Sunday, February 22, 2015

Cottage Whimsey, sometimes a small home can be just what you need.

Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home Taking a home that is less than 1000 square feet(964SqFt) and making it fully functional can really be exciting and fun. The Not So Big House movement is really taking off around the country, tiny homes are popping up all over, and there is a very high level of strategy involved in planning for their layout and functionality. It's very challenging and fun to make everything fit in a not so big house. This is a summer home in Madison, Connecticut that I have been working on for about 5 years for a wonderful customer who just happens to live outside Paris, France. They have fantastic ideas of ways to take this small home and make it warm, inviting and spacious. Let me show you some of the features of this 964 soft home.

The living room is a very comfortable space, with lots of window space and the spiral staircase to the basement bed room tucked away in its own glass enclosure at the other end of the room.  The wall to the main section of the house has a bead board treatment as an accent wall, with a chair rail of flat stock tying it into the walls in the hall and kitchen area.
 floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison ConnNot so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, whiteecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
The entire house is painted in shades of white, giving it an airy feeling even with the existing low ceilings thru out. The ceilings took some extra work to blend the seams and give a white glow at such close range.



A reference that is never far from my side is Sarah Susanka's wonderful book The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live , she is a leader in making tiny spaces explode with potential, and I highly recommend her books for anyone.
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To create a driftwood look, the maple floors are finished with a white wash, "pickled", that really gives a warm feeling to the house in keeping with the white tones of the entire interior.
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
The Living room has a beautiful view of the marshes, and even in the dead of winter at 4 pm, the sunlight floods the room. In the mornings it is awash with sunlight, heating the living room by sunlight alone.

Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
The spiral staircase lends a very cool element to the living room, it is closed off with a glass door and windows to give privacy to the bedroom downstairs and painted gray with stair treads of maple "pickled" to match the floors.
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
Bead board on the ceiling carries the design element from the first floor to the stairwell and into the lower level in a unique way.


Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
The stairwell brings you to the basement bedroom and bath, allowing for a more private master suite or guest area. The detail in the trim keeps the cottage look with a flat "crown" moulding and bead board behind the bed. the ductwork is also hidden behind trim work with a custom  heating register that has a sliding over to regulate the amount of air by sliding it over the vents.
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
The stone floor gives it a rustic feel and some warm tones. For such a small area it feels large. The bathroom is to the right on the far end of the room.
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home

Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Susan Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
With a small window over the sink, this tiny bathroom (4x6 approx) feels spacious and inviting. Not cramped at all.
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
Back on the main level this bedroom makes use of cabinets installed on one wall to hide a TV and give plenty of storage for clothing. It also carries the headboard and flat "crown" style moulding in from the rest of the house. 
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home

Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
This third bedroom doubles as a children's room or home office, I like the bright splash of color, it warms the room up and makes it feel light.
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
The kitchen is compact, using compact sized appliances, a 24" wide refrigerator, and 24" wide range, to give the feeling of more space. It is a comfortable workspace and for having about 12' of cabinets it has a nice amount of prep space on the concrete countertops. 
Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
You can get a feel for the size of the house with this photo, The two bedrooms off the kitchen area and the living room at the end of the hallway show that it doesn't take much square footage to make a comfortable home.

Not so big house, bead board wall treatments, White walls, white floor, Sarah Susanka, Crown moulding, pickled looks, white floor, maple floor, Stone floor,beach home,cottage, waterfront, Madison Connecticut, marsh front, tiny home,small house, little house,  Bead board wainscoting, Beadboard, beachy, spiral staircase, concrete counters, built in cabinets, summer home
This is a rear view of the cottage, looking up from the dock area on the river. The Annabelle Hydrangeas are stunning as they bloom through out the summer, making this not so big house the perfect home for a family.

6 comments:

  1. This house is in Madison, Ct. Sorry I forgot to include that bit of information. And Shana, if it was outside of Paris, don't you think I would have come to visit you? I would love to see you again.

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    1. Hi Marie, Thank you for correcting me, I was so focused on making sure Sarah's last name was spelt correctly that I missed on the first name. My apologies to Sarah. It would be fantastic to have her link to my blog on Facebook! I'm a bit star struck, as she is such an amazing talent. Thanks for everything! Michael

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    2. Great! Thanks, Michael. I'll see if we can post a link today.

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