Living Big When Living Small

Hi.  My name is Suzanne Hall.  I am an interior designer for Alice Lane and for the last 13 years I have lived in apartments, condos, unfinished basements and an attic, none of which were more than 1000 sq ft.  Through my real life experiences I am here to tell you that there is an art to living big when living small.

You may think that small space living means giving up everything you have and/or never buying anything ever again…au contraire!  Living small only means that the few things/surfaces you do surround yourself with get to be reeeaaally good!   If your aesthetic is simple, you have found the perfect home to live simply in, and if you are a collector of sorts, you will learn to live in layers.  Fascinating layers that allow you and yours to discover corners and stories each time they visit.   I am the latter if you can imagine thatJ.  Vincente Wolf said it best when he said…..

There are a series of tricks and tips for living in small spaces that we will be teaching you but if you take anything from this series, know that there is no better feeling than loving every single piece around you.  And frankly we don’t have room for wasteful, unemotional objects!

When living small ask yourself, "Does it have a purpose, a memory or give you butterflies when you see it?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, these items have a home."  If you were reluctant at all, maybe it’s time you thank the object for its service and go your separate ways.  Our real estate is precious and we have to love and use everything inch we get!

And if you love it I’m convinced you will find a home for it, even if your home is really, really, small.

[photo 1; photos 2 - 3, 6 - 8 by Meikel Reece; photos 4 - 5, 9 - 12 by Eliesa Findeis]