CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT SOME ROOMS?
T inking fl exibly about your spaces is key, says Tillery. She doesn’t demand certain functions for certain rooms. A closet may be a dining room or a home offi ce. “I compartmentalize and shiſt spaces, so if a closet needs to be repurposed or a room needs to serve a couple of diff erent functions, then it happens,” she says. For her that included adding a small-scale crib to her daughter’s 9x10 room for the fourth child she’s expecting, and creating a play area for all the kids in some extra space in the boys’ larger room. “T ey were willing to make the change, even though it took space from them, so the baby could have somewhere to be!” she says. Prioritizing is paramount, says Aaron Able, managing editor of the popular
design website Apartment T erapy. “Is it more important for you to have a larger kitchen, or a second bedroom for guests?” Able asks. Finding a fl oor plan that expresses those needs can make a huge diff erence in the livability of the space. Make a list and include the size of rooms needed—then start to think whether living smaller will work, Able says.
ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE SPACE TO SAVE MONEY AND HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?
Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell and her husband didn’t get an expected windfall when they moved from Kansas City, Kansas, to a 480-square-foot lakefront cabin in Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains. So they ditched plans to build a larger home. T ey are making their snug quarters work, with unexpected fi nancial and environmental benefi ts. “In a home this size you become a lot more aware of what you’re using and what you’re wasting,” she says. “In our other house we had fi ve televisions. We just didn’t think about our energy use the same way as we do now.” A wood-burning stove is the only heat
source in the main structure. Because the electricity meter is on the side of the house, Fivecoat-Campbell has become acutely aware of every kilowatt. “I can really see it spinning when I use the dryer,” she says. She opts instead for the clothesline. Fivecoat-Campbell blogs about her
unconventional lifestyle (livinglarge-
inourlittlehouse.com) and gets over 100,000 hits a month. T e couple did have to build a 320-square-foot detached studio for her offi ce, but they continue to evaluate every purchase, big and small. “I don’t want to bring anything into the house that I don’t really need,” she says.
An alcove bed with built-in drawers turns a small space into a bedroom that is cute, cozy and totally functional. Curtains provide a sense of privacy.
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