Small Space, Large Style

If you spend much time on Pinterest, or reading shelter magazines or blogs, you know that small space living is a big thing now. It's partially a reaction to the housing and economic downturn that we've been climbing out of, and it's partially driven by people who have had the big house, and are tired of cleaning it, maintaining it, and paying to keep the lights on in it. In my own work, more and more clients are coming to me wanting to downsize. They all want quality over quantity. They want beautiful cabinetry, high end finishes, but they don't want a bunch of rooms they'll never use or echoing great rooms that require a riding vacuum cleaner.

So, I've collected a number of pictures over the past year or so that highlight some great small spaces. They remind me of the kind of spaces you might find in a New York apartment (where even a mulit-million dollar budget means small space living), or aboard a beautifully crafted yacht. Then I took a handful of my favorite inspiration pins and brought them together into one beautifully crafted floor plan that is under 900 square feet.

First the inspiration photos:

This is a detail that I love in any size house...the bed set into a beautifully panelled niche.

Dresser as footboard! Genius! And makes the bed a cozy little cocoon.

Gorgeous but tiny kitchen.

Living room with generous built ins is small but very comfortable.

Who needs a huge guest room that only gets used a time or two each year? Here, a bed is built into an alcove. Great for guests, and a wonderful little reading nook the rest of the time!

 

So I decided to combine all of these inspiration shots into one house...and here is the result:

 

Here's the result. Hard to believe but its less than 900 square feet! In addition to the inspiration spaces, this little gem has a rotunda entrance, a skylit gallery leading to the sleeping spaces, two full baths, and a laundry area.

 

What do you think? Could you live here?

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