Tiny House Living - living large on a tiny footprint

Tiny house living has me thinking...

Good things do come in small packages after all.

Clearly I am not alone in considering downsizing at some point.  

It is not for us now, teenagers take up a lot of space and sometimes space is needed with teenagers :).  Thinking of it for later on, when it is just me & Pete and Emmett.

I could see us chillin' in a great room like this...

After the Decorating Tips & Tricks podcast episode on tiny houses aired we received a wonderful email from one of our listeners, Lynne.  

You see, Lynne & her husband JR recently downsized from their sizable family home to a 900 square foot home.  During the 5 months of intense renovation on the main house, they lived in a teeny guest house.  And guess what?  They loved it!

You can listen to that episode right here and then subscribe to never miss a free episode!

Lynne's email & our exchange that followed has open my eyes even wider to the beauty & benefits of tiny living.

I asked for photos & Lynne obliged.  I was WOW'ed.  Truly, tiny never looked so good.  Size didn't even come to mind as I gazed in delight at the oh so beautifully designed rooms. 

What did come to mind was comfort, style, beauty and freedom. ( freedom from daunting home maintenance & bills that is! )

Here is that fateful first email from Lynne.  She says it best, so take it away Lynne...

Oh my goodness! I'm listening to your tiny house episode right now and chuckling to myself!  From the first episodes that aired on HGTV, I was obsessed but thought those people were crazy!!!!

Well, two years ago, my husband and I decided to give up our beautiful 1910 craftsman bungalow to pursue our life dream of living on the shores of Lake Ontario.  We bought a 900 square-foot cottage and started renovating. While the renovations were going on, we lived in an adorable guest cottage that we had brought in, which fits on the opposite side of our lane. We lived tiny from May through October in that guest cottage , And then moved into the "big" cottage. Even though it wasn't finished, and still is under renovation, I couldn't be more pleased with our decision.

We have a lovely vintage and antique home decor shop (ellen j goods) , and so you know that I'm a collector, a finder, and I love all the stuff! Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult to get rid of 80% of our belongings ! Decorating a smaller home has forced me to be very selective, and I only use the things that I absolutely love.  Of course, I'm fortunate that when I find the next best piece, or want a different look, I can always turn over my belongings into our shop and sell them.

We love living on a smaller scale. We come home from work,  it takes me all of 30 minutes to clean my house once a week. And while we are still at the tail end of renovation, we project a pretty low maintenance house, which makes my husband happy.

We wake up to the most beautiful sunrises  and sunsets. We visit outside with our neighbors. My kitchen is small but absolutely functional,  I have lots of counter space, and a huge antique pantry cupboard.  Our master bedroom opens with sliders into the living area so we get to wake up in the morning to that gorgeous Lakeview. We have a tiny loft for napping or when grand babies come to visit, and an extra bedroom which is currently serving as the tool room. A huge bathroom, laundry room, walk-in closet, and a very spacious entry hall completes our layout.  We are currently making plans to do our permanent front deck, and a smaller back deck. So it's all about the outdoor living space. I adore our guest cottage, and I've had just the most fun decorating it . Every now and then, my husband and I sleep out back for a night .

Step into our home and you'll see lots of white, neutral, texture, architectural and industrial elements, vintage, and comfort.

We've never regretted our decision!!!! I was wishing during your whole discussion that I could have joined in with you!!!!

Love, love, love your podcast and that I get to join you in your passion for decorating!

Well Lynne, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your house!  And that you have joined us in our collective passion for decorating!

What I really admire about Lynne's decor is that it isn't 'tiny-ed' down, if you will.  Her style decor would work on a grand scale too, but her canvas just happens to be diminutive.  

Lynne & JR's tiny house doesn't look like a doll house, nor is it motor home like with built in and pull downs.  It is a real house with fabulous style, albeit on a small scale.  To my taste it is cottage perfection!  Oh and the wee sized guest house!  

Thank you to Lynne for opening our eyes wider to tiny!  I bet Yvonne is even considering it after seeing your photos!

Not only did Lynne & JR have the vision to perfect a small footprint they saw thru the before to the AFTER!  Truly a couple after my own heart. Have a look here at a collage of before shots of the tiny house & teeny guest cottage.

Ok, we need another AFTER now...

Ahhhh...that is SO much better!

If you love Lynne's style, like we love Lynne's style you can get a piece of it by visiting Lynne & JR's shop, ellen j. goods. 

Located at 433 Main Street in Historic Medina, NY, ellen j. goods is a delightful adventure in living the repurposed and re-styled life.

The shop offers unique pieces that range in style from Soft Industrial to French Country and Farmhouse Cottage to Retro Cool. Lynne offers custom painting & design services as well.

If you are lucky enough to live near by stop in or visit online at www.ellenjgoods.com.  

If you see anything you must have simply email or message Lynne.  She is happy to ship anything.  Of course you can join me and follow ellen j. goods on Facebook  & Instagram too.

Connecting with Lynne, and all our listeners through Decorating Tips & Tricks, is such an absolute delight.  To be able to bring together a whole community of kindred spirits who just 'get you' is a blessing.  

Thank you Lynne for emailing, sharing and moreover, for being a vital part of the DTT crew.  

If you haven't discovered Decorating Tips & Tricks ~ the podcast yet, what are you waiting for?  We are waiting for you!  

Hop on over to DTT HERE and subscribe, listen, enjoy, learn, laugh, email, call, suggest - join in the fun just like Lynne did!

While it is true good things do come in small packages, I think it is also true that ... good people live in small houses!

Thank you Lynne & JR for sharing your home & a bit of your life with us...

xx Kelly xx ... Yvonne & Anita too, of course!