Back with the Small Space Living Series today! This 1143 square foot home is so well thought out and executed. You are going to get a lot of storage solutions ideas from The Ranch House Uncommon. The first time I was exposed to The Ranch House Uncommon was from Country Living Magazine. After I read the article I found Jennifer over on Instagram and fell hard for her ideas! I for one noticed that everything is very functional and serves a purpose. This home is not the owners servant, rather it serves the home owners. Really love all the design inspiration. Notice the light above the sink is glass and blends in with the white ceiling, keeping it very light and airy and feels so big! Jennifer’s home is the same square footage as our little cape.This proves that square footage does not matter,  it is really the layout. Jennifer could easily host a large group because the square footage is in the space that gets the most use! Imagine that! No wasted space or wasted time cleaning a lot of rooms and bathrooms. Let’s take a tour and learn from Jennifer’s wise words for small space living, that really apply to ANY size home.

Home Moto

Living with less eliminates mess, if you don’t use it then loose it.

Why a smaller home?

We have always been more content in smaller space as they feel cozy and often remind me of the past and simpler times. We really only have what we use, and use what we have. Eliminating excess stuff can be challenging, but when you switch your focus to necessity and function you may find the need for more things to dissipate from your surroundings. Homes (large or small) filled with excess goods or underutilized areas can seem wasteful. By editing the “things” in your life you may find that breathing space within your small space is peaceful and calming. Not to mention I adore the challenge of beauty vs function and finding the balance of concealed space for what we keep or better yet exposing the beauty in the functional and practicality of items. 

Kitchen:

Where do you keep all of the small appliances and do you have a pantry?

We opted for no microwave, my thought process was ” if they didn’t need it in 1959 when the house was built, we don’t need it now!” I actually decided not to get a garbage disposal as well since the one in our last house gave us too many problems. I keep a toaster oven on the counter and a manual can opener in the drawer.

Do you have a pantry? Where is all the food?

We have a deep corner cabinet with a 2 tier lazy-susan that holds most of what we need. Now that we’ve been living here for three years, I have thought up a way to reduce the size of the large fridge and add a little bit more dry goods storage, summer project ahead!

Kids and their Toys:

What is your approach to kids toys? We’re empty nesters!

How do you store or keep the kids toys and games organized? 

We do have games and puzzles that I am able to hide in the breakfast nook benches. Adding pieces with dual purpose to your space such as seating with hidden storage always helps. The large white grain bin beside the fireplace was a vintage score. I love it because we can fill it up with storage and it takes on a look as if it was always bin part of the house. The slanted top eliminates the urge to display table top items that would feel crowded in this small space.

Closets:

Are you able to fit all your clothes in your master bedroom? Yes!

Last summer I decided to reconfigure our tiny bedroom (10′ by 12′) to have more usable storage. We removed the typical 6 foot sliding door closet, moved the bed there because it was more flattering to the space and built a wall of closet storage across from the bed that looks as if they were original to the house. By doing that we eliminated the need for excess furniture in the space allowing the bed, nightstands and hamper be the only items in the space. Those closets hold everything we need and keeps the bedroom simple and minimal. It helps that we are not fashion fanatics! 

Small Space Living Rapid Fire Questions-

SEASONAL DECOR- Because I once had a brick and mortar shop, I’ve realized what’s important to me around the holidays besides getting burned out from having to decorate a store larger them my home. I’ve learned to create a simple feeling around the holidays with elements of nature and cozy surrounding, blankets, throws, etc. If I do purchase something, I make sure it fits in my one Rubbermaid container and I donate something in exchange. Luckily we have a small tack room on the property that holds that one box plus any vintage inventory for sale.

CLEANING SUPPLIES- Ok this one is tricky for us, that darn broom bounces around everywhere because there’s not one good place for it! It’s behind a door one day, lives outside the next! I use it just about everyday, so this year we will build a dedicated slim storage spot just outside the patio door. It will also conceal the vacuum and tankless water heater. So at least they can all have a home base.

ORGANIZING PAPERS- The kitchen island we chose is a huge small space life saver! Each of the 4 jumbo drawers helps to store, extra dishes, bills plus provides us with an official junk drawer.  Everyday bills or important papers live in there until they get filled into a smaller file cabinet under the built in desk in the second bedroom. Paying bills online also helps to limit the paper shuffle in the house.

ENTERTAINING- Living in Southern California we are lucky to have almost year round mild weather. While in the house we have a good amount of seating areas the large patio off the kitchen really opens up the idea of open concept living to the outdoors as an everyday lifestyle and perfect for entertaining.

SENTIMENTAL ITEMS- I do have one area in the house that I dedicate to being more of a collected/keepsake space. I try to keep that clutter to a minimum with an artful display of items I can’t quite part with yet. 

HARDEST PART- As a vintage dealer, I can gravitate to many different interior styles plus and I love furniture. Having limited space can be challenging when all I want to do is to hoard pieces of furniture that wont fit in the space yet I ‘d hope to have a spot for one day. Ultimately, I have to let those pieces find new homes.

BEST PART- I love the challenge of scale in a small space.  I have had the ability to try different pieces in the space and keep the ones that fit like a puzzle. I have chosen a few very large scale pieces (under the TV/kitchen Island) that typically you wouldn’t see in a smaller space. I’ve found that those large scale pieces help anchor the space by tricking the eye visually plus they hold a lot of storage. 

Thank you Jennifer for this tour and sharing your INSIGHTFUL Small Space Living Tips. This is very encouraging and inspiring. Just seeing how you live with less and thrive. Find Jennifer on Instagram HERE @theranchuncommon. Stay tuned for more Small Space Living Blog Posts, including mine! Find last weeks feature of 180 square feet HERE.

Video Tour- Small Space Living Series- 1143 Square Foot Ranch

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