Thanks for all the wonderful comments on our post last week about letting go of the stuff. I really loved reading about your own experiences with stuff and how you limit the stress and time spent dealing with it.
Another (related) idea I’ve been thinking about is the concept of downsizing.
Technically, when we sold our normal-sized house and moved to the barn, we were downsizing (albeit temporarily). The word itself obviously speaks to moving into less space.
But the word downsizing sort of bothers me.
I think it’s because the word downsizing has a negative connotation. Probably because it’s all about less.
But the truth is, downsizing doesn’t feel like downsizing at all. It feels like our life has been pumped full of upgrades. Here are a few reasons.
I’m always in the action.
My biggest pet peeve about our last two houses were the kitchen situations. Mostly, when I was cooking, I was by myself.
If you know me, you know I’m an extrovert. So being by myself in the kitchen wasn’t fun. I hated it.
And this may be part of the reason that I never really grew to love cooking or baking. (Just call me Dr. Kim, diagnosing my condition.) I do cook, but I hated that my family was in the living room while I was slaving away over a home-cooked meal microwaving leftover pizza.
That is a big reason why our future home will be an open-concept.
But this small space takes it a step further.
I’m currently at the kitchen island. I see Henry playing with his train table. I see my brother and Ryan watching the game on television. I can see the television (not that I care right now).
I CAN SEE EVERYTHING. I CAN TALK TO ANYONE.
This is my favorite part about being in a small space. (I suppose if you are an introvert, you may hate this. But Ryan doesn’t seem to mind it, so I’m going to go with it.)
I spend very little time cleaning or putting things away.
I cannot overstate this enough. Less space means less cleaning. Less stuff means less picking up.
This means more time to do other things I actually want to do.
This view.
This view truly never gets old. Ever. Even if it’s snowy.
Attached parking.
This was one of the biggest upgrades for me when we moved to the barn. We always had an unattached garage before, which wasn’t a big deal.
But now, I park inside and walk right up the stairs. It’s so stinkin’ convenient and it’s spoiling me big time.
Sometimes I forget that I even need a coat. Until I arrive at the grocery store and is -3 degrees.
Not that that actually happened or anything.
So much natural light.
Our last house was sort of dungeon-like. There were so many great windows. But the positioning of the property, the huge trees and the front porch meant that the house very rarely felt bright.
It was actually sort of depressing. Especially in the winter.
I love that the barn apartment is always bright. Even though there are only four windows, the space is small enough that this is more than enough.
It feels more like “us.”
This is probably the biggest reason that moving to the barn doesn’t feel like downsizing.
We spent a lot of time thinking about everything we wanted the space to do, how we wanted it to look and feel. And because of this, it feels like the space reflects us.
Maybe it’s because we have a better idea of what we like and don’t like. But, regardless, this barn feels like we are stepping up.
Do you equate living smaller with downsizing?
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L. Tinsley says
I absolutely agree with you! Downsizing is not like the end of the world! It is really nice that there is less cleaning and picking up! When I was living in a big house I had to clean all day long in order to keep the household clean! Now I moved to a smaller home and I really feel great! Anyway, everybody is so busy, that we are actually just sleeping there! Lovely post! Thanks! Greetings! 🙂
Kim Woodward says
I totally know what you mean about feeling like you really only sleep there. I do miss some things about a larger space, but I know I could live with much less. I will miss 15-minute cleanings, though.
Analisa says
I am always so impressed with how you’re making the most of your space. Not only is it functional, but every area is stylish and full of character. Clearly, you and your husband make a perfect team 🙂
Barbara Lane says
Retiring a couple of years ago, my husband and I began to think about downsizing to be more prepared if and when we had to move to a smaller home as we aged. At first, the thought of getting rid of all the “stuff” we had accumulated over the years was unpleasant. What would I do without all my “treasures”? But, as we began the process of downsizing – giving some things to our children, some to charity organizations and putting some in a yard sale, I have found a new freedom. I can enjoy my retirement so much more without having to spend time dusting, cleaning, etc. And I now wonder why I even spend so much of my income on these “treasures” that I clearly can do without. My recommendation to the younger generation – less is better.
Lisa H. says
I like to think of it as re-prioritizing, with the potential for many unexpected benefits. 🙂
Katie @ On the Banks of Squaw Creek says
I LOVE this. Smaller is downsizing – downsizing the amount of cleaning, the amount of stuff, and the amount of stress! I find, that with our two older, very active boys, we DO need space to get away from each other a bit, and I need my quiet time, but this seems to work well for your family, and I love the space you’ve created!
(And oh, what I wouldn’t give for an attached garage!)
Katrina says
In a world where people consider 2000sq ft houses to be small (tottally 1st world problems) I used to be bashful about our small mid century house, now I’ve totally embraced it! I love how small house, and honestly wouldn’t want a house much bigger down-the-line..one of my favorite sayings is, small homes grow close families! I honestly love hanging out with my kiddos and love seeing how close they are even with the gap gap, I wouldn’t trade that from the world!
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says
I’m not a fan of that word either, unless I’m on a diet LOL. Then I love downsizing
Sara says
I agree, the word “downsizing” sounds…bad. Like a homeowner couldn’t manage their payments and they had to downsize because the bank foreclosed. Unfortunately, that’s because what you hear a lot of anymore. When my husband and I moved last fall we really thought we would buy a smaller house (previous in 1,757 sq ft). We quickly learned that this area either had homes $50k more than our old house and were around 1,000 sq ft with no yard or garage at all (which was a must for his stuff that we use often–woodworking, mechanic tools, yard stuff) or we’d have to up our price range even more so we could get a good house that wasn’t literally falling apart and had a garage with a yard for the dog. While the payments are only $200 more a month than our last house, thanks to a below 4% interest rate(!!), we ended up going up in size to 1,900. Same amount of bedrooms/baths, but the house is set up so much better for us and we use every single room and there’s even more storage due to how it’s laid out. We couldn’t be happier! So I get it because there was for a time we considered smaller, but sometimes it’s just the layout of the house that improve the quality of life beyond words….I now am not stuck in the kitchen with everyone either hovering in the doorway to chat (and thus usually getting in my way) or they’re out in the living room. 🙂
Kim Woodward says
Super happy you found a place that is perfect for your family! Doesn’t matter about the size as long as it works and makes you happy (in my opinion).
Gina says
I love this post and the other one you recently posted about ‘downsizing’. I completely agree that that the more stuff you have, the more time it takes to maintain that stuff (finding a place for it, keeping it clean, etc.). I rarely buy new gadgets or knickknacks for my home, but whenever someone gives me something my immediate thought is ‘where am I going to put this?’. Which usually means taking time to rearrange things to make room for it, when I didn’t really need it to begin with. I really just want to keep my home (and life) as simple as possible.
daisy says
Living smaller really is living large. You have so much more freedom to spend time on what really matters instead of cleaning, maintaining, repairing and figuring out where to store all the stuff that’s not getting used. I mean, why have it if you’re not going to use it? So happy for you and your family. You have truly embraced the concept of letting go to allow all the good stuff to come into your lives (and I don’t mean material stuff!). Rock on!
Jaime Costiglio says
Less is more and you’re proof. Couldn’t agree more!
Sophie Castellanos says
What a lovely view! I love the idea of natural light! It makes the room so open and fresh 🙂
Kenz @ Interiors By Kenz says
When we were building, it didn’t even dawn on me that more space=more cleaning. Now I know. And sometimes, I complain about it (a lot). And then I feel TERRIBLE for complaining. It’s very much a “first world problem” situation. Mostly it’s the floors. There’s SO MUCH FLOOR to sweep. Luckily we invested in an industrial size dry mop to solve that problem. But still…I’m sure you’re loving the “less to clean.” Yay for the barn!
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
I hate cooking for the exact same reason! There is nothing worse than being isolated in the kitchen! I love the way that you are embracing the barn move and how positive of an experience it has been and how much you’ve learned about what you want to do for your build!
Amber @ Wills Casa says
Having your living space and kitchen open is such a dream. No one feels isolated and you really don’t mind prepping meals. Dare I say cooking becomes a family event.
Denise Z says
My goal is to downsize–just the two of us rattling around in 2800 sq ft now. WAY too much space! I’m curious…when you build your house, what size do you think it will be? (And do you follow Assortment? A family of five people–with three boys!–living in 665 sq ft. The BEST thought out use of space ever. Besides yours, of course!)
Trina @ Let's Just Build a House says
that view beats anything 🙂 I love being in the action too, I had to have an open floor plan for our living/dining, and kitchen or I would go nuts!
Gretchen says
Planning out a space so that it has what you need makes such a difference! I’m always looking around this house and trying to figure out ways to retrofit it so it works better for us….much better to get it right from the start if you can 🙂
Brynne@TheGatheredHome says
Love this, Kim! My experience with downsizing was throwing all our things into boxes, storing them in my parents’ garage, and then living out of a single bedroom at my husband’s parents’ house for 8 months to escape a bad apartment situation… Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly a great time period.
I think they key is, like you said, planning ahead as to what you will really want/need! If we ever did something similar, I would spend a lot of time culling my possessions, making lists of essentials & non-essentials, invest in lots of organizational tools (drawers, bins, etc.)… Basically, I love the way you planned for and approached your move to the barn and I would take lots of notes 🙂
Nicki says
Living a big and full life in a small(er) space. It’s all about perspective. Your posts have
made me think outsize the box and I can’t stop purging. Thanks for the motivation. I’m all about less cleaning and more living!
Kim Woodward says
Thanks for the encouragement! It’s amazing how much we actually don’t need.
cassie says
i agree- i am not a fan of that word. declutterification now that is a word i can stand by.