Amanda Jones is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on sustainable living and decorating a home in way that is good for the environment. See the rest of her articles here.
In a previous article I wrote about how my husband and I now sleep next to the kitchen sink. We gave up our bedroom to accommodate both our adult daughters living at home, you can read what I wrote here. Several months on from reconfiguring our living spaces, I have to say, I absolutely love living in our small space.
I’ve never lived in a large house, I grew up in very average UK, three bedroom, semi-detached, or terraced homes. The first home I owned as an adult was a terraced villa, built at the turn of last century, to house the managers of the local railway. It was the largest house I’ve ever owned, having three double bedrooms and two reception rooms. A lovely house but the downside for me was its lack of garden, a small handkerchief-sized patch with no sun. As a keen gardener I longed one day to have a bigger space to grow flowers and vegetables.
After my first daughter was born, we moved into a much smaller house, with a larger garden. On paper this might not seem very sensible, usually when starting a family people opt for bigger living spaces, not smaller. I’ve no regrets though, as I love our home and garden.
When I started decluttering our home, and learning more about minimalism in 2015, I also started to learn about the Tiny House Movement. I was instantly intrigued and inspired by the people who lived in these tiny houses. I loved the essentialness of these homes, how they focused on just what they needed, and how efficient they were with their spaces.
This interest has continued, I love Tiny House content on YouTube, and I’m a subscriber to the magazine Never Too Small which is always full of inspirational small spaces.
The Tiny House Movement, however, didn’t invent the concept of small space living. Across the globe there are many more people living in tiny spaces, alongside their extended families, than in four-bedroom detached properties, that we see in western societies. Here larger more spacious homes are often seen as a symbol of achievement and success.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a large house, maybe that’s why I’ve adapted well to eating, sleeping and living in one room.
Again, this was my choice, I can’t imagine anything worse than trying to raise a family in temporary accommodation, where you do everything in one room and don’t have housing security. We own our own home, and that security is gives me peace of mind.
Essentially, my husband and I have created a studio apartment, and several months on, we are seeing the benefits. Yes, we’ve reduced our living space, but we’ve also reduced the amount of housework we do too. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a win, win!
We might share the kitchen with our daughters, but there is an expectation that we all clear up our own mess, (although I do still find myself saying 'dry them, please' way too often!). We can now deep clean our space in an hour max, taking a fraction of the time and energy it once took us to clean the whole house.
Having a smaller space means I’m even more intentional and considered with what I bring into my home. Every item must work extra hard, otherwise we would very quickly become overwhelmed with stuff. Everything in the room has a solid purpose, sometimes practical, sometimes aesthetical, but always intentional.
We also use our space efficiently; no space is wasted, every inch counts. How many of us live in homes where we only really use 40% of our space, or our belongings? It seems a ridiculous waste, doesn’t it. Especially when you consider the cost of real estate.
Ok, so maybe we are only ‘playing at' small space living, we still live in a 2.5 bedroom house that we having to heat and maintain. Imagine the savings we would have if we truly lived in a Tiny House. It would cost a fraction in heating, decorating, and furnishings, and the overall maintenance costs would be much lower too, and that to me is very appealing
Small Space Living isn’t for everyone I know, and not everyone would be happy to do what we have. Will I move our bed back upstairs, if/when one of the girls moves out? I’m not sure, maybe we would turn the bedroom into a living room, so the daughter still at home, could have more rooms.
If I won the lottery, would I go out and buy a large house, with big rooms and lots of bedrooms? No, I don’t think I would, (although I would certainly make sure both my girls have a home of their own). Personally, I would rather buy a plot of land, build myself a Tiny Home, and live very happily, knowing it will take less than hour a week to clean, and a fraction of the cost to run.
