When Laura Fenton Calls

And I answer questions about living small

The candles in the swing-arm sconces are flickering. Maggie Mae, sound asleep in her chair, gives a deep, groany sigh. Peanut is curled up on my feet here on the sofa, keeping them toasty warm. And I’m thinking about living small. Give me the cottage, the tent, the hobbit hole. Give me a just-big-enough place to tend, to nest, to settle in. I’m not sure when or from where the affinity for small spaces joined me, but it’s long been here, deep and abiding.

I was invited by Laura Fenton, author of The Little Book of Living Small, The Bunk Bed Book, and Living Small newsletter, to contribute to her lovely series, Small Takes. The article was published yesterday. Do have a read. How fun it is for me to talk about our twelve years living here in the little house, to pen answers to questions I’d not thought about before, to share insight and practical experience, and to inspire others to find their version of living small.

Welcome to all of you who’ve arrived here from there. I’m delighted you’ve come. You may enjoy poking around my archive here on Substack, or perusing my writing on my website. While you’re there, you can also find details about my design consultation services. But right now, loves, go ahead and scroll down to see a few more photos of our house that didn’t make it into the article. You can also find more on Instagram.

The sofa is a convertible (with a remarkable comfortable queen bed inside), covered in a custom slipcover made from painter’s drop cloth.

A linen shower curtain allows light from the small window in the tub/shower to flood the bathroom. Hooks allow many towels to be hung in limited space (and chocolate brown is a very good idea for a house full of boys).

The pedestal sink and glass shelf use less visual space than a vanity and solid shelf would. The mirror is hung by jute twine from an antique finial, the clock from a vintage brass hook. Above the toilet hangs a shallow cabinet that goes to the ceiling, offering sufficient storage space for our needs.

Nightstand nooks are tucked inside the wardrobes that flank the bed in the primary bedroom, with hanging storage above and shelf storage below. Vintage pull-chain sconces are fitted with silver bowl bulbs.

In the opposite corners of the primary bedroom are two additional floor to ceiling cabinets. Inside one is our stacked washer and dryer, inside the other are shelves, drawers, and a laundry hamper. Between them is my desk where all of my design work is done. The birds on the wall are pages from a vintage bird book.

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If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. I’d love to answer them!