I think it all depends upon your definition of living well. And I do not think the 540 square foot area represents their entire "space." For instance, I would hazard a guess that these people have a mighty big storage space somewhere for all the stuff that doesn't appear in the photos, like Christmas stuff, winter clothing, photos, keepsakes like children's art, etc. They might have a second home. There are many missing pieces from this story.

Good ideas abound, though---- built in bookcases, built in sofas/daybeds, white paint--- all very effective but none really new. You can live in a very small space if you eschew personal possessions, hobbies, etc.

I think a lot of this tiny house interest is a long overdue pendulum swing from the McMansions with huge square footage and no quality finishing. Most people can find the right house size for their family size, taste and budget somewhere between the two extremes.

I've seen that house before and agree with kswl. This is either a 2nd home or there is unseen storage. It looks nice, but not really comfortable, IMO.

I read a Martha Stewart living article that said at the time they had just finished a walk in closet in one of the barns (previously she and her husband shared 36" of hanging space), so I think they have lots of storage space now. Might not be winterized storage space!

It's very cute. It would be a great vacation home. I admire those who can happily live in small spaces. And I'm definitely not a fan of ridiculously oversized homes that just seem wasteful.

But personally, I can't stand not having enough storage. There has to be a happy medium with room for everyone's needs, without being excessive. I think around 2500 *well planned* square feet would be ideal for my family.

Now that we're empty nesters I find that day-to-day I actually "live" in a relatively small area of my home's square footage. I think I could be happy in a small home like this as long as it had lots of natural sunlight.

My DH would go stir crazy in a tight space, though, unless it came with a large yard and workshop. And we still need room for visiting grown kids/grands and for hosting major holidays.

My DS & his family have lived in Denmark for several years. The philosophy there is, Less Stuff, More Life. The homes there amaze me with their great use of space and I've come to really appreciate Scandanavian design principles.

No doubt there are storage issues/needs. I do know this is their only house, though she mentions the eventual need to size up as the kids age in the article. I liked how spacious the kitchen and living room ended up looking. The kids' room doesn't seem to be bad space, all things considering. And, the bathroom looks great - even if small. I loved the wall of bookcases. My reaction to many of these very small homes is no way - but this lay out seems smarter and airier and more livable than many of them.

I also thought the white palette with touches of natural wood, consistent throughout, helped give an illusion of space that likely wasn't there.

I like it and have also seen it before. As others have said, not everyone needs huge rooms, huge houses, huge amounts of storage (as I constantly remind DH ). I also think that anyone who has lived in Europe or many other countries may understand better that less is not necessarily negative at all.

I lived on a sailboat for several years and have intimate knowledge of living with the bare essentials. Again, no hobbies that need any amount of gear are really possible.

In the example house, it wouldn't be possible for this couple's children to take piano lessons and have anything other than a very small keyboard on which to practice. And entertaining isn't possible in a house that small. There is nothing inherently "wrong" with it, but it would allow no semblance of gracious living.

While I am not on the small house bandwagon, I do think gracious living can be accomplished in any house size and really doesn't have to do with the space, but the host. It's about manners, not money.

I was referring to entertaining mainly, Bumble, and having the space for artistic pursuits, not money or lack thereof.

I know, but entertaining can be small or outside or even, elsewhere.
The size of the house has nothing to do with offering a friend a cup of tea and cookie in a lovely setting. That is gracious living.

gra·cious (grā′shəs)

adj.

1.

a. Characterized by kindness and warm courtesy: gave the guests a gracious welcome.

b. Characterized by tact and propriety: responded to the insult with gracious humor.

c. Condescendingly courteous; indulgent: was always gracious toward the servants.

2. Merciful or compassionate. Used especially of God in Christianity and Islam.

3. Characterized by elegance and good taste: gracious living.

4. Archaic Enjoying favor or grace; acceptable or pleasing.

interj.

Used to express surprise or mild emotion.

One thing that house appeared to have that would make it possible for my family to live in a smaller abode is land. Of course everything depends on climate, but having somewhere to escape to seems essential to me, but part of that is because I need to be away from people to recharge my batteries (even if or especially when the "people" are my people). It was hard to tell from the pictures if the parent's loft had a door or not but that is also one luxury I would need. Historically have entire families all slept in the same quarters? Obviously yes, and the population still increased but I still want a door. When my kids move out, I would not mind a smaller house but I also think any small house I have needs to have 2 toilets.

I guess it's a matter of opinion, Bumble, but not being able to host a child's birthday party, or have Christmas or Thanksgiving for one's extended family doesn't fit my personal definition of gracious living Good for the self sufficient, though!

"I also think any small house I have needs to have 2 toilets." This.

Shepherds' HutsSteph, you will like these darling shepherds' huts in the UK. I love looking at the pictures even though I know it isn't a remote possibility for me to live in such a space!

Shepherds' Hits in the UK

I agree with Bumblebeez that it depends on what is meant by "entertaining". A home of about 500-600 sq. ft. wouldn't support a party crowd of 50 people. But it's sufficient to entertain a dinner party with 10-15 guests comfortably. My folks even had dances after dinner when they hosted a dinner party at our condo. Both the modern kind (rock-n-roll, disco) and the old-fashioned (waltz, tango). Of course, some furniture got pushed against the wall or moved to another room.

Also, my mom had three fine china sets plus crystal glassware, which my Grandma regarded as frivolous. Since we typically hosted two or three gatherings around the winter holidays, and a few more throughout the year, the fancy sets were worth the expense (at least in my mom's eyes!).

What is good about small spaces is that things, which aren't useful anymore, do not sit here for ages. Outgrown toys, books everyone lost interest in, unneeded housewares, etc. get disposed of faster when space is at premium.

On the other side, all too often people buy things for a lifestyle they want to have, not the one they actually have. A classic example is exercise equipment. My DH bought a stationary bike years ago, but never uses it. Turns out, he's much more into riding a real bicycle outdoors. I'm nudging him to dispose of the stationary bike, but he isn't 'ready'. In a smaller home such a purchase would be less likely to happen because of lack of storage.

One solution to entertaining, say when family comes from out of town, that I thought quite insightful was to rent a place, whether it be a cabin, vacation home, or whatever. It is an idea that makes sense, you pay the price for that event or time period which would still be cheaper than owning a place for those few times a year when family come down. There are ways to make it work. I do often find small space ideas inspiring and have taken it to heart to make the space that I have work for my family instead of dreaming of adding on to my current home, but one thing that seems essential in small spaces is smart design and smart storage. It is amazing how many large homes are built without taking into account where things will actually go.

This incredible dwelling in France started out as a tiny garage. Very imaginative use of space and the architect is obviously very proud of his work. A single man lives there.

This French Home Used to be a Garage

Thanks a lot for the links to other examples. The shepherd's huts remind me of gypsy caravans, which resonate with my bohemian nature even if I would have a hard time living in most of them. They have such a character. I also really appreciate the conversion of the garage/stables in France. I think that was cleverly done. I've certainly lived in apartments that were not much bigger with a much less desirable sense of space. Those tall ceilings help - as does the way the architect managed to bring light into the space.

I know these aren't for everyone - and aren't as workable for all lifestyles at all stages of family/aging. But, I'm drawn to the spirit of smart, small spaces much more than McMansions, that's for sure - especially when they show the kind of creativity and character seen in the examples here. Which they wouldn't if they were mass-produced, I suppose.

That being said, I live in a 1,000 SF house and am constantly whining about needing JUST SIX MORE INCHES in any given direction. Of course, it's a ranch built in the 1950's without much regard for the "smart" part of small house design seen today. With very short ceilings. Oh, and a huge shop/storage in the backyard.

My cousin lives in a very small beach house and saves her big entertaining for the summer when everyone heads outdoors. Unfortunately, she is also a pack rat which makes the bitty house very crowded. But the setting is worth it for sure.

For the amount of entertaining more than ten people that I do, I could halve my house and rent a place a couple of times a year. Our house at 2100sf is much too big for me and dh. We moved from a 1300sf condo which was so poorly laid out, it seemed very small for us. My hope is/was to turn this place into a family home. If that doesn't work out we'll definitely move somewhere smaller. My husband misses the low maintenance aspect of condo life. I don't miss the endless memos and new rules! So maybe a small house or townhouse instead.

Thanks for sharing these examples, kswl2. The garage conversion is so smart. Looks like a very efficient place for a single person who travels on business a lot. At the same time it has certain charm because of the historical neighborhood.

Shepherd's huts look like predecessors of our modern motorhomes! I doubt they were used as a main residence. Perhaps the exception were single shepherds who chose not to put roots anywhere.

I know a family who uses their motorhome as guest quarters. They live on an acreage in the country, and their house is a smallish 70's ranch. It's sufficient for the family but not much room for out-of-town visitors. The motorhome sleeps 6, I think. I stayed in it twice and it was quite comfortable.

I love that garage conversion, it would be a great pied a terre in a city or on the beach, but for a single person only!

My house is 1200 sq.ft. and just right for me. I have plenty of storage which includes a full attic over my garage that's only minimally filled.

The other night I was up all night sick, a lot of running back and forth from bed to bathroom. I would have broken my neck several times in that house, although I was feeling so awful, I might have welcomed it.

Thanks for sharing this house. I liked it all except for the loft bedroom for the parents. To me that is just not doable.

I lived in a small apartment when we were first married. I had a number of parties with large groups of people. Yes, it might have been a bit crowded, but it worked!

Talking about small, my daughter just bought a co op that is 300 square feet. (Listed as this, but I really think it is smaller.) It is now gutted and we are helping her figure out how to get storage and closet space. When looking at an apartment this small, you think in terms of inches rather than feet.

My husband actually found some usable space (a small cubby) that goes from my DD's apartment out to under the hallway stairs. Not sure what we can do with this little space, but we are defintely going to use it.

Ellen, here's an idea that might be of some help too. A couch with a storage underneath. I had one in the past and it worked great for me. I stored my out-of-season footwear in the box under the seat. Most people use the storage for bedding, though.

I don't get the fascination writers seem to have for these small homes--the articles keep coming and coming. My husband and I lived in a 192sq' trailer for more than five years. We didn't have extra, exterior storage. Whoop-dee-doo.

I love this in theory but after living in a small space (family of 4+ large dog) I can say it was isolating. We rarely had "parties" if we did it was 1 other family and we dreaded it raining and having to bring the party inside. If we had a party barn we would have stayed.

I agree withSKWL2 it needs another bathroom to be livable. Also I can't imagine not having a bathroom on the same floor as the MB.

I don't think it's fair to promote a small house as being ALL the people need to get by, only to learn they have a bunch of extra storage (or closets or entertainment barn, or whatever) in another part of their property. If we didn't have a shed in the backyard and a garage for the washer/dryer/other storage, then our small house would be downright cramped.

I agree. I'm not even that into clothes at all, I have 7 linear feet of hanging space in my closet (5 feet with 2 feet doubled) plus a coat closet, and I am ready to stab people at all times over how stuffed my closet is.

There's a Yahoo article about a single woman living in 900sq feet in Manhattan for $750/month. She has a toaster oven, microwave and a hotplate, which comprises her kitchen. A small sink, and a mini-frig. She doesn't even has a bathroom! And shares one with her neighbour. That's just too small!

I think she actually lives in 90 square feet!

How one New Yorker lives "comfortably" in 90sf

I cannot think that it is a legal "apartment" by any stretch of the imagination. It's a room. I wonder if it's legally classed as a room sublet in a larger apartment?

My closet is bigger!