This is our little house in town.
The Adventures of the Townies
Hard to believe a year has gone by since my last post about moving to this little house in town, but it's true. We began our adventure of living in town before Trump became our president. And we are not sorry about that - the move, not Trump.
The hectic month of packing, relocating and configuring all our stuff into this tiny home was an experience neither of us will soon forget, nor wish to repeat anytime soon. Most everything went well, but reading over the previous post, I will update on what did not go as planned.
The second bedroom that was going to be a craft/storage room also became the computer room. It did not become the sewing room mainly because there is a severe shortage of electrical outlets. The stereo and CDs also had to go. The sewing machine sits atop the little electric faux cast iron fireplace heater by the front door. It's actually pretty handy there, too.
The baker's rack did NOT fit inside the kitchen - not even close. A lot of my kitchen things are stored in the shed out back on the bakers rack,which does fit out there. I'm still not satisfied with the current pots,pot lids, pans and mixing bowls storage situation. It's in a cabinet that runs underneath the length of, and counter space surrounding, the double sink. Well, not quite the entire length since the hot water heater takes up some of that space. Biggest problem is it's too dark under there and, honestly, I don't enjoy the searching for what I need all the time. My bakers rack was much more utilitarian in that regard. I'm still working on ideas to remedy that dilemma.
One of the things that worked great was the bed on the buckets! It's comfortable and sturdy. The bedroom is still way too small for moving about with ease, but I don't think there is any other way to move stuff around or get rid of anything that will improve that. Might as well be content with it.
Hints for small spaces
The Living Area:
As I mentioned, we had lots of collectibles - and we still do. So, when space is at a premium, what do you do with collectibles and such? Easy - shelve them - so have used wall space aplenty in that way. I used two wooden corner shelf units to make one super tall one in the living area.
There it is. (That's me, btw)
I have a set of dining room furniture - a hutch and a buffet - and no longer have a dining room. So, what to do? The buffet makes a fine place to put the flat screen TV, the DVD player and the boxes required these days to obtain TV channels. The drawers and cabinets below it make a great place to store serving pieces, special china, and linens. If we want, we can bring in the 6 ft long folding table from the shed, move the recliners back and actually feed 6 - 8 people in the living room. So I still keep the nice napkins and table clothes, casserole dishes, bowls and kitchen stuff that won't fit in the kitchen. The hutch is still used to display my pottery and ceramics behind the glass doors above and the bottom cabinets are more storage (mostly empty except for some large platters).
The Kitchen Area:
I bought a sheet of white pegboard and all sorts of hooks to use in the narrow space between the stove and the wall. It can hold a large and small frying pan, colander, whisks, spatulas, and a small wire basket to hold smaller utensils that I need while cooking. A 60s gate-leg sort of folding table is doing well as an island in the center of the kitchen. Under that is a 3 drawer, plastic storage bin that holds plastic wrap, foil, baggies, plastic lids (did I mention I was in Tupperware sales for a short time?), coffee filters, etc.
The Closets:
The closet door in the main bedroom has a double over-door hook to hang a coat and a bathrobe, and whatever outfit I plan on wearing the next day, sometimes. The second bedroom closet door has a full-length mirror on it - it, too, is an over-the-door thing, so didn't need any hardware to hang it. The inside of the main bedroom closet has a place to store cosmetics and a small mirror to use during make-up sessions.
The Walls:
In each of the rooms, there are some collectible pieces. Salt and pepper shakers on shelves in the kitchen; beads, buttons, wire, ink stamping blocks and plenty of photos on the walls of the spare bedroom; shelves with those many small boxes I've collected adorn the main bedroom; I have sold a few of them and have NOT bought more(smiley face). The books are in the second bedroom in book cases which take up one corner of the room. Perhaps they will eventually be stored up higher on sturdy shelves leaving much more floor space, maybe even enough to place a futon couch so we could have a guest!!
It's a plan.
Tiny house living??
While I admire the tiny house movement and love the homes that I've observed on TV, I'm not convinced that our house qualifies as such. With the 300 sq ft of storage in the finished attic and the enclosed outdoor shed with another few hundred, the 500 sq ft of living space is much more accommodating than actual tiny houses, I think. Our bathroom is pretty small, but it does have a full tub. The kitchen is not exceptionally small and if it didn't have the washer and dryer in it, could have a dining table and chairs. But we opt to have a laundry.
I also think our bedroom, though cramped for movement, is larger than what I've seen in those tiny homes. And not to mention the spare room and a decent sized living room.
However, living in this smaller space has made us reflect differently on the space we once took for granted. It makes us realize that we don't really need all that space to live well. If we continue to empty out the stuff from the space we now occupy, things will only become more comfortable for us and our visitors. Possessions really don't mean as much as space, and space doesn't mean as much as being comfortable. And the other wonderful thing about a smaller home is it doesn't take nearly as much time to clean or as much effort to tidy up. And that's a huge plus for me.
WHAT ABOUT BEING A TOWNIE?
Don't get me wrong, I love the country. Trees and hills, open sky, flora and fauna mean a lot to us. Luckily, living in town here in TN doesn't mean we gave that up. We no longer have a "back 40" to wander in, but we do have a park within walking distance. We have our bird feeders, so have ended up still having the same assortment of birds within view. We've seen rabbits and deer in the yard. We have not had to deal with cows and goats getting in our yard, which is lovely. There have been no snakes around, no mice in the house, and no brown recluses or wolf spiders either.
Conveniences include being within walking distance of the post office, McDonalds, and the square, and that park I mentioned. Taking a short trip to the grocery store really is a short trip. And we lucked out with neighbors for the most part. On either side of us are very friendly and nice folks.
I recall that story of the country mouse and the city mouse. I always identified with the city mouse because I grew up in a small town in NJ that I thought was a city. It was close to the size of the town I now live in. It wasn't the country at all, that much I knew. While I was still at home, the parents moved to a country farmhouse here in TN and I found I enjoyed it in the country. However, having lived in both situations for some time, I do think I am content to identify with the city mouse again. Content, at least, while the city is more of a town and quite close to the country. Who says you can't have it all?
