Problem with a small house
So Nora Bombay and I were out shopping, or more accurately, looking at stuff that we could or could not afford. Roaming around Expo, Home Depot's fancier store, Nora pointed out a big dresser, only $1,200. I balked. Not only was it more than I really wanted spend on furniture, I could never get it into my house.When I got my fridge the delivery guys had to take the front door off the hinges just to get the darned thing in. I had to destroy part of the stair railing to get it into the dining room. What was worse was this was not a huge fridge and it took a lot of effort to get it in. Lesson learned, I need to ask if I can get it through the front door before I buy.
This is one of the reasons why I like IKEA. Almost everything fits through the front door. I know some have forsaken IKEA, but most of it fits through the door that doesn't open all the way and can get through the narrow hallway. Just because of my front door alone, I've had to keep my furnishings small.
This Sunday I was walking around Georgetown admiring the houses. Not because of wealth or grandeur. Nope. I was looking at space saving solutions. Forget the big, mini-mansions and huge homes best suited for entertaining the King of Prussia. There are a number of dinky sized townhomes in Georgetown too. I was looking at rear balconies, alley side decks and patios, and if they left their windows wide open, interiors. Please note this is all from the sidewalk.
Inside some homes I saw what I'm going to call size appropriate furnishings. What was in the living rooms were moderate sized couches. None of these huge mammoth couches I've see in my suburban relatives' homes. Maybe the people of Georgetown have annoying front door problems too?
Back here in Truxton, IT (and B) has done a good job getting the most out of his small space home. There is no wall to create a living room or a dining room but they have done it with a couch and some other furnishing that I can't remember the name of.... Basically furniture creates space and it doesn't feel tiny. You know you are in a small space but you don't feel cramped.
Now if anyone wants to see how they (IT & B) pulled off the design then, you'll have to wait for the new Discovery Channel show, which I also can't remember the name of but it debuts in August (I think) and it is about decorating and designing with less than 1,000 sq. ft. of house. With any luck you'll see about 5 minutes of their house. 'Cause really it is so small, it takes just 5 minutes. But it will be the 5 minutes of your life.
posted by Mari @ 1.8.05
6 Comments:
This was a constant problem for me in DC. My houase was 12 feet wide, so getting things to work was a challenge. Ikea was helpful. So was Bo Concept in Georgetown, where I got a fabulous wall unit - it's sort of like Ikea, but raised to a higher quality level, and they come to your house and put it all together for you.
Of course now that I'm in Houston everything looks kind of small.
Most furniture stores, though, only have things suitable for McMansions.
is the hgtv show called "small space/ big style"?
I've been furniture shopping for my one-room apartment and have been seeing the same gargantuan stuff everywhere - I think it's because every new house (or highly renovated) has to have a 'Great Room' and how are you going fill up that space with regular sized furniture?
Thanks for the correction! I thought it was a Discovery thing, I'm wrong.
I got to thinking, M&K also have a 12ft wide house to deal with and have made the most of it housing themselves, the occassional sibling crashing and a mid-sized dog. When they put up the addition on the back the depth made up for the wimpy width.
I think Ikea should be looked at case-by-case. Sure, they have alot of cheap, expendable stuff great for dorm rooms, but they also have nice things comparable to what you might find at a BO...but still for alot less. You just have to plan to spend some time there to look over everything.
The solid wood stuff from Ikea is the best. The plastic components might be worthless but if the material is good then the product is a steal. Pillows and some other fabrics have a short shelf life anyways (dirt, stains, etc) so the quality is not a big thing as some are doomed for the rag pile anyways.
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