Thursday, May 3, 2012

Living small

I love small spaces.  I've always been drawn to them, and unless I've been reading too many ghost storied (in which case all doors in the entire house should be open), one of my favorite places to be is in the powder room with the door shut.

I just feel more at home, more cozy, in small rooms, in small houses.

It's something we've been thinking about a lot lately, since we're planning to sell our house and move in a year or so.  What do we really need.

I loved this article from Apartment Therapy today on living small, and what it takes to live in a small space.

AT defines anything "small cool" as under 1000 square feet for the purposed of their contest.  That would be about the size of our downstairs.  And I can honestly say (with certainty considering that we were happy in our previous, tiny apartment other than some noisy neighbors), that we could live happily with that number.

But we're next door to Texas y'all.  Even though it's completely reasonable for a house with three small bedrooms, two baths (or 1.5), a living room, a small kitchen, and a dining room to be that size, it's just not happening around here.

Plus, Brett and I can cohabitate in 1000 square feet.  Happily.  With three cats.  But add in another person, or two, and things get tricky.  Our next house, wherever it is, we're hoping is the one.  We want it to last us, our forever home.  So we need it to be big enough for us and kids.

I think the magic number for us is 1500 square feet.

Around 1500 square feet or less, in the city, with a small yard, preferably with an oak tree.

And off street parking.

If it comes with extras like original transoms and stained glass, and heart of pine floors, I'll be a very happy woman.

But what I need are small rooms, where I can sit with my husband and feel at home, watching Mad Men while our cats lay on our legs.  Maybe while a baby sleeps not too far away.