Tiny Home Decorating
Hello everyone! Time for another update, this one focused on decorating a small home.
A lot of people ask me what it’s like living in a house that’s only 350 square feet. The quick answer is: I LOVE IT. It’s so simple and tidy. Easy to clean. Yet there are some gotcha’s. First, I think we were able to do this because we lost everything in the fire. Tiny homes can clutter; you have to be very careful about the amount of stuff that creeps into your life. Little art, little nicknacks, less clothing and shoes. The closets are small and while most tiny homes on wheels are designed with clever storage options like catwalks, drawers under the beds, couches, and stairs, and lots of shelving, I wouldn’t be able to stand this if we had too much stuff.
Second, because we have two adult sons, we put in not one but three tiny homes on wheels. They don’t actually live with us anymore, but I wanted them to have a bed in my home no matter what happens in life. Since they’re mostly empty, this solution has allowed us to live much more comfortably than if we only had one tiny home. One is an office/guesthouse, the other is the TV and exercise room. It works out well.
As for decorating, while Walt has been busy working on the outside structures like the porches, garage, and stairways (stay tuned, the Handy Man edition is coming next), I have been busy inside. The decorating process I’ve used in each house has been to go with a single theme based on an item and then go from there. In the case of two of the houses, it was the bedding that set the colors and theme. In the case of the other, it was the used couch and ottoman I acquired that was the focus. This trip to California, I was able to add some finishing touches. So let’s see what I’ve been up to.
THE BIG TINY
This is our main house. At 350 sf t’s the largest of our homes. It has a bed on the main floor, double the closet space, a ton of catwalk space, high ceilings, full kitchen, and full sized bathroom. In this house, I found the bedding first and decorated in yellow, blue, and white as a result. Last month, I painted it and put in the backsplash behind the stove. This has truly made it ours. Tiny art from Jessica Vaughn as well as fresh bouquets and a collection of trinkets have completed the look. Using a quilt to hide the stuff stored in the loft has been a lifesaver. This is the one we consider our home.
THE TINY LOUNGE
This house is technically my youngest son’s, but it’s also Walt’s TV room (hence the name lounge) as well as my exercise space. Since we didn’t put a table in front of the big window, I can actually put out a yoga mat and lift some weights!
This is the more modern of the three houses, with the bed up in a loft and a TV room and couch down below. The kitchen is the standard small setup with a two burner induction stove top and small beer fridge. When decorating this house, I started with the couch and ottoman, both found on Facebook marketplace. The black leather went with the modern design of the house and the woman who sold me the ottoman threw in the black and white rug, so I continued the look throughout the space. It’s super cool. At the moment, there’s not much in it, and I like it that way, but I do hope my son, who now lives in LA, will start coming up here even when we’re not for country visits.
THE TINY OFFICE/GUEST HOUSE
Technically my eldest son’s house, this is the guest house complete with it’s own parking spot as well as my office where I write and pray every day. It’s quite nice to have my own space like this whenever I want it. And many people have stayed here already. If you’re reading this and desiring a retreat of your own, reach out. We’d love to share the Big Trees with you.
Shortly after the fire, the local quilting club began to hold events where those of us who lost it all could come and get some quilts. We’d lost several that Walt’s grandmother had made and while we can never get those back, the generosity of these women moved me to tears. I found a quilt that I quickly fell in love with. I used it in both rentals and when we finally returned to the land, I decided to put it in this home and allow it to guide the decor. I truly love the end result. Books, a pair of rocking chairs, art by Jessica Vaughn, and my prayer altar finished the space.
