used for this project!

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?

Greenhouse Garden Plan

Note: This is a follow-up entry to our recent Climate Action Landscaping post.

When mapping out the design of our new greenhouse, it was important to me that the land beneath and surrounding the platform become a thriving outdoor space that protects biodiversity, grows food + medicine + pollinator habitat, builds soil, and restores the water cycle. For insight on how to accomplish this, we turned to our friends at Shades of Green Permaculture.

Via a 2-minute video, I provided Shades of Green with a tour of the land, and communicated my goals for the outdoor space. In return, Brandy created the following plans, as well as the incredibly informative video embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our greenhouse, which was a kit we found here via The Home Depot.

Adam and I hope to tackle this project immediately, prepping our fall garden starting this month. However, the entire scope of work will have to wait to roll out as our budget permits.

Our first step is to reduce our watering and build soil by creating hugelbeds, which are mounded beds that blend water management, debris management, and soil building into one strategy. We’ve already started gathering materials for the process:

If you steward any amount of land, you can transform it into space that has a positive environmental impact. Shades of Green Permaculture are offering a free, 1-hour training class entitled: Intro to Climate Action Landscaping. This training focuses on how a garden or landscape, no matter the size, can have a positive impact on the planet. And, if you find what you learn to be of interest to your home and lifestyle, Shades of Green Permaculture also offers an incredible Regenerative Backyard Blueprint: A step-by-step guide to transform your yard into an eco-friendly paradise.

Greenhouse Plan from Shades of Green

We’ll share our entire process with you as it unfolds!

Using Our Tiny Greenhouse as an Adaptable Sunroom

Summary: How we styled our ~114 sqft greenhouse to function as an easily-adaptable office, an activity space for our child, a quiet reading lounge, a dining / gathering space, and a grow zone.

Our tiny greenhouse is a T-shaped design that straddles the sunny field of the prairie and the cool canopy of the oak trees. It’s propped up on a tall deck, resembling a house on stilts, as it’s required to sit above the flood zone in this region.

We found the greenhouse kit here via The Home Depot, and documented the construction process via a blog post.

The goal behind this space was never for it to be used purely as a grow zone, though we do intend to use it for seedlings and select greenery.

Instead, it is meant to be fluid and adaptable, just all of my favorite small spaces.

Its uses already include an office, an activity zone for our child, a quiet reading/writing lounge, and a dining/gathering room.

This post contains images of the default set-up, which contains areas for working, lounging, potting and playing. The post does not contain images of the dining set-up, though it’s not hard to envision. (It also doesn’t reflect the recent railings we added to the platform the day after I captured these photos.)

Almost all of the pieces in the space are collapsible, from the standard chairs, to the second-hand potting bench from the cottage, to the corner shelves, and the desks/tables.

The remaining furnishings are lightweight and easily mobile. The focal points on either side — with a stunning view of both the woods and prairie — are two long, slim loungers from Serena & Lily.

We also have extra folding tables and chairs so we can create a farmhouse-style dining setup inside the greenhouse (after relocating the loungers), or just beyond the platform in the grass leading to the prairie:

By leaving a few extra feet in front of the greenhouse door, we’ve been able to create a useful stoop, where we rehabilitate and grow plants from/for elsewhere.

Two spare folding chairs sit out front, offering views of the prairie and a place to take off muddy shoes or drop bags of soil.

For pops of playful and functional decor, we placed gardening gloves, tools, aprons and bags to the framework along the walls.

We added beautiful bolster pillows (in moss/white ticking) from Serena & Lily, an extra-long doormat (inside the sliding glass door), cafe lights, a patio rug, and a fan to help the ceiling vents and front door cool the room a bit when needed.

We also have useful items such as reusable cleaning cloths, candles, tablecloths, matches, etc. tucked out of sight but easily within reach.

We rounded everything off with a gardening-related selection of books, games and tools for growing and learning in both French and English for our five year old.

I’ve found that I truly am so much more creative and content when working with small spaces. This little greenhouse has reignited a feeling I’d lost track of this year in my stress and uncertainty, and I’m excited to get to fully use and know this space with my family throughout the upcoming cooler, festive months.