Staying Rightsized (Part 3)
Because we usually don’t need a bigger space. We simply need less stuff and more creativity.
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.
Suspended clips for air drying washable wipes and all manner of small linens.
A teapot put to additional use when the weather insists on see-sawing between the 40s and the 90s on a daily basis in November.
Using Recovered & Reclaimed Wood Remnants for a Unique Flooring Pattern
They say that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Well, we’re the second-hand treasure seekers over here!
We’ve used reclaimed materials as well as surplus supplies from larger local builds on parts of our new, small cottage. Now we have three palettes of diverse leftovers of recovered wood from Goodwin to add to the mix!
We decided to experiment with these leftovers, attempting to create bedroom floors with a pattern I’ve had in mind for well over a year. It’s a pattern I’ve seen before in Europe, so the design details feels like another little nod to our French Farmhouse in a roundabout way.
It’s not only the pattern that drew me to the idea of this flooring. It’s the reusing of hundreds of remnant scraps, which came from boards that were both river-recovered and building reclaimed.
Not only are there different types of character pine in this floor, but there’s also very noticeable variation in the wood’s size, surface condition, age, and color.
The variation is all welcome here, as the mix of widths and face markings only makes everything all the more special in our minds.
In certain light, the floor reads a more muted-brown. In other light, it has a red tint to it. We will be staining it with a healthy, whey-based layer in order to mute and even the tones without taking away from the general tonal variations and markings.
When paired with the lime painted walls, this room feels lovingly handmade and full of character. It’s exactly as I imagined.
Building Our New Small Cottage
In January of this year, we broke ground on our new small Cottage in the Southeast.*
(*For those who are confused about this new cottage vs our Tiny French Farmhouse: the property that we’re restoring and renovating in France is a forever project for us, and won’t be livable full-time for several years. As such, this small Cottage will be our primary residence and studio for the foreseeable future, as planned from the onset.)
This cottage is roughly 900 square-feet. For reference, our Venice cottage was <400. The entire structure is built up about 5’-6’ off the ground due to current flood-level requirements in this particular area, which is a wildlife sanctuary.
The floorplan was a collaborative effort (dating back to November of 2020) between myself and Jennifer Langford (AIA, CNU, PA, LEED-AP) of The Sustainable Design Group.
Above rendering by & © Jennifer Langford, The Sustainable Design Group
My initial concept was a layout similar to that of our Venice cottage, but elongated to accommodate a second bedroom. Jennifer took the design and updated it to reflect the necessities of Florida living.
For example, she added a small utility room to house an HVAC system and electric water heater in order to cleverly avoid stealing space from the vaulted ceilings, which we wanted to keep as open and airy as possible.
As a result of the utility room addition, she bumped out the shower in our bathroom + laundry room combo, resulting in one of our favorite features of the home thus far:
I’ll publish more of the small space design and engineering process with Jennifer in the future, but for now I’m sharing some of the exciting progress from 2022 thus far. (I’ve been covering this extensively on social media— particularly Instagram Stories, where I post daily updates and will continue to do so. Nearly 500 videos and photos of the process can be seen in the numerous “Prairie ADU” Highlights on my profile.)
Although it has all taken longer than planned (due to numerous factors), we are pleased with our GC and his close team of subcontractors. Our home isn’t an easy one despite the compact floor plan, primarily due to the elevation and our decision to opt for custom framing. But the team is really bringing something beautiful to life for my family and business.
It’s been a year and a half since we left Venice, so we’re beyond eager to move in and resume our small space lifestyle… in our new setting, and with our newest family member.
We’re almost at the finish line!
