Nurture a Small-Home Mentality
Tiny Homes for Big Minds; Small Homes Make Sense in Global Village
Apr 21, 2008
In the 1950s, the average new home in America was just under 1,000 square feet. By 2005, the National Association of Home Builders, found that the current new home size was just under 2,500 square feet. That’s a lot of space, especially when you consider that the average family size has shrunk.
While some people seem to be embracing the “More is Better” attitude, others are taking a bit more responsible approach and trying to decrease the footprint they leave behind. This doesn’t just include reducing energy consumption, using fuel efficient vehicles, recycling but it also embraces the idea of maintaining a smaller residence (and only one residence).
In fact, homes that were once referred to as starters, mainly because of their size, are losing this distinction as more people are getting onboard with the smaller home concept. Although it’s doubtful that the idea of a growing family needs a bigger home will go away in the near future, it is possible that singles, childless couples, and smaller families will see the value in living in a smaller environment.
Many articles have been written on living and decorating small spaces and there are a lot of benefits. You can purchase less furniture, but it’s easier to afford the really nice, high-end pieces. It’s much easier to change the whole decorating scheme of your home, easier and less expensive. It costs less to run your home and you’re saving energy. There’s less space to clean. The list goes on and on, but there is one huge disadvantage to living in a very small home and it goes hand-in-hand with feng shui beliefs: living small can lead to small thinking. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the little details when they are the focus of your home life, which can lead to an inability to reach for big goals, dreams and a distancing from the “big picture”.
If you are thinking about or have moved into a small home there is one design element that everyone should incorporate and embrace to make their home much more pleasant and keep you in touch with the world around you, and that is big thinking. Do this by giving your home some oversized companions. Go for the huge accent piece that draws attention to itself and minimizes the importance of the smaller pieces. Use oversized chairs rather than a couch, or get a large sectional couch that is almost imposing, try large pieces of artwork, paint one wall a vibrant color. Whatever touch you decide upon, make sure it make a big statement, one that keeps you from seeing the world in a miniature scale.
