My 95 year old mother in-law lives in a Granny Flat, she came west from cold Ohio to live behind her sons home in warm San Luis Obispo 15 years ago. Evelyn climbs the exterior staircase to her one bedroom 400 sq ft apartment above a garage. I was inspired to build my own studio […]
AIA Tour in PDX = small + smart
I wanted to share the highlights of the AIA Portland, 2013 Design Matters: Tour of Exceptional Portland Homes. It was in conjunction of the Portland Design Festival. It started with a bit of a drizzle and by the end of tour the sun was out- so PDX. Most of the homes were owned by the […]
French Garage Makeover
Hi all! Happy New Year! I’m getting back into the swing of things finally and today, I have a fabulous garage make-over to share with you – all the way from Bordeaux! (You all know how I have a thing for garage projects!) This tiny 441 sq. ft. space was designed by the ingenious team at […]
Airstream Dreams
Downsizing is all about priorities. What do you really need to live, work and play? What are the essentials? Arriving at a place where your space is smaller may actually lead to a larger lifestyle. Mobility, less financial burden, a clutter free existence – FREEDOM! So, I love it when I see successful people living […]
Skinny Homes around the World
With the biggest food themed holidays just around the corner, not many of us are focusing on skinny (there’s plenty of time for that in Januray)! But it looks like “skinny” is a growing trend around the world as land becomes more scarce and people continue to downsize! Check out these “skinny” homes from around […]
Pdx Love: Kask Bar
Hello friends! You know I’m a total sucker for re-used, re-cycled and re-purposed when it comes to building so when I found this fabulous bar in Portland it was love at first sip! Meet one of the newest, hippest and greenest bars in Pdx – KASK! This intimate cocktail lounge serves up delicious concoctions on […]
Building room for your hobbies : Weaving Studio
Just recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Leah Hersey of Jersey Girl Weaving. She’s a client of mine and when she told me about her home studio, I wanted to know more! Over tea and snacks, she told me the story of how her newly built studio was born. Leah has always had a […]
Small Spaces : A Jewel Box of Ideas
Hello! Hope your summer is going well. Mine has been very busy – working, gardening, planning my remodel and visiting with family and friends! Finally had some time to check out the internet for some inspiration and I had to share this with you… Found this amazing design contest via Jovoto, that has closed but […]
Sheds on the brain…
Hello! Hope your week has been going well! Right now, I’ve got sheds on the brain. You see, after much thought we have decided to renovate the detached garage of our rental home. Inspired by the many garage remodels that I have seen recently, I’ve taken the leap and started my own! Don’t worry, I […]
Fabulous Swedish Apartment
Hello friends! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! We had far too much rain here…although it did allow me to spend some time finding inspiration online. I am constantly amazed at the endless sources of gorgeous ideas on downsized living. When I found this amazing loft in Sweden via here, I knew I had to […]