Simplified Bookshelf
As we all well know, color-coordinated bookshelves were a "thing" several years back. The trend ignited notable levels of interest from folks who either loved or hated the look. I've never really considered myself to be on one team or the other. I delight in the diverse design of book spines (the typography, the color schemes, the illustrations), but I also appreciate practical and functional decor. Art collectors spend so much time, money and effort selecting frames, mats and fillets for the 2-dimensional art that hangs on their walls-- what's the harm in being creative with the display of the publications you use, love and see daily?
Since rearranging our bedroom library years ago, I've received lots of questions and criticism: "Oh great, so I can only read flax-colored books now?" / "If you cover your books, why keep them?" / "Won't these fall on you in an earthquake?" / "How can you tell where a particular book is located?" / "Living tiny is supposed to save time-- why invest time in something unnecessary like this?" / "Why don't you replace these with decorative objects?" (I understand all of these questions and critiques... except for the last one. Decorative objects? Bah!)
The thing is, I LOVE our neutral-toned bookshelf. It allows our tiny bedroom to breathe, and to feel uncluttered and airy, despite being completely utilitarian. This small space carries a lot of weight and wears many hats, but it looks and feels relaxed and easy thanks to the book spines and our bed linens.
The process requires very little time, effort and money (if any). There's no need to buy and waste new paper to do this with your bookshelf. Here are my three favorite options for achieving the look:
Remove the dust jacket-- the actual spines are frequently more beautiful.
Simply flip the dust jacket inside out, and hand-write the title on the clean spine.
Use book binding repair tape to cover the spine.
For me, this was well-worth the short time investment it required. I donate plenty of books and buy many titles digitally, but I've kept these books because I enjoy revisiting them, they were written by friends or colleagues, and/or because we've yet to finish them. We don't need this storage space for any thing else-- we have all the room we need throughout our home. We've simply asked our books to pull double-duty by functioning as art when they're not being read.
(Small) Negative Space
Recently I contributed some words to a Domino feature entitled, “What I Wish I Knew Before Living in a Small Space,” and I wanted to expand upon those thoughts.
The Cottage is not my first compact living situation. I’ve lived in a tiny studio by the beach (1.5 years), a tight 1-bedroom in Manhattan (2 years), a shared 1-bedroom apartment nestled within a medieval castle (1 year over the span of a decade), and two dorm rooms, both of which I split with assigned roommates (1.5 years). But I’ve lived in this tiny home by the canals for over 7 years now, and it’s the first small space I’ve experienced with my own family. And I’m 37— my style has evolved and my priorities have shifted.
As such, I’ve learned exponentially more about efficient and mindful small space living since calling the Cottage home.
Here’s the excerpt from the Domino piece, compiled by Elly Leavitt:
It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes a great multifunctional storage find can actually be detrimental to your small space. “I wish I’d realized from the onset that the trick to small space living isn’t primarily to find storage. Instead, it’s to re-evaluate your existing belongings, analyze your future purchases, and determine what you can live without,” says Whitney Leigh Morris, whose 362-square-foot Venice Beach cottage is the stuff that dreams are made of.
She advocates donating the items you don’t actually need and being more intentional with your decorating; after all, downsizing your home means downsizing your lifestyle, too.
In other words, I believe that the key to living beautifully in a small home or apartment is not figuring out how to creatively Tetris a life’s worth of “stuff” into limited square-footage. It’s about discovering what you truly need — and don’t need— in order to live comfortably and contentedly, day by day.
Lately I’ve been enjoying the negative space in our tiny house. These empty spots are not only soothing and airy, but they bolster the design elements and decorative features nearby. Most importantly, they provide the opportunity for us to explore and embrace unstructured moments.
By moving the tray of functional decorative items off our coffee table, West suddenly has a toddler-height surface for puzzles, creative play, and reading. By wheeling the entire chest away and under the desk, we all have a place to work out, horse around with the pups, roll West's book carts around, and dance.
By keeping our breakfast counter clear, we have a place to open the mail, prep meals, sort donations, arrange greenery, and play with watercolors.
By leaving my desk free of traditional office organizers and paper piles, I have all the inches I need to write, bookkeep, plan, and pause to draw with West when he climbs up into my lap as I work.
By keeping my beside cubby empty and unstyled, I can accommodate the books, drinks, puzzles, and hair clips that West and I share in the evenings and mornings.
These stretches of blank canvas throughout our home are invitations for us to move differently, think creatively, and breathe deeply. For this, we don’t require a bigger house— we simply need less clutter.
Roundup: Water Tables for Small Spaces
Numerous styles of sensory tables could work well for children living in small spaces. There are nesting versions, options that double as outdoor coffee tables, custom handmade designs, easy DIYs, and Ikea hacks galore. But as Adam and I were researching what models would work well for our son and space, we decided that we didn't want to acquire anything new. So we decided instead to use items we already have at the Cottage:
We simply put West's folding bathtub on his outdoor collapsible table, and voila. He is entertained for hours via this setup. We swap the bathtub out for a plastic toy storage tub when our son wants to play with sand or similar materials instead.
There was no need to buy anything new, and no need to make room, or find storage space. So there's another $50 - $400 saved and allocated towards our little one's future, without shorting him of this joyful lil' experience.
Here are some of the items we have and enjoy, as well as a few additional accessories of similar styles:
If you have the funds to spare, here are the options we bookmarked before deciding to cobble our own version together:
Spring Roundup: Indoor/Outdoor Garden Space
We recently did a fun little shoot with Urban Outfitters here in the back garden at the Cottage. I decided to leave the furnishings and accessories out here for a while because I love them so much! They're a mix of indoor and outdoor pieces, but thanks to this SoCal spring weather they're all holding up beautifully, and we've been enjoying them daily ever since.
New Routines in Our Lil' Old House
It’s been a few weeks since we stopped renting the little front house, and we’ve adjusted to life back in our solo tiny cottage. The last time we lived in under 400 sqft, West was barely walking. Now, at 19 months old, he’s running everywhere, climbing everything, and reaching further and higher than we expected for his age. I always heard people say that this stage is exhausting. It is, but more than that, it’s completely dazzling.
As part of the shift in our living situation, we’ve been faced with some new challenges, changes to our sleep and nursing routines, and the need for modified storage and use of space.
FRESH CHALLENGES
WORK - The adjustment back into our single tiny house hasn’t been without it’s minor hiccups, of course. For example, my home-office is great for editing photos, developing creative concepts, and doing administrative work, but I’ve had to leave the house numerous times to write at nearby restaurants. That costs a bit of money, but it’s nothing compared to renting an external office (which I’m not intersted in anyway, regardless of the price-tag).
RELATIONSHIP - Adam and I have gotten in more tiffs than normal, as we’re in each others faces non-stop. It’s my job 24/7 to run our small business, and financially support our family and our futures. It’s Adam’s job 24/7 to be with West. (Thankfully, those worlds overlap, and we help each other out.) But the silver lining from those infrequent arguments is that Adam and I both feel the weight of each others’ responsibilities, which helps us to better understand and sympathize with one another. Overall, I believe it’s far more unifying than dividing. It’s just a lot, as it is for any family, regardless of the size of their home.
MODIFIED SLEEP / NURSING ROUTINE
West has never really slept in a crib overnight. For his first year, he had a mini-crib for his frequent naps as an infant, but he slept with us via a co-sleeper while we bed-shared and I nursed him on-demand. When we set up his room in the front house, West was 13+ months old. At that stage, we felt like we’d be taking a step backwards to begin crib-training him as a toddler. So we got a convertible bed, which could be set up as a crib, a toddler bed, or a daybed. We set it up in daybed format, and we used it for his once-daily naps, and whenever family or babysitters put him to bed at night. This encouraged a bit more independence in his sleep routines, and I began to wean him slowly.
NURSING - Between months 15-18, I reduced West’s nursing sessions so we were just breastfeeding at night and in the mornings. Then, at 18 months, I stopped nursing him altogether. (Sob!) At that point, we also gave up the front cottage.
BED - Rather than relocate our wardrobe back out to the garden shed yet again, we decided to scrap our plan for a fold-out toddler bed / toddler workspace in the bedroom closet alcove, and simply use West’s crib mattress on the floor at night. (He naps on our bed, in the car seat, or in the stroller, depending on the events of each day.) Obviously having a mattress on the floor is not design-y. But it works perfectly, our son sleeps in it happily, and I see no reason to be dissatisfied with it. During the day, we simply prop the mattress up into our closet. (We loaned the convertible crib frame to a friend in need, in the hopes that we’ll get to use it again in the future.)
To help West fall in love with his bed, we got a few new fitted sheets in patterns we knew he’d enjoy. It works wonderfully, and he runs to his bed with his books excitedly at night, babbling about what he sees on his bedding, and pointing out his favorite parts.
He’s safe, he’s content, and the process is easy. If West wakes up at night, he either soothes himself back to sleep, or he asks us to bring him into our bed (where he falls back asleep immediately). We don’t mind. This won’t last forever, and we’ll enjoy it while we can.
Sometimes West rotates in his sleep and knocks Adam and I in our faces. Sometimes I roll into the tiny gap between our bed and the built-in bookshelf and get comically and uncomfortably wedged there. And sometimes Sophee traps some or all of our legs with her warm and floppy beagle body. But I don’t care. My greatest joy is waking up to our whole family sharing this little bedroom. (The backache always fades.)
I know that much of this will be considered unacceptable to many people— particularly in the opinionated worlds of parent blogging and home decor. But we are functioning smoothly and happily, so I’m sharing our experience publicly in case it helps anyone else who’s living tiny (or considering living tiny) with their family. There are many benefits:
We’re back on track to save money for retirement and for West’s education.
We get to live in a city and neighborhood that we love, but otherwise couldn’t afford in a big house.
It takes mere minutes to tidy up our entire home and garden.
I believe our physical proximity to one another makes us closer emotionally.
And I gotta say— nothing is ever boring.
UPDATED STORAGE
We didn’t have to make any adjustments to accommodate the crib mattress, but we did have to shuffle and donate some items in order to absorb West’s playroom. But that ended up being a relief anyway. We are now running more efficiently than ever, which is extremely helpful, because life has been insane lately. (Don’t get me started on April 2018… good riddance.)
TOYS - We gave away enough items to free up 2 of the 3 cubbies that are built-in to the side of the couch, and West’s toys now fit in there via little tubs that we bring out in shifts.
Some of his bigger items, such as his piano, collapsible toddler tent which encloses his folding work table + chairs, along with his bike and Green Truck live out on the covered porch. (They all fit in the house, but there’s no need to bring them in— even when it’s lightly raining.)
BOOKS - We relocated our son’s books from jute baskets to a 3-tiered rolling cart. West wheels it around— both inside and outside— throughout the day as though he’s a miniature librarian. It’s the cutest.
So! Life feels better than ever. We know we’ll have to make some changes again in the future, but thus far we’ve had great success with living in the moment, and being optimistic about adapting to whatever tomorrow holds.
Video from the Cottage
We were so delighted to welcome Well + Good to the Cottage for a tiny home tour earlier this spring. It's funny how fast things change here in our lil' space. Since shooting this video, our grapevines have sprouted and covered the fence line, our 8'-porch has been converted to a full play space, and we've since stopped renting the front cottage (which is shown in the video as West's nursery). But the overall gist of it is still very much the same. We love this video, and hope you do, too. Thank you, Well + Good!
Roundup: Small Space Shoe Storage
Over the six months that we rented the front cottage, West began walking. Finding a place for his shoes was not an issue-- we had tons of open storage over there. (We don't own nearly enough to fill 800 sqft.) But now that we've given up the front house and are back to sharing under 400 sqft, I needed to find a solution for our toddler's footwear.
Initially we kept his footwear in a single canvas basket up on the top shelf of the closet. But West seems to enjoy picking out his own clothing and accessories, so I wanted to give him the opportunity to easily do so. I found a simple, customizable, handmade shoe storage solution for toddler shoes (and even baby shoes) via ETSY, and it works like a charm. It takes up no floor-space and no shelf-space, and we can easily relocate the strand to the closet when we prefer for it to be out-of-sight:
Adam and I stash our shoes within the built-in cubbies under the couch. The following images are a few years old (thus the old couch cushions and overflowing throw pillows), but the concept is clear:
For those of you in need of shoe organization solutions in your small home, I've rounded up a few diverse options, below. But remember-- before you craft or buy storage, try downsizing your collection first! (Reading My Tea Leaves just posted a wonderful entry about responsible decluttering, which you can enjoy here.)
Roundup: Small Space Jewelry Storage
Over my many years of small space living, I’ve tried numerous jewelry storage solutions. I don’t have excessive amounts of jewelry, but I do have enough to warrant a proper organizer. Frustratingly, I could never seem to find a piece that fit our tiny space while holding larger items (such as my collection of ascots from Late Sunday Afternoon and my boho bangles).
A few years back, I finally found a wonderful solution. It’s not sexy, and it’s not what I’d hoped to find (vintage, natural materials, etc.), but it works, and I imagine I’ll use it for my entire life: it's a plastic hardware organizer with clear drawers. I picked a tall, shallow design, so it can fit inside our compact bathroom vanity. Behind it, we’re able to stack the linens we use infrequently, such as rain mats and guest towels. And there’s still enough room left over to store everyday supplies such as my hairdryer and brush, our first aid kit, my makeup, toiletries, and more.
My advice to anyone struggling to accommodate a jewelry collection in little home is to seek out pieces— from ANY product category— that offer the overall dimensions and compartment styles needed, rather looking specifically for “jewelry organizers.” It's surprising how handy a picnic basket, pill box, cutlery organizer, or hardware case can be.
Don’t forget that nearly any area within a home can be turned into jewelry storage (or storage of any sort, for that matter). Hang pieces on the wall, put shallow drawers to use, suspend organizer pockets from a curtain rod, and/or add slim cabinetry to the backs of doors. (Or, as I did, use the awkward inches in front of your sink’s u-bend.)
Keeping It Simple
Last November, Adam and I decided to take advantage of the unique opportunity to rent the front tiny cottage on our property. It was built in the same year as ours, and is almost exactly the same size. These twin homes sit 8' apart, divided by a narrow deck. Together, they measure under 800 square feet.
Real estate in Venice is exorbitantly high right now, so I didn’t know how long I could responsibly pay for us to live across both cottages. We are a single income household, and the expense of owning and operating a business in California is steep. The general cost of living, along with saving for West’s education and our retirement, is all quite staggering for us. Still, we decided to give the rental a trial run of three months. We justified the spike in our monthly spending by considering the second house to be our daycare, an office, a guest house, and a spot for production crews and their equipment.
Above: Stanlee and Sophee love guarding the proeprty from the windows in the front tiny house.
Three months turned into six, and we were loving our second tiny house for a few key reasons. It provided West and Adam with a dedicated play space during the day, it functioned as an overnight office for me (I’m a terrible sleeper), and it was the perfect spot for my parents to stay when they visited from Florida.
Above/below: My parents during their most recent visit from Florida. They stayed in the front tiny cottage for 2 glorious weeks.
We did not, however, use the second house for several of the other benefits we’d anticipated. We didn’t require the extra storage space. We only cooked in there one time. And we never really used the extra bathroom. Out of habit, we would even bypass the front door of the cottage EVERY SINGLE TIME we entered the property. We are simply so used to our long-standing routine of living in under 400 sqft feet that we almost didn’t know how to occupy more space.
So, during this monster of a tax season, we decided to let go of the front tiny cottage. It breaks my heart in a way, as Adam and I turned it into a space we loved. But more than anything, I’m relieved to now be free of that extra responsibility. I’m more focused, and I’m determined to save more for my family so that we can best prepare for our futures.
Sophee and West explore West's emptied room in the front cottage.
If I’m being honest, we would’ve preferred to hold on to both cottages, as it was relaxing to have the entire property to ourselves. With a toddler and two dogs, it really made our days feel safer and saner. But the economics were a tremendous burden for me. I felt guilty and defeated for several days before making the decision to consolidate. I didn't want to let my husband and son down, and I was angry at myself for not earning more income recently, despite working hard to do so. But life is oh so short-- I'm determined to spend my days enjoying my work and my family, and disengaging from situations that cause me unnecessary stress. Once I made my decision, Adam was so incredibly supportive of it, and of me. We've enjoyed each other's company all the more since then, because we can actually focus on each other and on West, rather than worrying about how we're going to afford life in LA.
It’s been a few days since we’ve readjusted the houses, and I can say with complete sincerity that it feels so much better this way. Despite the consolidation, our house is even more organized and uncluttered than ever. We’ve gifted so many lightly-used baby items to our friends who are expecting, and we’ve pared our wardrobe, office supplies, kitchen goods, and bath items down to the absolute essentials. Rather than feeling limited, I feel liberated. We didn’t own much as it was, but adapting to our new situation has taken us a notch further into life with less.
Despite the financial impact of paying for both homes for half a year, I don’t regret our decision to temporarily rent the front house. Not only was it a fun interior project, but it helped us determine what we actually need right now at this stage of our lives— particularly when it comes to accommodating and nurturing West’s growth.
West is now 18 months old, and is not in daycare. He’s here 7 days/week with my husband Adam. (I’m here too, but I work on the business full-time.) The main lesson we learned from our second tiny house experiment was how helpful it is to have a little playroom for West— but that (as of now,) we don’t need additional square-footage beyond that.
Luckily the 8’-wide deck provided us with the perfect solution. We’d already outfitted the porch with outdoor furnishings and accessories. So we added a sun cover that stretches from roof to roof, enabling West and Adam to use the space at any time of day during the sunny spring and summer months. We transferred all of West’s books from baskets onto a tiered cart on casters, which can roll around the property with him. We tucked our son’s miniature, folding, outdoor worktable into a little teepee (from Fragments Identity) for an extra layer of shade and touch of privacy. And we consolidated his toys, and organized them into little bins that slide into the storage shelf to the right of our couch. Any items that can’t stay out on the deck at night can easily be toted back into the house, or be stashed in the storage benches on the porch.
Moving out of the front house, adjusting our back cottage, sorting all the giveaways, and setting up the porch took about 12 hours in total. (Easiest. Move. Ever.)
The front house is already back in great hands and being put to use. Most of the furnishings and accessories we got for the space are still there. Everything else is either with us in our cottage, or is already being enjoyed by friends and family in their homes nearby.
I’ll share more about our updated routines and practices soon, as we’re still settling into them. But our 1/2-year experience across both tiny houses reassured us that we love the lifestyle we’re living and sharing, and made us confident that we’ll know without a doubt when it’s time for us to move on to our next adventure.
Then & Now: 7 Years in the Cottage!
I can’t believe it, but this month marks our 7th year anniversary of living here in our little cottage. Given all that has changed since then, it seems like we’ve been here a lifetime. And yet it also somehow feels like just the other day that Adam and I biked over and saw the house for the first time. I still laugh when I think of that morning-- we almost considered ditching our appointment to view the space because I was worn out from visiting so many properties. (Also, Adam had a massive chip missing from his front tooth and looked completely ridiculous.)
Since then, we've started a small business, adopted a second dog, gotten married, and had a child... plus so, so much more in between those mile-markers. All while (happily) living tiny.
I took a deep-dive into my photos from the past 7 years, and pulled some then-and-now shots, juxtaposed below. After looking back through thousands of images of our home, I can see so clearly how a thoughtful, efficient living space-- regardless of square footage-- can take so much time to create. (Years, in our case.) It was a joyful process to slowly outfit our home and garden to suit our evolving needs and tastes.
Thank you all so much for joining us on our small space living adventure over these many years!
Left: Our first home tour for Apartment Therapy years ago, when we were a family of 3. Photo by Monica Wang. Right: Out first portrait as a family of 5. Photo by Marisa Vitale.
Left: Adam on the porch years ago, before his (wonderful) grays. Last year we celebrated his 40th here at the Cottage. Right: Adam introducing our son West to his first dandelion.
Left: I took this photo of StanLee on his perch above the dishwasher (where he used to sit for hours while watching for squirrels) shortly after we moved in. At 11+ years old, he can STILL jump up there. Right: The same spot over the dishwasher, after our mini-makeover of the kitchen in 2017.
Left: The front stoop in May 2011, weeks after we moved into the Cottage. Right: The stoop in May 2016, during our wedding.
Left: StanLee in the garden a few months after we moved in. Right: My babies in the same garden, 7 years later.
Left: The day we brought West home from the hospital. Right: The pups and West in the same spot at Christmas.
April 2018. Photo by Marisa Vitale.
Famiy portrait outtake, April 2018. Photo by Marisa Vitale.
Roundup: Managing Outgoing Items
In all the years I’ve lived in small spaces, there’s been one issue that’s tripped me up numerous times: outgoing items. Things such as gifts waiting to be given, goods that need to be returned, and donations awaiting drop-off can be surprisingly hard to accommodate in a tiny home/apartment without them standing out visually and spatially.
I’d like to say that I’m a total minimalist and simply place all of these miscellaneous outgoing items in a tote and hang them from a hook by the door. But that's too pell-mell for my liking (and for my pseudo-OCD).
I recently found a few adaptable and portable storage pieces that work well for our outgoing items and with our home decor:
To the Car
There are endless car organizers out there, but they all seem to be those basic vinyl designs that can admittedly be fun to outfit, but then just sit there looking hideous and gathering junk. Recently I've been needing something to help me keep West’s bottles and books sorted for car rides. It had to be just the right size and height for the necessities, while remaining stable when we drive. I also wanted it to blend well with the Cottage, functioning as a pretty organizational tool between drives. I finally found this handwoven water hyacinth this basket and it's perfect. (I even strap it down into the cargo bike when we go on family rides.) It has smaller compartments that are just the right size for kids' cups, snacks, my Nalgene, and more. The larger slot securely holds small toys and several books of varying sizes.
To the Bike
My friend Emily gifted me this handwoven Guatemalan tote (made from recycled plastic) by Palorosa Project, and it's the ideal size for a standard bike basket. It doesn't snag on the bike hardware, and it stays upright and contains everything safely on bumpy rides down our poorly-paved Venice roads. It's a gorgeous yet heavy-duty (and waterproof) shopping tote that I've already used dozens of times to haul greenery and groceries around town, and in/out of the Cottage. When it's in our tiny house, I hang it from a door knob and toss outgoing mail and returns in it as well.
To the Donation Center
Collapsible paper bags are excellent temporary small space storage solutions. These oversized sacks are tall, narrow and durable. They work well for so many purposes, my favorite of which is containing the items that we gather from around the Cottage to drop off for donation every week. I've also used these bags in the past for dry cleaning, toys, and event supplies. They consume so little room when folded up that they're great to have on-hand for a bit of this-and-that around your small space.
Roundup: Home > Office
I really enjoy seeing the endless ways in which people create and style their small space home-offices. I've found that more often than not, the office has to play two roles-- it's the workspace AND the dining room... or entertainment area... or entryway console... or ironing board... (the list goes on). For this reason-- and to keep work items from overwhelming a tiny living space-- it can be handy to find administrative tools and accessories that look and feel less "office-y."
I've rounded up a few office items (several of which we have here at the Cottage) below that I like for their beauty, versatility and practicality.
That One Time We Got Into A Fight Because of Our Small Space
Adam and I are routinely asked if we encounter conflicts or obstacles in our relationship that are direct results of our small living space. Like every other duo on this planet, we have our disagreements. But the honest answer is no-- I actually believe that our compact quarters have made us stronger as a unit.
Photo by Jenna Peffley for Fragments Identity
We recently tried to recall any arguments we’ve had that were spurred on by the fact that we’re basically at each other’s heels (or in each other’s faces) 24 hours a day, and we could only come up with ONE memory:
In our cottage, which is under 400 sqft, the bathroom opens up to the kitchen/living room. That doorway is not even 1-foot away from the bedroom, but there’s no privacy whatsoever in that single step between the spaces. So anyone in the kitchen/office/living room will see anyone who’s moving from the bathroom to the bedroom, or vice versa.
Living room / office / kitchen of the Cottage. The bathroom doorway is in the back-left, and the bedroom doorway sit just beside it.
Shortly after Adam left his job and began staying home with West full-time, his family came to visit. I was in the shower when he welcomed them into the cottage, and I discovered upon exiting the bathroom in my towel that EVERYONE was sitting right there (like 5 feet away), waiting to greet me. We all laughed— after all, it’s family. But I pulled Adam aside and requested that he please entertain guests on the porch or in the garden the next time I’m about to get in or out of the shower. (And let’s be honest— once you have a kid, showers don’t happen as often as they used to, so I didn’t feel like I was asking for too much.)
However, a few days later, I walked out of the bathroom in my towel (wearing my portable breast pump beneath it) to discover some of our friends lounging around the living room with Adam. I then proceeded to flip out in front of everyone. (It wasn’t my finest moment.) Adam was just trying to be a good host, but that can sometimes be tricky in a small space.
But that’s pretty much it. Solid communication is a must in a tiny home or apartment, and after nearly 7 years here, I think that part of our lives flows fairly smoothly.
So. Moving into a small space with your partner? Congratulations! It’s such a delight. (But I’d advise investing in a nice robe.)
My robe hanging in the Cottage bedroom. Photo by Lily Glass for SFGirlByBay
Roundup: Small Space Desks
Over the years, I've used all sorts of desks in my small apartments. I used a nightstand as a work surface in Santa Monica for 2 years, I had a vintage combination dresser / roll-top desk in Manhattan for 2 years, and I made my dining table a full-time work space in my beachside studio for over a year. I currently work from a desk with pull-out extensions on either side, which helps me convert the surface to a buffet when needed.
Below is a round-up of a diverse array of small space friendly work surfaces. (And don't forget that standing desks can be great options for compact rooms as well!)
Tour of the Two Tiny Cottages
Our Cottages are on SF Girl by Bay today! I've long admired Victoria Smith's creativity, kindness, and blog, so I was thrilled when she and photographer Lily Glass expressed interest in shooting a photo tour of our two lil' abodes. It's our first feature showcasing BOTH structures, so I'm delighted that it's now live here! (All photos in this post were taken by Lily Glass for SF Girl by Bay.)
Living with Less by Engaging More
"Tiny House" living is clearly an on-trend topic. The idea provides our culture with a pause in its usual, unrelenting communication of the message that bigger, newer and more of everything is better. While living small and simply is still a novelty for most, it draws both active and passive audiences by being an escapist concept that offers the hope of combatting the powerful tidal wave of technological and tangible consumption with a pared-down, organized, and calmer daily existence. While the prospect of living a decluttered life is what garners the most attention for the tiny house movement, another key benefit of the lifestyle is that it encourages increased engagement within a community.
Since 2011, I’ve lived in a tiny house in Venice, California. While my home isn’t micro-sized, it’s certainly compact, measuring under 400 square feet. I live here with my husband, our son, and our two rescue beagles.
Not only is this our home, but it’s also my full-time office, where I operate a small creative firm, as well as a lifestyle consulting business.
While the house itself has earned a fair amount of attention over the years, I believe it’s the principle behind it that repeatedly speaks to audiences: you don’t have to live large to live beautifully. While this applies to how we operate within our walls, it also extends to our existence beyond them.
Tiny living has encouraged my family to be more engaged in our community. We know and treasure Venice as though it’s an old friend, and that’s because we enjoy it so thoroughly when we step away from our Cottage.
When we first moved into our little home, we had two cars. With no real garage and with the challenges of routinely securing beach-side parking, we quickly realized that we could no longer accommodate two cars, nor did we need them both. We donated one car to KCRW, subsequently saving us some money, and cutting back on our belongings and responsibilities. We began biking and walking around town more and more often, which has improved our health, and introduced us to so many places we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
Similarly, we don’t need the space for a full home gym— we can simply step outside when we need to exercise. From jogging down the beach to climbing the Santa Monica steps, I’ve spent countless hours traversing the Westside and enjoying the coast during my fitness routine. (I might look a little funny lunging down the sidewalks of the Venice Canals, but I’m too busy enjoying the wildlife and waterways to care.) We can even paddle-board, surf, and more without owning the oversized equipment ourselves, as there are numerous rental facilities mere minutes from our home. We love our community so genuinely that it even influenced us when selecting a name for our son.
West was born in 2016, and during my pregnancy— and ever since— we never once considered moving to a bigger home.
We have everything we need right here, regardless of our square footage. There’s an adorable park and duckpond right across the canal, and we can walk to two nearby public libraries. Museums, live performance venues, farmers markets, amusement park rides, and community events are all within biking distance. And every time we go out, we meet new neighbors and we all learn new things.
While tiny house living isn’t for everyone, there’s a mindset behind it that can bring joy to all of us. Let’s waste less time fussing over things. Instead, let’s spend our precious lives focusing on and connecting with the people and places around us. It’s healthy for our bodies, minds, and hearts.
- Whit
This post was originally written for/published by my friends Brittany & Cynthia Daniel of The Sweet Life.
Roundup: Tiny Tabletops
We've designed dozens of tablescapes here at the Cottage, but when the cameras are put away, I've found that the most tried-and-true small space-friendly tabletop items are almost always a combination or selection of the following:
Rectangular: It's much easier to fit everything on your tiny tabletop (whether you're setting up a dining space for 2 or 6) if you use rectangular plates. Instead of adding napkins and silverware on either side, try dressing them ON TOP of the dishes.
Stackable: Sets of mugs, cups, and plates that sit safely on top of one another (on the table and/or within your cabinets) are great for keeping your kitchenwares compact and organized.
Custom-sized: Regular placemats and tablecloths are usually comically oversized for little tables. Try using a 2-person placemat-- or simply cut a runner down to size. Drape it over the table for face-to-face dining, or simply use it as a narrow tablecloth for side-by-side counter dining.
Caddies: Keeping your silverware at the ready via caddies is an effortless way to save tabletop and drawer space.
Vertical: Select vases, candles, and pitchers that have a small footprint, and extend upward (rather than horizontally) to liven up your table without cramping your experience.
Banquette Seating + Storage
When we updated our porch earlier this month, we replaced our outdoor sofa with banquette-style seating along the back lattice wall. We'd first considered designing a built-in, but we decided instead to keep this small space flexible to best accommodate our ever-changing needs. I selected two, 4' teak storage benches, and worked with the delightful folks at Cushion Source to create custom outdoor cushions that transformed the storage benches into one long couch that spans the entire gap between our two tiny cottages:
We opted to order two 4' sets of cushions rather than one 8'-long set, so we could separate the benches and still use them for seating if/when needed. The results ended up being EXACTLY what we'd hoped for. The benches contain patio accessories and larger toys, while the cushions are durable, waterproof, and can easily withstand the wear-and-tear brought on daily by the pups.
Cushion Source also created custom cushions for the surface and backing of a low wooden step that sits on the right side of the porch next to West's bedroom door:
The step can't be removed, as it covers utility hardware that juts up above the surface of the porch. I was worried that West was going to fall and hit his head on the sharp corner of the wood, so we decided to convert the step into toddler-height seating. The new cushions extend just beyond the corners of the wood, making it much safer. Now all of us use this little step-chair every day.
Since the redesign of the porch, we've been using the space every chance we get. As the weather grows warmer, I'm sure we'll lounge, play, work, and even nap out here more and more with each passing day.
Porch Makeover
Outdoor living spaces encourage us to put down our screens, take a healthy breath, and relax. That's one of the reasons why I love our little sliver of a porch so much. We recently modified the space to suit our evolving needs, and today I'm excited to share the tiny tour with you! Even though we only updated this outdoor spot a little over a week ago, we've already spent dozens of hours enjoying it with West and several of our friends. We partnered with Fragments Identity for this redesign that transitioned our open-air dining room into a lounge and play area.
(Explore additional coverage of this porch update on Lonny by clicking here. Photos by Jenna Peffley.)
This space, which connects our two tiny houses, is now outfitted primarily for use by our toddler and his friends.
I've worked with Tammy from Fragments Identity before, and she and I share a love for natural textures and neutral tones.
Together, we came up with a design that’s safe and functional for kids, while simultaneously being comfortable for their parents. And most of the pieces are designed for outdoor use, so we only have to throw West's toys (and a few blankets or small accessories) into a market cart and wheel those in at night.
We also made some updates to the living room as well, helping the interior and exterior spaces better blend with one another.
Tammy created new seat cushions for our built-in couch (a much needed change, as we'd had the previous ones for nearly seven years!), as well as some gorgeous new pillows.
The full story, complete with numerous beautiful images shot by the incredible Jenna Peffley, is now up on Lonny!
Front Tiny Garden
When we recently acquired the front tiny house next to ours, we also inherited its 10' wide front yard. If we weren't renting this unit, there are many things I would change about it, such as the garden floor and perimeter landscaping, as well as the exterior paneling and hardware. But we decided instead to do a quick and easy makeover of this previously unused square-footage. We simply added a few plants, a hand-me-down table, and some of our existing outdoor seating pieces to convert this sliver of space into a dining area for up to 6 people.
An indoor/outdoor dining table, weatherproof ottoman/benches from Fragments Identity, two folding patio chairs, cafe lights, and a mix of hanging and potted plants were all we needed to turn the front garden into a comfortable, practical place to dine with our family and friends. (We can even pass our food and dishes from the table up through the kitchen windows of the West Cottage, which helps make hosting delightful and effortless.)
The two oversized bamboo + leather lanterns are usually in the living room of the back cottage, but I love them so much that I tend to use them all over the property.
Perhaps we'll tackle a full overhaul of this lil' garden once day in the future. But it functions perfectly now, and we are thoroughly enjoying it!
