In the movie Enough Said, James Gandolfini's character asks: "Why do women like things that look like they belong to children?"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus replies: "You know what I love? Dollhouse furniture. I would eat it if I could."
Lately I've been obsessed with Tiny Houses. Not sure if this is just part of a broader female obsession with all things miniature as the above exchange suggests, but I love them. Tiny porches, tiny chimneys, and tiny shutters!
Cuteness aside, I find the concept of living on less appealing - especially when you consider the average house size in the US has doubled in the last 40 years, even though family sizes are much smaller. (I know this because a documentary told me.) 2 houses in my parents' neighborhood were recently bulldozed to make way for a 9,000 square foot behemoth that will house a family of 4. That's 2,250 square feet per person. That seems just as insane as trying to live on a much smaller scale. The home I grew up in is roughly 60 years old and has 4 bedrooms (5 if you're desperate) and 2 bathrooms. It's also the home my mother grew up in with her sisters... All 6 of them. By today's standards, that's a lot of people (GIRLS!!) in one home that size.
Even if you admire the concept of tiny homes as I do, you still probably think it's extreme - "Where would you keep all your stuff?" or "How would you entertain guests?" I think these are a couple of reasons why a small house would be ideal... I don't want to mindlessly accumulate more things (books, movies, and thimbles being the exception) nor do I want to pay for a great big house for the sole purpose of maybe entertaining large groups every once in a while. I just don't know that many people. If we do get together, let's meet at a restaurant or a movie. Let's congregate outdoors for a barbecue or have a picnic. You can still come over, I just might not have a living room that seats everyone comfortably.
So, how tiny is tiny? I will admit that some tiny houses are probably too tiny for my taste. Like, 125 square feet tiny. Most of these are usually relocatable homes on wheels - the kind a modern-day Laura Ingalls Wilder might settle down in while on the prairie. Personally, I would want something permanent with a bit more square footage. Mobility is nice, but that's what camper trailers are for. And some tiny houses really are just glorified camper trailers.
Anyway... If you have Netflix, you should check out a documentary called Tiny: A Story About Living Small. Then if you're game, maybe we could be tiny house neighbors. Because how cute would that be??
Cuteness aside, I find the concept of living on less appealing - especially when you consider the average house size in the US has doubled in the last 40 years, even though family sizes are much smaller. (I know this because a documentary told me.) 2 houses in my parents' neighborhood were recently bulldozed to make way for a 9,000 square foot behemoth that will house a family of 4. That's 2,250 square feet per person. That seems just as insane as trying to live on a much smaller scale. The home I grew up in is roughly 60 years old and has 4 bedrooms (5 if you're desperate) and 2 bathrooms. It's also the home my mother grew up in with her sisters... All 6 of them. By today's standards, that's a lot of people (GIRLS!!) in one home that size.
Even if you admire the concept of tiny homes as I do, you still probably think it's extreme - "Where would you keep all your stuff?" or "How would you entertain guests?" I think these are a couple of reasons why a small house would be ideal... I don't want to mindlessly accumulate more things (books, movies, and thimbles being the exception) nor do I want to pay for a great big house for the sole purpose of maybe entertaining large groups every once in a while. I just don't know that many people. If we do get together, let's meet at a restaurant or a movie. Let's congregate outdoors for a barbecue or have a picnic. You can still come over, I just might not have a living room that seats everyone comfortably.
So, how tiny is tiny? I will admit that some tiny houses are probably too tiny for my taste. Like, 125 square feet tiny. Most of these are usually relocatable homes on wheels - the kind a modern-day Laura Ingalls Wilder might settle down in while on the prairie. Personally, I would want something permanent with a bit more square footage. Mobility is nice, but that's what camper trailers are for. And some tiny houses really are just glorified camper trailers.
Anyway... If you have Netflix, you should check out a documentary called Tiny: A Story About Living Small. Then if you're game, maybe we could be tiny house neighbors. Because how cute would that be??
1. Thanks for your nice response to my epic blog comment a few pages back. I meant to respond but I had too many feels, you know?
ReplyDelete2. I really liked this post. I live in a house that sounds almost identical to the one you grew up in. (Also by Evergreen Jr./Olympus, and about as old, so it's quite likely by the same architect or something. Anyway.) I tell Earl that I want this to be our forever house. We just don't need huge his and her walk-in closets or eighty thousand bathrooms. I'd much rather stay here and make this house sustainable. Plus, even assuming we did have the money to buy a bigger home, I'd much rather use that money to have experiences, not more square footage. I don't want a his and her walk-in, but man would I like to visit Ireland.
3. Lastly, I can't even keep our house clean as it is. 2,000+ square feet per person? WHO HAS TIME TO CLEAN THAT?
My husband is in love with the idea of tiny houses and simple living :) It does sound so refreshing!
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