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??
