BIG LIVES, SMALL SPACES
Resource: Decorstylemon.com
I live in a 7,600 square foot home. We have 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 2 game rooms and an indoor basketball court! Only two of us live there full time. It’s excessive. We hardly use fifty percent of the space.
I grew up in a 1,200 square foot home. Four of us lived there comfortably. Compared to many global standards, 300 square feet per person is roomy. Last summer I lived in Taiwan. I rented a 200 square foot studio with a shared kitchen. I was comfortable. The smallest space I ever stayed in was in Japan. I slept in a capsule hotel room that was just long enough for me to lay down and barely tall enough to sit up. I slept great.
Living in a capsule is not a viable longterm solution for most of us. We can however comfortably live with much less space than we often assume. This is especially true when the spaces are multifunctional. The small apartment pictured above includes a kitchen, bathroom, living room, dinning room, lounge bar, office, closet and a guest bed. This is possible because the space is transformational.
Our societies are transforming too. More and more people are consciously choosing to live with less. The simplicity, co-hosing and tiny house movements are evidence of this trend.
The economic reasons for living in smaller spaces are substantial. Small spaces cost less to build, maintain, heat and cool. They also create simpler lives with less to worry about.
Ecologically smaller spaces make sense too. Did you know that in the United States buildings are the largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions? Buildings expel more CO2 into our atmosphere then industry and transportation (USGBC Report).
After living in big spaces and small spaces, I’ve come to understand that it is not about the quantity of space, but about the quality of life that is important. It’s just as possible to live a big life in a small space. In doing so we save money and protect the planet too!
This article was archived on December 17, 2015.
I grew up in a 1,200 square foot home. Four of us lived there comfortably. Compared to many global standards, 300 square feet per person is roomy. Last summer I lived in Taiwan. I rented a 200 square foot studio with a shared kitchen. I was comfortable. The smallest space I ever stayed in was in Japan. I slept in a capsule hotel room that was just long enough for me to lay down and barely tall enough to sit up. I slept great.
Living in a capsule is not a viable longterm solution for most of us. We can however comfortably live with much less space than we often assume. This is especially true when the spaces are multifunctional. The small apartment pictured above includes a kitchen, bathroom, living room, dinning room, lounge bar, office, closet and a guest bed. This is possible because the space is transformational.
Our societies are transforming too. More and more people are consciously choosing to live with less. The simplicity, co-hosing and tiny house movements are evidence of this trend.
The economic reasons for living in smaller spaces are substantial. Small spaces cost less to build, maintain, heat and cool. They also create simpler lives with less to worry about.
Ecologically smaller spaces make sense too. Did you know that in the United States buildings are the largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions? Buildings expel more CO2 into our atmosphere then industry and transportation (USGBC Report).
After living in big spaces and small spaces, I’ve come to understand that it is not about the quantity of space, but about the quality of life that is important. It’s just as possible to live a big life in a small space. In doing so we save money and protect the planet too!
This article was archived on December 17, 2015.