Have you ever walked into Ikea, looked longingly at those cleverly-designed, clutter-free rooms and fantasized about giving all your stuff away to Goodwill and moving right in?
Yes, me, too!
What is it about those compact, neat, uncomplicated spaces that’s so appealing? Is it the desire for a simpler life? Or the desire to have fewer carpets to vacuum and bathrooms to clean? Or maybe we know that clearing out the superfluous in our lives allows us to focus on what’s really important?
I remember watching an episode of Oprah in which she featured different women, living in different parts of the world, focusing on the spaces they lived in and what their lives were like. One woman in Sweden was living in a small loft house with three kids. Her motto was “have less, live more.”
Wow! That really resonated with me.
I think the world is moving in that direction. We want less stuff and more life. We want to be greener, use fewer resources and spend less time on cleaning and upkeep and more time enjoying our families, our interests and the outdoors.
I know that in this area of affluence, where bigger is often better, it might seem counter-intuitive, but there are lots of reasons to learn to love living in a smaller house:
•Savings in mortgage, upkeep and decorating expenses.
•Less use of utilities—better for the environment and your budget.
•Technology means that we need less paper—more resources are online and even books can be stored on a kindle or an iPad.
•More family togetherness—bigger houses mean everyone can “escape” to their own space. Smaller houses necessarily bring you together.
•Less “house” encourages us to get outdoors more and enjoy the amazing weather we have here.
There lots of ways to make a smaller house seem larger and inviting:
•Using light colors for walls and window coverings open up the house and make it look clean and fresh.
•Decorating with mirrors give the illusion of more space.
•Creating outside “rooms” where you can dine and entertain give you more living space without paying for more square footage.
Whatever your circumstances—whether you want to learn to love a smaller home or trade up to a larger house, let me help you find the home that’s perfect for you.
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