Video: Tiny Takeaways (Ep.2)
Lately I’ve been reflecting quite a bit on why I do what I do for a living. My goal is for the readers of this blog and my book to be confident and fulfilled in their small homes or apartments, and I want to be one of their primary go-to resources for reliable, low-cost, eco-friendly takeaways that can help them spend less time organizing and searching for their stuff, and more time with the ones they love. Adam and I created a mini video series that we hope offers creative, no/low cost styling and storage solutions to folks living in smaller spaces. This is the second episode, in which we focus on ways to streamline a compact home-office. As always, thank you for your encouragement and continued support of our lil’ home, family and business.
Before + After: Back Garden Sofa
Our lil’ back garden suddenly looks twice its actual size thanks to a new custom sofa + mirror set (made here in LA with reclaimed materials) by our friends at Tumbleweed & Dandelion!
When we first moved into our tiny home 8 years ago (photo below), we wanted to redo the wall that runs the length of this outdoor space, which is the back of the ramshackle shed we share with our neighbor— it holds our washer/dryer, bikes, and lots of his camping gear. But that makeover has simply never been within our financial means.
Over the years we added plants and furnishings that were mainly run-off products from various shoots and client projects. But nothing was ever just right for our space.
Recently we were hosting some friends for a little catch-up session, and I realized that our friend Jeff was basically sitting with his head in a plant the entire time. I’d put the plant there to cover up part of an unsightly, unused garden door. It was meant to be a placeholder, but it ended up living there for years.
Poor Jeff.
The next day, I called Lizzie of Tumbleweed & Dandelion to request her help in creating something more practical for our space. Lizzie is very accustomed to designing, furnishing and styling small spaces. For example, in her shop, which is located in a small, original Venice bungalow, she has giant mirrored panels that help enlarge her porch and garden while brightening up the beautifully tree-covered areas. I asked her if we could bring the same look-and-feel to our yard, but in a more compact footprint.
This wasn’t our first time working with Lizzie— she also created the accordion bench/bed in the West Cottage for the 6 months we rented it. For this particular project, she came up with a simple yet brilliant idea: to mount mirrors to the back of the narrow couch, saving inches without putting weight on the walls of the old shed.
The results are better than I could’ve ever hoped for. We now have a cozy EIGHT FOOT LONG sofa, which is ideal for our tall family. It’s shallow enough that it doesn’t jut out too far from the wall, and yet it’s still deep enough for comfortable lounging. Lizzie kept the arms wide so that we can rest beverages and phones within arm’s reach without requiring accent tables. Best of all, the couch is backed by a set of 3 mirrors that brighten and enlarge the entire space.
The mirrors also make our bedroom feel bigger. Since the back garden is located just off the bedroom stoop, we can see the reflection of the cottage and the outdoor shower through the French doors. It makes everything feel even more open and airy than it was to begin with— all without taking up any extra square-footage.
Here are some detailed shots showing the seams of the sofa components, and the reclaimed wood that Lizzie used throughout the design:
We also added a little dining spot off to the side, with chairs I found at Serena & Lily:
Thanks to the wires that Big Red Sun strung between the shed, fence and Cottage, we now have a natural overhead canopy of green to help shade the entire space throughout the day.
I also added an outdoor, white bistro table to match. Its pedestal legs make it easy for tall folks like us to sit down for a snack without smashing our knees against any crossbars.
Tumbleweed made the custom, weather-proof cushions for the sofa. I added some decorative outdoor throws in white, grey and natural/tan from Serena and Lily for texture and interest:
The redesign provided us with more space for our compost tumbler, which is nestled in a nice shady spot under the ficus trees. Now that this zone is no longer our lounge or dining area, we’re not constantly cleaning up leaves. We just scoop a handful now and then and toss them in the composter.
The sofa and shower feel like built-ins, so they’re more fitting for our Cottage, which is almost entirely furnished with wooden, built-in designs.
This summer we’re trying to cut back on our air travel for environmental purposes. As such, it feels nice to have a special “new” place right here at home where all 5 of us can play and relax during our region’s hottest months.
Thank you, Tumbleweed & Dandelion and Big Red Sun for helping us create this happy, healthy lil’ outdoor extension of our home. We absolutely love it.
Before + After: Living Garden Wall
Back in February, we revamped the front half of the Cottage garden with the landscape design team at Big Red Sun. One of the most notable changes of the makeover was the addition of a 5-foot wide by 6-foot high garden wall at the entrance to our property.
The Cottage is surrounded by an old wooden fence. From late spring and throughout the summer, it’s masked by cascading grapevine tendrils and leaves. But during the other half of the year, the fence feels barren and looks pretty worn after years of water and termite damage. It’s not in our budget to replace it right now, but we can’t dress it up with planters either as it’s not strong enough in all areas to support the weight.
When the creative minds at Big Red Sun suggested beautifying the fence with a custom garden panel, I was thrilled. I’d seen examples in their shop before (shown below), and while I couldn’t picture exactly how one might look at our lil’ home, I knew it’d be the perfect spot for hanging pots, training plants to climb from the ground, and even buttressing part of the heavy grapevine canopy. (And any vertical design such as this is great for a small space.)
Above: A custom panel by/at Big Red Sun.
The custom steel panel was woven with brushwood by the BRS team on-site, and then braced by wooden posted that were cemented into the ground. See the before/during/after in the following image carousel:
Beyond making the entrance to our home more lively, the wall also saves space by allowing us to grow select plants off the ground, leaving those extra inches of garden floor for our son and dogs to enjoy when playing outside.
Sweet StanLee, in particular, likes to nestle deep into the bushes when he sits outside, and he’s killed quite a few plants in the process. It’s been nice to have some greenery up on the wall and immune to his actions.
The planters are simply suspended with heavy-duty zip ties. They’re brimming with succulents, nasturtium, strawberries, and more.
I added a round garden mirror to amplify the light and visually enlarge the space, we well as some ceramic air-plant hangers to layer up the wall.
Thank you, Big Red Sun, for such a unique and beneficial addition to our home. The panel and plants bring us joy. (More photos below!)
Before + After: Bond Group Entertainment Offices
Turning a compact room into a space that’s practical, versatile and beautiful is clearly one of my greatest personal joys. I usually gravitate towards smaller projects, such as troubleshooting a particular section of a home, outfitting tricky floor-plans, and working with existing layouts to make them more efficient, eco-friendly, stylish, streamlined, and/or multi-functional.
Recently, a friend of mine asked me to take her modern office space in Beverly Hills and make it feel like our lil’ old Cottage. While her entire office is fairly large overall, most of the rooms within it are compact and highly visible— like 8 unique yet overlapping small spaces.
The offices are home to Bond Group Entertainment, an HBO-affiliated production company founded and run by actress and executive producer Amy Adams, and manager Stacy O’Neil:
Also on the Bond Group team are Kathleen Clifford, their VP of TV Development, Eddie Adams, and Erica Katchen.
One of the most delightful challenges of this project was celebrating the unique needs and styles of the partners and staff, while also creating a cohesive visual that allows the spaces to flow harmonious together when viewed as a whole through their glass walls.
The members of Bond Group needed me to design within their rental parameters, avoiding bigger changes such as built-ins, wallpaper, paint, overall structure, window treatments, etc. (This is something I actually tend to prefer, because I feel like it makes the concepts and “takeaways” from each job more relatable for others— particularly renters and folks working within tighter budget constraints.)
The photos below jump to the reveal of each space:
I want to thank Amy Adams and Stacy O’Neil for giving me the opportunity to create an inviting space for their new production company. I also want to express my gratitude for the makers and vendors (credited via the pages linked above) who worked with me to help execute my vision for these offices.
(Portrait of Amy Adams by Marisa Vitale for The Tiny Canal Cottage)
Video: Tiny Takeaways (Ep.1)
I don’t want everything I publish to be shoppable. (That’s why I started my “Items You Can Probably Go Without” blog entries.) I don’t wan’t to earn income by constantly encouraging people to buy more, when I know that most of us can (and should, for environmental reasons,) live with less. What I do want is for folks to be comfortable, confident and content in their small homes or apartments. And I want to be a resource for reliable takeaways that can help you spend less time searching for your stuff, and more time with the ones you love.
Adam and I created a mini video series that we hope offers creative, no/low cost organizational and storage solutions to folks living in smaller spaces. This is the first episode, and I so deeply hope that it’s useful to some of you. As always, thank you for your encouragement and continued support of our lil’ home, family and business!
Like a Local: The Piece Collective
I don’t do much retail shopping these days, but I still try to support Venice’s small businesses whenever possible. I pedal our cargo tricycle to thrift stores and locally-owned boutiques when I need something for my family or clients, or even to just to pop by and say hi. Some of my personal favorites are Big Red Sun, Late Sunday Afternoon, Tumbleweed and Dandelion, Venice Plants, The Mart Collective, and Venice Vintage Paradise. Another favorite is The Piece Collective, which is a beautifully designed shop in an old bungalow located on Abbot Kinney. It carries works by some of my favorite makers and home brands, such as MQuan and The Dharma Door USA. They invited me over for a brief Q&A in honor of Mother’s Day— a preview is below.
Q: What do you find to be the biggest challenge of motherhood?
A: In a time of terrifying climate change, growing populations, sweeping violence, and general uncertainty, it can be an extremely intense process to decide whether or not to bring a new life into the world. And once that child is here, the task of balancing her/his safety with her/his independence is a phenomenal challenge every day. But it’s one that I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to face.
Q: How does it feel to be supporting brands that are sustainable and align with your lifestyle?
Whitney: It’s so important that we move beyond fast-fashion— it’s devastating to the environment, and even releases micro-plastics into our water supplies. But sustainable clothing needs to be made more accessible to all communities if it is to make a true difference.
It’s also my hope to help change the perspective that folks “need” new outfits for every year and occasion. I’ve embraced wearing the same garments repeatedly for shoots, interviews and events to help convey the message that newer isn’t necessarily better, and that a few durable and well-designed pieces (for your wardrobe or your home) can function with versatility and style for years.
Video: Small Space Style on Access Live
This week, StanLee and I were guests on Access Live, where I shared my book, Small Space Style, as well as some thoughts on living more sustainably with less.
We were lucky to work with Airstream, who provided a space-savvy Flying Cloud for the segment. (It’s so well designed, both inside and out. Adam and I are already planning to take our family on a lil’ trip in one of their travel trailers.)
We also brought our “Company Car” (the cargo tricycle by Virtue) for the feature. To my delight, the hosts later rode around the lot with StanLee.
The segment is below. Thank you so much for having us, Access Live! We look forward to returning.
Declutter with the Help of Greenery
Rather than buying new, purely decorative tchotchkes that will sit on the planet for hundreds (or thousands) of years, we try instead to outfit our lil’ home with multi-functional items, and/or organic decor that will naturally decay once the time comes. This is one of the many reasons I have happily embraced the houseplant craze.
By now, we all know that plants clean the air, eliminating harmful toxins while releasing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide. They can also decrease stress, while increasing our feelings of happiness.
But a lesser discussed reason to decorate with plants is that— depending on how you go about it— it can reduce your level of consumer waste.
Most obviously, plants replace the need for superfluous decor throughout your home. And, when all is said and done, they can be composted or planted elsewhere, meaning that there will be no “stuff” left over to throw away or donate if your tastes shift or your needs change.
In my book, Small Space Style: Because You Don’t Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully, there are numerous tips for ways to incorporate greenery into even the most compact spaces— both indoor and outdoor. (There’s also a feature of my favorite plant guru, Hilton Carter.)
Our tiny home feels bare without plants, as demonstrated by the photos in this post, all taken on the same April morning. Just a handful of wisely placed varieties can make a huge difference in a small space, and create a visual that’s entirely unique. (After all, unlike a mass-produced print or accessory, no two plants are exactly the same.) We use a mix of invisible floating shelves, lightweight hanging planters, and vintage pots to display our indoor greenery.
Well Chosen Goods
I recently sat down for an interview with one of my favorite local brick-and-mortars about our lifestyle here in our lil’ LA cottage. Read/view the full story via Well Chosen by our friends at Midland. Below is a selection of additional imagery by Ashley Randall, and a preview of the the Q&A by the lovely Paige and Kelly of Midland.
Midland: What is your favorite thing about living in a small space and what’s one thing that is challenging about it?
Whitney: Living in a small space provides me with a constant reminder that I have all I need and more— and to be grateful for it. For me, living tiny isn’t a sacrifice. On the contrary. Our lives are overflowing, and I hope and aim to pay that extraordinary fortune forward through my work and my daily interactions with others.
Midland: When shopping brick and mortar shops, what inspires your purchases and keeps you coming back?
Whitney: Adam and I do very little shopping in general (o’ the joys of living in a tiny house!), but there are a handful of exceptional brick and mortars we love to visit and support. I’m delighted by practical goods that are also works of art. For example, a versatile pitcher that was formed by hand into a beautiful sculptural work makes my senses sing! The idea that a work of art can brighten your home with its form, while also serving as a watering vessel for plants, a vase for clippings, and a serving piece for your family’s meals is something that I find so valuable. I gravitate towards shops that collect and curate pieces crafted in this spirit.
Above: Wearing garments from Midland at the Cottage.
Some Items You Can Probably Go Without (Part 10)
While it's great to share stories about designs and practices that help us live comfortably and contentedly in small spaces, I think it’s just as important to discuss the things that we can happily live WITHOUT. After all, making a home of a small space isn’t mainly about figuring out how to cram as much stuff as possible into your compact quarters— it’s about experiencing more by owning less, and reducing our footprint on this strained planet.
As always, before we jump on in, here’s a lil’ disclaimer: To each their own. While these items might be easy for easy for some folks to forego, they might be gems elsewhere. You know your own needs and space best. Habits shift, tastes change, lives and practices evolve. Design and decor should be different and enjoyable for everyone. The following is just a small sampling of everyday items you might want to reconsider if you’re starting to outfit a new home or apartment, or approaching a makeover of your existing space.
(View all the entires in this series here.)
Plastic Shoe Storage Boxes
I appreciate the look and feel of an organized closet as much as the next person. But those single-pair plastic shoe storage boxes take up space themselves, and will sit on our withering planet until the end of time. If your shoes are concealed in a closet or under the bed, simply use their original packaging for continued storage. If your footwear storage is exposed in the open, upcycled wine crates are a good option for a clean, streamlined look. Or perhaps choose a multi-purpose accent piece, such as a slim concealed shoe console table or bench, reducing the number of furnishings you buy from 2 (or more) to 1.
Gag Gifts
Everyone enjoys a good laugh. But we can make each other smile without gifting single-use, custom or mass produced junk goods. Gag gifts tend to get a chuckle… and then get tucked away in a drawer. Consider saving money, reducing waste, and further eliminating clutter by curbing your impulse to order that box of custom printed event t-shirts.
Toilet Paper Organizers
Americans produce, transport and use 34 million rolls of toilet paper every day. You can cut back on your toilet paper usage— and thus your paper storage needs— by coupling Tree-Free Bath Tissue and a simple attachment bidet.
SWAG
Why is our knee-jerk reaction to accept anything if it’s free? SWAG bags from events are typically loaded with promotional goodies and gifts tailored to a wide audience, which means that they likely don’t contain items you need. I almost always politely decline them, unless I know they contain something I’ve been hoping to try, or unless they contain products I know will be of use to local non-profits.
Coloring Books
We bought a round of coloring books for West before I realized how silly that was. He can create art out of endless repurposed goods around our house, such as cardboard boxes, used brown paper packaging, leaves and more. (I do not, however, regret buying his Coloring Without Borders book— that one is a keeper. All proceeds from the sale of this clever paperback, which features illustrations by over 80 professional artists from all over the globe, go to Families Belong Together.)
Dedicated “Bag Ties” + “Chip Clips”
Plastic chip clips and bag ties are certainly things we can all go without. Wooden and metal clothespins can be used in a myriad of ways around the home, including in the kitchen pantry. (Plus the wooden clips can also lead to creative art projects with your kids!)
Makeup Organizer
I regretfully admit that throughout my 20s, I had one of those acrylic makeup holders to contain the sea of (toxic) products I used on my face and hair. Looking back, I can’t believe I applied all those chemicals to my skin in the name of beauty. And I shudder to think of all the money and materials I wasted in the process. I understand the appeal of organizational tools, but can we all find ways to organize with goods we already own, rather than buying new items that were designed for a single purpose only? (Perhaps a multi-tiered hanging basket, or a vintage, treated art supply case.) I reduced my makeup + skincare routine so drastically (more on that topic soon,) that I only need a little zipper pouch to hold everything. This has saved me so much time throughout the day, and frees up useful inches in our lil’ bathroom.
Door Accessories
Thousands of items can double as a cute residential doorstop by day— why buy a plastic wedge or a novelty doorstop? Similarly, there are numerous ways to childproof doors that don’t require buying anything new. From rubber bands that prevent hardware from automatically latching to DYI door knob covers, you probably already have everything you need to apply some temporary hacks to your house while your child is in their toddler phase. (Note: I do think doors can be useful spots for touches of extra small space storage!)
Video: 8 Years in The Cottage
This spring marked our 8th anniversary of living in our lil’ home! We always want to remember this time, so we made a video that we can revisit later in life.
Thank you to Lucia Doynel of Tinylicious for capturing this footage so naturally while we went about our day at home. And thank you to Eric Mellgren of Vigilant Healing Solutions for permitting us to use his original song, Up To Something, in this video.
(See our “Then & Now” post from our 7th year anniversary here.)
Environmental Benefits of Small Space Living
"I'm a huge fan of small-space living because it forces us to do what larger spaces often discourage: Minimize. It's been proven that America has more self-storage facilities than all U.S. Starbucks and McDonald's combined, and that Americans waste 55 minutes a day just looking for things (that's 3000 hours or 30 days per year). Having less space means we are hopefully buying fewer, better items, using fewer precious resources (including our own time and sanity), and being gentler over all on the planet."
- Ashlee Piper (for The Tiny Canal Cottage)
Author: Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet.
Oddly enough, as much as I’ve discussed the steps we’re taking to live more sustainably, I’ve somehow failed to discuss outright the general, eco-friendly benefits of small space living itself.
As the planet becomes more and more populated, and as swaths of land become uninhabitable due to climate change, it’s reasonable to predict that small space living will only become more relevant to increasingly larger groups of people.
Luckily, small space living can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of your home. From the amount of materials used in crafting a tiny house, to its daily operations once occupied, there are a myriad of ways in which living within a modest floorpan can help you lead a greener existence.
From the start, there are fewer materials to use and transport when building a tiny home, which can widen the possibilities of using more eco-friendly supplies, and lessen corresponding emissions overall.
Similarly, there are far fewer interior spaces to outfit with fixtures, appliances, furnishings and more. This also means that eventually there will be fewer items to fix and/or update. This cuts back on production, transport, packaging, and general waste.
And with less space to furnish and decorate, you naturally curtail your possessions. Thus your overall retail consumption and affiliated carbon footprint can be vastly reduced.
The average American home is about 2,500 square feet, and uses a commensurate amount of energy. Homes in the US account for 38% of the country’s energy usage— and that amount surges to 80% when indirect usage is factored in.* A small space runs on a sliver of energy by comparison. After all— it doesn’t take much to warm up, cool down, or illuminate a 400 square foot home.
The secondary benefits of small space living are not to be overlooked. On a daily basis, this lifestyle encourages folks to get outside and enjoy the natural world and community offerings more.
This means that there’s even less energy being used within the home, as residents are often outdoors (requiring no utilities), or in shared local spots that are serving numerous people. Plus getting outside can have extraordinary health benefits.
Recent studies show that being around natural landscapes can notably reduce stress, enhance work performance, boost healing, and promote relaxation.**
Down the line, all of these advantages can make us healthier, which can mean less time spent in hospitals and fewer goods and medicines required for sustained wellness, all of which helps us lighten our impact on this precious planet.
While our family still has so much to learn on our journey to more sustainable living, it’s encouraging to know that our lil’ Cottage is helping us stick to a positive path.
Sources:
*Give a Sh*t, by Ashlee Piper
**How to Raise a Wild Child, by Scott D. Sampson
Special thanks to Ashlee Piper for generously offering some of her thoughts on Small Space Living for this post. Ashlee’s book is available in e-reader format, as an audiobook, and via paperback: Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet.
Video: Our Small Space Living Feature on CNN
A lil’ video from the Cottage is on CNN today in a feature entitled, “Living big and eco-friendly in a small space.”
View the video below, or click here to watch via CNN’s IMPACT YOUR WORLD page.
Space-savvy + Low Waste Bathroom Swaps
It’s easy to be tricked into thinking that reusable goods consume more space than disposables, and thus are not small space friendly. However, I find the opposite to be true! Let’s look at some quick, affordable, and effortless bathroom swaps. If you select your eco-friendly bath items carefully, not only will they take up less storage space and fewer surfaces inches, but they’ll also look better than their single-use or plastic counterparts.
HAIR CARE
Shampoo + conditioner bars are becoming increasingly available. I found mind on Etsy, and will continue to test out various types instead of buying disposable shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles. And a simple wall-mounted, hanging or standard wooden soap dish is all one needs to accommodate these bars.
SHAVING
Adam and I recently made the switch to Leaf (for me) and Rockwell (for him) razors. Up front the cost is higher, but over time they save so much money and reduce a ton of unnecessary waste. (And let’s be real— they’re far prettier on the eyes than loud plastic designs.)
BIDET
It takes just 1 pint of water to properly wash with a modern bidet like the TUSHY. It takes 437 billion gallons of water, 253,000 tons of bleach, and 15 million trees to make toilet paper annually. And Americans make, move and use 34 million rolls of toilet paper every day. The problem is not just the 54 million trees cut each year to keep up with demand, but also the enormous amounts of water, chemicals, and energy used in the destructive production process of toilet paper.* And a modern bidet attachment simply attaches to your toilet in minutes— no extra space required… and no need to continue stockpile toilet paper.
* Source: HelloTushy.com
EAR SWABS
Reusable ear cleaning tips are arguably more effective than Q-tips, and are easy to clean and require far less storage space. (Since taking this photo, we switched to LastSwab, which we really like. They come in both cosmetic swab and ear swab formats.)
COTTON ROUNDS
Machine-washable cotton rounds are every bit as effective as disposables. They’re a one-time purchase that can last a lifetime. No need to store backups. 10 or so should be just fine if you do laundry at least once per week.
MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES
Similarly, machine-washable makeup remover pads are an easy alternative to disposables. If you prefer wipes or simply need a single-use alternative while on-the-go, these compostable wipes are a solid choice. (And don’t forget that coconut oil can make a great, low-waste makeup remover!)
TOOTHPASTE + FLOSS
Refillable floss and recyclable metal toothpaste tubes are lighter on the environment. Like everything else here, they take up no extra space and, in my opinion, look great on counters and shelves.
CLOTH TISSUES
Reusable tissues can serve as miscellaneous cloths as well. We keep small baskets of them stashed around the Cottage. No need to buy and store tissues, tissue box covers, or wipes.
DRYING RACK
To dry your towels, reusable rounds, cloth diapers, laundry, and even wraps and bags in your small space, consider the foldable Helen Milan Birch Clothes Horse. When folded up, it tucks tightly against a small stretch of wall. (And it’s so lightweight that it can also be kept on a hook if you’d prefer to keep it off the ground when stored.) Even when it is in use, the rack consumes very little space (26″ L x 19.5″ W x 33.5″ H). Or a good old fashioned clothing line made of twine and tacks can work just as well, depending on your space and needs.
AIR FRESHENER
Skip the plastic plug-ins and synthetic air fresheners. When used safely (and in accordance with your building’s codes, etc.), hand-poured scented candles are effective and lovey little touches for a small bathroom. When the wax is burned out, you can clean and repurpose the container for a number of uses… such as holding your reusable bath goods!
HANDSOAP
We’ve started refilling glass containers with liquid soaps from ReContained instead of buying entirely new bottles.
Some other easy swaps include:
Upcycled containers and organizers (rather than store-bought bath sets)
(Note: This post was initially published on the blog in October 2018. It was updated with additional imagery and ideas in April 2019.)
Growing Goodness Indoors
This blog post was sponsored by Miracle-Gro. As always, the imagery and words are my own. Any images with the pups and/or our son were taken as they interacted under adult supervision in their own natural ways.
Here at our small home-office, we are so lucky to have a compact yet highly usable outdoor space. The yard was one of the reasons why Adam and I picked the cottage to be our first house together. But every other tiny apartment I rented in the past had no garden.
From my <200 sqft beach studio, to my 300 sqft East Village walk-up, to my shared spaces in DC, Florida, and Upstate NY, I always longed to tend to my own lil’ garden indoors. I know I wasn’t alone in my frustration. Many readers of this blog / my Instagram account who live in compact spaces with no yard and limited natural lighting have written to express similar sentiments.
For that reason (and for others that I’ll discuss later in this post,) we decided to try the Miracle-Gro® Twelve™ Indoor Growing System.
The easy-to-use Miracle-Gro Twelve unit allows us to grow herbs, leafy greens and flowers year-round without taking up too much space or our time.
The Miracle-Gro® Twelve™ Indoor Growing System has a minimalist outer design, which can adapt to the vibe of your home by styling the top in the same way you would dress any accent table (which is essentially what it is at 28” high and 16.5” wide/deep). Or you can stack two of the systems using their dedicated stacking kit, doubling your grow surface without requiring more floorspace.
The Miracle-Gro® Twelve™ Indoor Growing System makes growing fresh herbs and leafy greens simple. First, add plants or seeds to the system. We simply placed our plants in the liner, put the liner in the provided net cup, then dropped the cup into Miracle-Gro Twelve’s base. Water circulates through the system to provide the plant with continual moisture and nutrients that the roots need to grow. There’s also a specially-designed LED grow light for growing plants indoors— at any stage of growth, and at any time of year.
The Miracle-Gro Twelve app allows you to connect your indoor growing system with Bluetooth wireless technology so you can set your growing schedule, change your lighting mode, monitor your water level, and manage your calendar all from your smartphone.
I found three places where I could set up and plug in the system. I decided that the best spot was next to my desk in the living room/office, which is just a couple of steps from our kitchen and from West’s activity table. I did this on purpose to inspire the lil’ gardener in West, and demonstrate how plants can be grown indoors, too.
Ever since we redid our garden this winter, West has been highly interested in gardening.
Sadly, critters ate most of his plants before he really got to enjoy them.
The experience was valuable, but it was also a bummer. Now, with The Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Growing System inside the Cottage, West is going to be able to eat the food he helps grow. In tandem with using Miracle-Gro Twelve, we will continue to garden with our son outdoors, and we’ll teach him how to transplant certain greens over time.
Since we got the unit at the start of spring, we put it to immediate use with the included Transplanting Kit. The kit includes strong coin fiber liners that hold soil and net cups. The liners allow you to start growing from a plant that's already been started for you, like a Bonnie Plant, and save weeks of growing time.
We put Chocolate Mint, Nasturtium, Parsley, and Basil in the system.
Next, we’ll try leafy greens such as Swiss Chard and Lettuce. (But in the meantime, I’m particularly excited for the Nasturtium— I’ve been meaning to introduce some to our home for years.)
Later in the season we will grow new plants from seeds. We already picked out the seeds we want to use because I am ridiculously eager to get started. I’ll share another blog post on that process down the road!
Camping in the Cottage
Our little Cottage is nearly 100 years old-- naturally it’s going to suffer the aches and pains of age. With hot, dry summers, obnoxious termites (they seems to be everywhere in Venice), and wet winters, the wood here has been through quite a bit. So it was no shock to us when we recently discovered some structural damage in the wall of our bedroom.
After we cleared the hurdles of assessing for mold (luckily there was hardly any,) and talking with West’s physicians about potential negative health impacts from exposure by proximity (thankfully they determined that there was nothing to worry about), we settled in for weeks of camping in the main room of our tiny house while the repairs took place in the bedroom.
While I don’t want to live in an even smaller space, it was actually fascinating to experiment with 2/3 of the square footage to which we’re accustomed. We definitely still needed our closet, but we found ourselves doing just fine without the bookshelf and the dedicated bedroom.
Don’t get me wrong— I love our bookshelf and built-in bed, and I much prefer to have and enjoy them. But Adam and I found ourselves chatting about Murphy beds and trundles, and envisioning a way we could make-do in the living room / office for longer if we had to.
The biggest downside to the displacement within our home was that our mattress temporarily consumed nearly all the floorspace in the main room. There was only a narrow path remaining between the desk and mattress, and the front doors pressed into the bed each time we entered / exited. (When possible, we dragged the mattress into the bedroom and propped it up in there so it would be out of the way during the day.)
But the notable upside was our increased interaction with one another. It was a tough month for each of us for different reasons, but being inches away from each other sparked even deeper communication and observation, which was helpful at this moment in all of our lives.
Another upside was that our limited space encouraged us to do even more of what we love during daylight. We canoed. We used the bikes constantly. We took more trips to the beach and the library.
We stopped by small businesses we love here in Venice, and swapped stories with friends and colleagues.
Adam and West visited museums, playgrounds, climbing gyms, and more.
And we resumed the 2nd part of our outdoor makeover, as we were spending so much time out in the garden.
We are wrapping up the repairs this week.
Looking back, while the experience certainly wasn’t convenient, is wasn’t without some unexpected benefits. As such, I’m weirdly grateful for it. (And it’s a given that West’s clean bill of health after medical review was the most important part of the whole situation.)
As I shared on Instagram: Our house isn’t perfect. We aren’t anywhere near perfect. Our attempts to shift habits to improve our health and lighten our impact on the planet aren’t perfect. I never want to make it sounds as though everything is golden all the time... but it’s all about perspective. Is dragging the mattress through our tiny house (and through dog hair tumbleweeds) the stuff of Instagram dreams? Nah. But is our home standing and our family safe? Yes. Mattress on the floor or not, we are the absolute luckiest. It’s not about perfection. And it’s not about candy-coating the negative bits either. It’s about recognizing what actually matters, being grateful, and giving back.
Easy Small Space Swaps (General Roundup)
You’re likely pressed for usable inches in your tiny home or apartment. Consider these alternatives to your everyday household items to help reclaim stretches of open space on your countertops, shelves, in your closet, and more. There are over 200 more suggestions in my book, Small Space Style: Because You Don’t Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully.
Doors
Traditional doors can be headaches in tight quarters. Accordion doors are economical, construction-free alternatives to pocket doors.Or, if you have wall space to spare, a sliding barn door might work for you as well. (See my full post on this topic here.)
Utensil Caddy
If you only have a sliver of a kitchen, skip as many unnecessary countertop items as possible so you always have some room at-the-ready to prep your food. Perhaps use a hanging herb rack to suspend your cooking utensils, rather than keeping them in a valuable drawer or in a standard caddy.
Above images via Pinterest
Hangers
Don’t let hardware and accessories consume your much-needed clothing storage space. Slim, no-slip hangers and vertical hanging loops can free up room for that puffy winter coat. (The image below shows our only closet here at the Cottage. The silver-topped hangers are all part of a skinny, slip-free set, and it’s evident how much space they save compared to those few scattered, bulky plastic hangers.)
Dish rack
Skip the countertop dish rack and opt for a roll-up version or a drying mat instead.
Child’s Chalkboard Easel
We have one. But we didn’t need to buy it. If your family is sharing a small space, perhaps try a folding, travel-travel-sized chalkboard instead, or a wall-mounted roll.
Left image from our Cottage. Middle image via Crate and Barrel. Right image via George & Willy.
Paper Towel Holder
Skip the paper towels if possible— they’re needlessly wasteful and costly over time. A set of reusable cloth wipes will save space and money, and reduce your footprint on this planet. (Personally I love the cloths from Grovia.) And if you don’t buy paper towels, you won’t need a bulky, awkward paper towel holder. A small wire basket can hold more than enough cloth wipes between use/washes, and can also be repurposed to help organize a myriad of other kitchen items as well if your needs change.
Water Filter
As shown above, we have a handmade, sculptural water filter from Walter Filter that we love. But if you don’t have room on your counters or even in your fridge for a pitcher-style filter, try a faucet version right on your sink if your faucet is compatible. .
Market Baskets
I have a collection of market baskets on our stoop, and I love them. But if we didn’t have that space, I’d probably reply on simple canvas bags for produce, and a log carrier for oversized items like branches, florals and even baguettes. Log carriers can roll up easily.
Toy Bins
Toy bins are bulky. Try breaking up toys by category or size, and store them in containers that look and feel right for your space. This way you can spread these items around your home into vacant spots, rather than trying to keep them all corralled into one lumpy space. Everything from magazine racks to suitcases to apple baskets can work.
Functional Decor - Perpetual Calendar
I often talk about the concept of “functional decor.” With the planet suffering from the effects of our overconsumption and staggering waste, it’s more important than ever that we cut back in general. I aim to avoid purchasing new, mass produced, unsentimental, decorative tchotchkes for the sake of decor. Instead, I try to enrich our home with sustainable, ethically-produced, practical goods that can serve a function while delighting our senses.
When it comes to toys, I usually prefer hand-me-downs— particularly with items such as LEGOs, things-that-go, and magnetic tiles. They cost very little (if anything), and since they’ve already been produced, transported and purchased, there’s no point in dooming them to a landfill or storage after they’ve been used by a single household. We might as well pass these items down the line as long as possible, especially since most are made of plastic that won’t biodegrade.
West’s toy collection is also largely made up of handmade wooden designs that we enjoy using (and seeing… and stepping over) throughout our home and garden.
Thanks to library books and interactions with friends, there’s no lack of “new” games and activities for our son to experience. But some months have passed since we got him anything more permanent, so I decided to invest in a beautiful, playful, wooden perpetual calendar I found on Etsy.
A perpetual calendar is a handy, lower-waste item for spaces of any size, and I found this one to be the perfect tool-meets-toy for our tiny home/office.
At 2 ½ years old, West is creating his own daily rhythm, and understands that particular days of the week mean that set activities will be taking place. I figured that a functional, updatable, interactive calendar would be useful to him for years to come.
So far, he loves it, even though he doesn’t fully understand it... and even though he insists the weather tiles be stored in his wheelbarrow.
Beyond the Cottage: Bond Group Office Makeover
The cottage blog has been a bit quieter in recent weeks, as I’ve been focusing on work offline. We’ve been diving into several new projects and I’m eager to post the details of those soon. Today I’m introducing one that’s particularly precious to me— an office space for a production company here in Los Angeles.
I don’t usually handle many larger interiors from scratch. I tend to prefer troubleshooting small or tricky spaces, as well as working with existing layouts to make them more efficient, eco-friendly, and/or versatile. But I said yes to this gig without hesitation. Here’s why.
In January, I got a call from a friend, who offered up a delightful challenge: Could I take her newly rented, modern office space in Beverly Hills and make it feel like our old tiny Cottage?
I had hoped and planned to start the new year by tackling a more diverse body of work, so her ask was perfectly timed. I accepted, and we got right to work.
Here’s why I’ve enjoyed this job thus far:
While the entire office is a fairly large area overall, most of the rooms themselves are compact. They feel like 8 unique yet overlapping small spaces.
One of the reasons I do what I do for a living is that I love mixing my personal and business worlds together— it makes my work extra gratifying. As such, I’m so happy to work with and for my friends.
The client and her partners needed me to design within their rental parameters, avoiding bigger changes such as built-ins, wallpaper, paint, overall structure, window treatments, etc. This is something I often prefer, because I feel like it makes the concepts and “takeaways” from each job more relatable for others— particularly renters and folks working within tighter budget constraints.
I’ve liked finding ways in which to weave the partners’ and staff’s personalities into their dedicated spaces, all while keeping the office visually unified through its glass walls.
Above: Lobby decor installation in progress. (Print by Arielle Vey. Handmade ceramics by MQuan. Handmade leather script straps via Etsy. Vintage bowl from Tumbleweed & Dandelion. Wooden tiled buffet from West Elm.)
But here was the trickiest part of all: How could I share this undertaking on my blog and Instagram without leaning into the professional successes of the client? She is a genuine friend of mine, but she also happens to be a well-known and highly-regarded actress. Her name is relevant in the scope of my work— her personality and the background of her production company played heavily into my design choices, and her comments and likeness are part of my before-and-after content— but her privacy is something I deeply honor and respect. I asked her outright about this at the onset, and she generously gave me her blessing to publish this project online.
As such, I look forward to sharing my lil’ makeover of Amy Adams’ Bond Group Entertainment offices with you very soon.