250 Square Feet of Gorgeousness. Month of Beauty.

This Month's theme is Beauty. I recently stumbled across a remarkable little apartment high-lighted in Dwell. It's only 250 square feet but it looks like so much more. I think it's beautiful.

I was really struck by the light, airy loft with a built-in mini Library and Laundry Room. As someone who has a problem collecting books, I really appreciated the Library. I also think the idea of having the Laundry Room in your bedroom is absolute genius. No lugging laundry up and down stairs (or ladders).

Speaking of ladders...it's refreshing seeing a tiny space with a loft that doesn't use a ladder.



The Living Room looks like a classic NYC apartment. Obscenely tall ceilings, a Victorian mantle and tons of light from giant windows. I love how the owner has incorporated her Art Collection into the area without making the apartment feel cluttered. Delightful, right?

 For more photos check out the article in Dwell.





 

Photos by: David Engelhardt

Month of Beauty...All in 425 Square Feet

I apologize for being a little House Obsessed this Month on this blog. I've got houses on the brain. I wrote about this little Gem here (if you missed it). I am so in awe of this lovely Tiny House. 

Kitchen Love

I have been totally disinterested in Kitchen Design for....I'm not sure, but it's been a long time. I love to cook but my eyes just glaze over when I see a Kitchen (maybe because my Mother was a Cabinet-Maker for 20 years and my Step-father has been one for 35 years).

But, now that we are House Hunting....Kitchens are suddenly on my radar.

I used to think white Kitchens were just plain stupid, boring and asking for trouble. I totally didn't get it. I'm not sure what changed. Now, I am on a White Kitchen Kick, specifically a White Kitchen with Open Shelving Kick.

I think the draw is light. All of the houses in our price range are small and, therefore, all of the Kitchens are compact. White paint and some sunlight streaming through the window really does wonders for making a space seem larger.

Maybe I should blame it on this house...






Ever since I saw photos of Protohaus, I've been obsessed with the beauty of a White Kitchen.

I love how the open shelving makes you edit what you keep in your kitchen. No keeping something around that you are not crazy about because your Great-Aunt gave it to you. I'm guessing it would force one to be a bit neater (or is that wishful thinking on my part).


Here is are some Kitchens that are Making My Wheels Turn...

You can tell this is a small space but it feels so airy and cheerful. I'm totally digging those red counters.

Maybe we should get rid of our current pots and pans and invest in 4 or 5 copper pieces and hang them on the wall. I've always loved the look of copper and we already have a few non-cooking copper pots at our house. I like the look of the pans directly on the wall, as opposed to hanging from large hooks or from a rack.

More Open Shelving. Not sure how well Art above the stove would hold up with some serious cooking. But I think this space is cute (although I would personally de-cluttter it a bit on the counter to make me feel more calm).

I have to laugh at how popular farm sinks have become recently. My parents have one. Of course, they live on an actual farm. I'm liking the look of this kitchen with its butcher block counters and rustic style cabinets.

This may be my favorite one so far! We already have a lot of wood pieces, so this look would be easier to achieve. White bowls and plates can be found at yard sales and thrift stores for cheap. The only thing I would do differently with this kitchen, would be to have butcher block counters that are similar to the shelves. Gorgeousness!

French Garage Turned into a Home

Papa Bear and I have started House Hunting. Yesterday, we went to two houses (more on that later) and the second house had a solid garage built in the 1950's. I started brainstorming ideas for using the garage and I remembered this video.

A 450 sq foot garage was turned into an interesting modern home full of light. The homeowner also had one massive furniture unit built (a bit too sterile for my liking but pretty darn ingenious). Enjoy!

"House and Home" at the National Building Museum

This video brings me Joy. I've been a fan of "Dee Williams" for awhile and was delighted to hear that her Tiny House was filmed recently for the exhibition called "House and Home" which is currently at the National Building Museum.

I am so thrilled to have another reason to visit the "National Building Museum." It's been on my list of things to do for several months now.

The Museum contains an excellent hands on exploratory gallery for children ages 2-6 called "The Building Zone." Time for us to adventure out on the Metro and do some exploring!

A Sad Face, a Tumbleweed and Some Cough Syrup

The four days of my Weaning Weekend had their highs and lows.

Lows:

I was away from this face for four days (she's started to dress herself, can you tell?)

I laid in bed for several days with the most intense pain as I tried to convince my breasts to retire from the excellent job they've been doing over the past 12 months (I didn't have any photos of that experience to share, don't worry).

Highs:

I spent time at my sister's house (my former and very missed abode).

I drunk in the sun while picking Sweet Violets.

I made a bottle of very treasured Violet Cough Syrup for my daughter. ****

I collected some Self-Heal to make a Herbal Salve. ****

I managed to drive around D.C. without getting completely and utterly lost.

And, I FINALLY got to see a "Tumbleweed Tiny House" in person (one more thing I can check off my Bucket List). ****

****More on this Later.

A Tumbleweed in our Nation's Capital

By pure randomness, I just stumbled across a Huffington Post article announcing a Tumbleweed Tiny House was visiting D.C. this weekend. The Open House is tomorrow (April 15th) at Wangari Gardens from 12-4pm. I'm doing a modified Happy Dance (if I was feeling better, you couldn't hold me back).

Didn't I just share with you Tumbleweed's Box Bungalow this week? Funny, funny, funny.

Enjoy your Weekend! Hope to see you there!

*****The Source of this photo are the lovely folks at Tiny House Blog

The Simplicity Month....Box Bungalow

I've been a fan of Tumbleweed Tiny Houses  for a while. Recently, Tumbleweed released their lastest line of houses. They are called Box Bungalows and unlike many of the other Tumbleweed Houses, they don't have to be built on a trailer.

All are under 120 square feet (to get past zoning laws that require permits on structures over 120 square feet) and can be purchased as a kit.

I'm digging these "Craftsman-style" houses. From the photos I've seen, the workmanship is quite nice.

This particular house is called the Gifford; a kit starts at $12,000, an assembled house starts at $14,000 and plans can be purchased for $100.  The base prices are a little misleading because they DO NOT include those gorgeous windows ($800-$1,200 a piece...gulp), interior siding or exterior painted siding.

You can customize the lay-out of the house. In this particular one, you enter the kitchen and a closet is on your immediate left, followed by the bathroom. Then you enter the "Great Room." The cozy bedroom is found in the loft.

Living in a home this size requires a lot of "pruning" of stuff. Many people are drawn to these houses because of a desire for a simpler lifestyle. So, since I'm talking about Simplicity this Month, I thought I'd share these photos with you.

I found out about the Gifford through the Tiny House's Blog. You can see the original post here. Check out Jay's tour of the house.

***** Photos courtesy of  the Tiny House Blog

The Simplicity Month....Tiny Arizona Casita

One way to simplify your life is to live in a smaller house. Here is a tiny gem of a house that proves that small can still be stylish. It's one of my favorite Tiny House designs. It's 425 square feet of pure WOW.

Architect Lila Cohen and designer Teina Manu rehabbed this former shed built in 1914.  The property came with a house which they promptly turned into their office. They turned their creative energies on designing an affordable and green "casita." I think they succeeded.

I first read about this home at the Tiny House Blog. Go check out their post on this house, if you are craving more info! This article has more eye candy. I'd love to see more "before" photos, wouldn't you?

****Photos courtesy of Gavin Parsons and azcentral.com

Perfect Timing...A Video of the Innermost House Just Released!

Talk about perfect timing! I write a post about the Innermost House and the next day I see that a video interviewing Diana is released on the Tiny House Blog. Enjoy seeing the house in 3D and listening to Diana speak about her choices! 

The Month of Courage: The Innermost House

Source

I have always been intrigued by those long-ago crazy mystics who lived by themselves on top of a mountaintop for twenty-years. I recently came upon this couple who seem to have the Modern-Day-Mystic-Thing down and I am in awe.

They reside in one of the most exquisite houses I have ever seen; many of the photos of the interior of their house look like a painting. Diana has a blog where she explains her intentions.  Their intense life-style is not for everyone (especially those with small children). But I have deep respect for those who live their lives authentically and when you read Diana's writing you realize that is exactly what they are doing.

Source

Who inspires me?
Diana from the Innermost House

What has she done that I find courageous?
Diana and her husband have whittled down their existence to living in a tiny, perfect home of only 144 square feet. They read by candlelight, eat salads and stews cooked over coals in their fireplace and spend their days in conversation. They take sponge baths, have no refrigerator and have people clamoring to join their discussions. Everything is done with great intention.

Where can you find out more?
 Innermost House. You definitely want to drool over more photos of the house.

Source

How to Make a Pocket Community a Reality....Quickly...

The Latest from those Amazing Folks at Tumbleweed Tiny Houses

Thanks to Sara at Feeding the Soil for inspiring this post!

I have been interested in sustainable building methods and community planning for almost ten years now. Over the years, I've been interested in Monolithic domes,  Cob Homes, Superadobe, Hexayurts and most recently Tiny Houses.

The Challenge

Going through the red tape of getting a community built can take years. How can one do it more quickly?

One Possible Solution

The Land

One family purchases the land and the other families pay a "community fee" (aka renting the land). A $300-400 community fee would easily help cover the cost of the mortgage.  Each family lives in their own "Tiny House." Most areas will allow a building with no permit as long as it is under the magic number of 120 sq feet. The nice thing about a "Tiny Village" is that you wouldn't need to buy as much land.

Or you could find a family who already owns a house and is interested in building a small community around their already existing home. The family could either continue to live in the house or they could move into a Tiny Home and the original home could become the Community Center.


The Houses

The most recent Tumbleweed Houses now come in kits which can be built in a weekend and are under $20,000, when you add in the extra cost of window, finishing the interior, etc... When you move you can take your home with you (either as a primary residence or use it as a yoga studio, guest house, and/or writing studio). I'm totally in love with the charming, new designs. This house may be my favorite.

Due to the nature of "Tiny Homes," residents spend much more time out in the community and outside in general. If there is more than one person living in the house, I would think it would be mainly used as a "Bunk House."


Community Space
If there is already a house on the property....then creating a Community Center would be easy.

If not, on the property you could have an Art House, a Library, a Children's Room, whatever needs arise. A temporary solution might be to use portable yurts as the community rooms.

 These folks might be a good place to go. I've been checking them out for awhile and they seem to have a decent product that lasts for a few years.


Utilities

Could be tricky, unless there is already an existing house on the property. Most people who live in Tumbleweed Tiny Houses are off-grid.


Throwing this idea out into the universe, although I know I'm definitely not the only one. Here are some people already in Austin thinking up similar plans. I can't wait see this idea coming into being!