Fun Stuff
Fun Stuff
Maxi, Mini?
No, I'm not talking about skirts - could, but we won't go there.
I'm talking about maximizing or minimizing our domestic space.
I'm of the generation when as the middle class started to prosper, our parents and my own generation graduated to bigger spaces as soon as the finances allowed it. What luxury to have more than one bathroom for the entire family of seven!(For some of our grandparents having an INDOOR bathroom was really uptown.) A two car garage and a family room were dreams come true.
Watching some of the home improvement shows makes it clear bigger hasn't gone out of style. Currently on the list of must haves for many a family is a bathroom for each bedroom, a man cave, separate family rooms for the children and adults, and a three car garage. Due to improvements in insulation and building materials, almost everyone wants a large and spacious open common area featuring kitchen, dining, and living room.
But there's always a backlash.Was downsizing even a word in the English vocabulary fifty years ago?
Now it's as common for the older crowd as a knee replacement. And some couples get a head start, selling their four bedroom homes as soon as the last child moves out in order to purchase something with less footage and a smaller mortgage.
Then there's minimalism.. Save the environment, make a smaller footprint, stop accumulating material goods! And I mean some of these converts take this very seriously. Have you seen one of those four hundred square foot homes, a glorified efficiency apartment? Suddenly this guy or gal wearing the three hundred dollar pair of jeans has cut down their wardrobe to fit into a closet too small for the average person to even stand in. The bathroom is just big enough to put in the commode, a small sink, and maybe a small shower stall. Where they keep their soap and their towel is a mystery. An electronic book reader eliminates the need for bookshelves, the lack of furniture and space for dishes means you get out of hosting holiday dinners.
It's all fascinating to me, one of those sensible people who wants a small mortgage but room enough to extend my dining room table far enough to accommodate eight.
Watching other people make these choices means you're in on the process but don't have to live with the decision yourself.
Are there any television series out there about moderation? Probably not; it isn't nearly as interesting.
Moderation may not be interesting, but I embrace it with enthusiasm!
ReplyDeleteI've lived small and large, and I like medium best. I don't think I ever had a 400-square-foot apartment, but I rented ones not much larger before buying my first house (two bedrooms, one bath, one dining room, one living room, one kitchen, one sun porch). It was easy to clean, but it was a cramped when relatives had to be put up overnight -- and uncomfortable when they stayed any longer.
George and I inherited a 4,000 square-foot house with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, one formal living room, one formal dining room, two dens, one breakfast room, one informal dining room (yes, three rooms for eating), a large kitchen, and a man cave that was originally a playroom large enough for both ping pong and pool tables. Cleaning it exhausted me, and it was too easy to keep unnecessary stuff we'd inherited along with it, because we had room for it. Especially since we also had a two-bedroom, two-bath house adjacent to it!
Two years ago, we built a relatively moderate-sized house -- but we did choose one with both informal and formal dining rooms large enough to hold tables that seat eight. They're a luxury, but we've used both for large gatherings, including a dinner party for 14 and a buffet for more than 20. We've also enjoyed being able to accommodate a friend, her husband, and their daughter with two guest rooms.
By many standards, it's a big house . . . yet it's moderate for our development, which ranges from sections with very small homes to sprawling mini-mansions with seven or more bedrooms and multiple kitchens (often, one on the main level, one in the basement, and an outdoor "kitchen" on the patio. Quite often, according to a real estate agent we know, those homes are mortgaged to the maximum. We own ours outright, and that is the very best part.
That's the thing: some people do get wiser with age, and decide they don't want that albatros of a huge mortgage hanging around their neck. We're of that mind set, too.
DeleteWhenever I see photos of a huge house my Dutch sensibility kicks in and the first thought is hoping the owner also has enough of a bank account to pay somebody to keep all of those bathrooms clean!
A tiny house was appealing until I realized what I would have to give up. No more dishwasher and I would possibly end up at the laundromat every week.Not to mention my husband and son are big people.(My son is 6'9".) A tiny house may be do able for one but otherwise it would be a bit snug.
ReplyDeleteWhen my sister was in between houses they lived in an apartment.The most challenging thing? Storage. There was just no place to put things. And then try and build a tiny house and you'd find out the city zoning doesn't allow for tiny dwellings. It was fun to dream about though!
Right, you aren't supposed to have enough material good to Need storage. And from
Deletewhat I've seen these minimalists are singles living alone. So, no need for a dishwasher
either. Another situation individuals who want to keep things very simple choose is living on a boat. Usually that provides some more square footage to work with and solves the city zoning issue, but no doubt raises other challenges.
Do you suppose with having only a few clothes the real extreme minimualists use a wash tub or something? That wasn't covered in the video either.
As long as there are two bathrooms I can probably make do. :)
ReplyDeleteI happen to know that is because there are Two of You in your household! Obviously
Deleteyou aren't going completely minumal. :)
MODERATION! Sigh, what a wonderful way to live. I chuckled about the small closet - when I moved into a 1890 Victorian home, my closet was just about big enough to stand it if there were no hangers or clothes. I decided that I either needed a wardrobe or would manage to fit into my space. It wasn't as hard as you would think to fit into a small space, and now I like it. My rule of thumb to keep within bounds has been that if I buy a new blouse, I MUST dispose of one of the blouses I no longer wear. Same with shoes, etc. Can't buy something new without trading it for something I already have. Slows down the buying because I have to think about what I will give up in order to have this new thing. LOL
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point; moderation means having some boundaries, too.
DeleteThese old houses don't have any closet space. The average individual didn't have many clothes in the 'old' days. Our house is a complete re-do, but the closets are still small
and well, minumal. We bought a wardrobe for our coats, and store off season clothing
away in the basement.
Aha! Just had a thought, a tiny house, but with a basement. That would make a
difference.
I like boundaries, too.
ReplyDeleteBut, I confess that I now have a HUGE closet -- big enough that we tucked six bookcases, a fireproof safe, and my desk inside the closet, and we still have unused space. It's a luxury.
That closet sounds like the size of my bedroom. :)
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