Downsizing Your Living Space Can Have an Upside, if It's Done Properly

Architect Barry Berkus of Santa Barbara, Calif., looks to another American classic, the country kitchen, when designing small houses. He favors a "one-wall kitchen" with all the appliances and food preparation area along one wall and a large dining table that can be used for food prep as necessary.

Agreeing that the eat-in kitchen/family room is the heart of most households, he would use the table to demarcate the eating and sitting areas.

Though some might balk at his kitchen layout proposal, Berkus said that you can be very comfortable with a well-designed, one-wall kitchen despite what homeowners who have always had bigger kitchens might believe, and "you pick up six feet of floor space."

Another space-saving economy that Berkus recommends: Eliminate the hallways typical of older houses, and instead have bedrooms open directly off the main living area. When budget allows, Berkus would enhance the living area with features such as a generously sized window seat that has storage below and bookshelves at each end. It can be a cozy spot for reading and a great sleeping arrangement for visiting grandchildren.

While getting rid of hallways would seem to be an easy way to pare down, Susanka cautioned that you still need to leave room for getting from one area to another, preferably about a three-foot-wide swath behind a furniture grouping.

She observed that when you routinely walk through the middle of a sitting area, it often divides the space into two awkward halves. Another issue when downsizing to a smaller house is furniture size; many people discover that theirs is too big. The overstuffed couches and arm chairs that look great in a big room with high ceilings can overwhelm a smaller space. Even worse, the bigger pieces often won't fit. Susanka said that Scandinavian furniture, including that from Ikea, which is designed for the smaller spaces of European homes, works well in smaller houses.

Susanka also offered a word of caution about room sizes. While you expect them to be smaller in a small house, they can only go down so far before the occupants will feel uncomfortable. For example, a bedroom that's less than 10 feet by 10 feet will feel cramped unless you build in some of the furniture, such as a loft bed with a desk below. She said that the differences between too small and just right can also be subtle. Many people balk at the idea of a master bedroom that is only 12 feet wide, but she said it can work well if you incorporate a window seat into one end of the room.

Katherine Salant can be contacted athttp://www.katherinesalant.com.

© 2005, Katherine Salant

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