I’m no advocate of the tiny house movement, but I am becoming more and more convinced that the best homes are small.
Despite my appreciation for beautiful architecture— much of which is made grander in larger spaces– I find myself less and less desiring an eye-catching, stately home. I’m beginning to think that, at any given stage of life, one to two-thousand square feet will be more than enough. I’m no longer dreaming of anything larger.
You see, I’ve begun to realize what it is that I actually love about a home. It’s the space that home has for people to gather, laugh, encourage, and enjoy good food and drink. I want a space just large enough to fit a group of friends– and small enough that we can all still see each other and hear each other’s voices.
Are today’s homes getting bigger?
Trends seem to be headed in the mansion direction, however. I grew up in a suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area, where land was expensive and houses were on the more modest side. Rarely did I see families tearing down small homes to build monstrosities that stretched to the edges of their lots.
That appears to be changing. In the last five years, I’ve seen more and more houses in my hometown that have ballooned in size. According to realtors we know, the “big house” is now what buyers want: grand entrances, vaulted ceilings, and rooms that only a 19th-century butler would know how to use.
It saddens me that the small, cozy feel of that area is yielding to large, looming abodes. It also saddens me to think that the residents of these homes will be spending much of their time, emotion, and resources on their houses, for however long they live there.
Having lived in a large, high-maintenance home myself, I wish I could tell these prospective buyers to think more long-term. Are they committed to giving a large portion of their lives to the home ownership? Or is there something else they would prefer to devote that portion to?
8 Good Reasons to Choose A Small Home
1) You will spend less time and money on upkeep and cleaning.
The larger the square-footage– not to mention if you have a pond, pool, or other high-maintenance facility– the more often you will find yourself fixing things and cleaning up. Floors must be mopped, banisters dusted, chandeliers taken down and cleansed. Without a host of service people to help, the house can demand a lot of time on the part of the owner. Oh, and did I mention the garden?
2) You will accumulate fewer things.
I’m not just a fan of “decluttering”; I’m a fan of de-owning. Removing clutter can clear a space (and our minds) for a while, but as time passes we all find ourselves organizing everything again.
Choosing simply not to own anything that is neither useful nor lovely is better than spending time “getting organized” every season. Smaller homes put a cap on the amount of stuff we can accumulate. And that’s a good thing.
[Tweet “Smaller homes put a cap on the amount of stuff we can accumulate. #minimalism via @daisylinshih”]
3) You will find it easier to live within your means.
What’s the first thing people do when their salary increases? They think their lifestyle has to move up ranks as well.
But what if we fought that notion? What if we chose contentment without first validating it by the “appropriate” lifestyle for our income? After all, we already know that an income above $75k, according to research, won’t make you drastically happier.
Choosing a smaller home is part of that realization: there’s less of a need to keep up, or fill our perceived deficit in social prestige, when our neighbors’ houses aren’t looming over us.
4) You will be more satisfied with your purchase.
I have a theory. The more expensive a home, the more grueling the decision to purchase it– no matter how much you have in the bank. You see, if you purchase a house that is simply what you need, then you can consider fixing it up and making it the best home it can be.
But if you purchase a house that is much more than what you need, then it becomes harder to transform that property into your ideal home. More space demands more customization, higher investment, and potentially more heartache.
5) You will actually use every room in your house.
Very few people who live in large homes actually use all of their rooms regularly. I say this from experience– perhaps this is too anecdotal– but we only really use a few rooms in the house on a regular basis.
Additional rooms might prove useful when we host guests, but we mostly find ourselves in the kitchen where we dine, in our bedroom or study where we work or relax, and occasionally in the living room.
Choosing to make the most of each room is part of using resources well. Why pay for space that won’t be useful to you?
Related: How to fall in love with your current home
6) You will have more face time and connection.
Call me old-fashioned, but I like the idea of the whole family spending time together in one room. I think that the interactions in those moments is valuable– whether you’re having a conversation or not.
I even noticed a difference when Aaron and I moved from graduate student housing into our condo. In our old one-bedroom apartment, we were constantly in the same room. He could be cooking and I could be working (or vise versa), and we would be in each other’s presence. Now, we don’t work in the same rooms, and the kitchen is not on the same floor as our workspace. I actually feel as though I see him less.
7) You will experience more freedom to travel and explore.
With lower upkeep demands, a small home allows you to leave it behind on short notice. There won’t be too many doors to lock, curtains to draw, and items to clean before taking off on an adventure.
Due to our love of travel, we decided to keep our house and garden low-maintenance. With the exception of a few house plants that need regular watering, our only “pets” are succulents that thrive on neglect.
Related: How minimalism allows us to travel more
8) Your home will be a place of rest, not of obligation.
Ultimately, I believe that our homes should be spaces where relationships are cherished, stress melts away , and joy is found. But that’s much harder to achieve when the house itself is a source of unending demands.
While I enjoy decorating and making fun house projects as much as anyone, I don’t desire to spend large amounts of my future improving or fixing the building in which I live. I’d much rather spend that time enriching and loving the people in my home.
Bigger is not better.
There are lots of legitimate reasons why people purchase large homes. They love that luxurious feeling of having more space than they need. They love the excitement of sharing their beautiful abode, or throwing large parties for friends and colleagues. Perhaps some people like the neighborhoods in which only large homes exist.
But ultimately, after the initial rush subsides, a house is a responsibility that we take on for a long, long time. The only thing we have to decide is how big, and how complicated, we want that responsibility to be.
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a small house and good food every day is much better than slaving away for a big house and eating fast food all the time.
I just came across your website and this post caught my eye because I ALSO believe that there are numerous benefits to a “smaller” house and and wrote my own post about it a while back. EXCEPT of course I came up with 10 reasons–oh and I really LIVE in a small house and these are my own personal experiences. Here it is for anyone who is interested: http://smartliving365.com/ten-reasons-im-grateful-small-er-house/#more-3761
LOVE this!
This caught my eye because I was having this conversation with my mom today about smaller homes. She was sharing that when we used to live in a bigger him (5 rooms, 2 living rooms) she so unhappy. She began seeking a smaller home because she wanted to hear us and feel more of a family. I loved how she made me feel that she wanted us to be closer as a family and small home provided that for her. Just wanted to share!
Bigger is difinitely no better 🙂
Oh man that’s intense – piles of stuff blending in with the furniture?! We’re hoping to be able to afford a space in the city. By default it will be small, but we’ll be a step away from SO MANY places and things to do. We’d way rather cultivate in the kids a joy of learning and experiencing – of DOING – over a joy derived from acquiring stuff. I feel like living in a small space is one thing that absolutely helps instill those values.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I really enjoy your blog and how intentional it is.
Ooh I love that song your grandfather used to sing! There is so much truth there. So many large homes are too isolating and kind of cold!
I totally get that, Christina! We live on the brink of a sweet neighborhood, but the homes there are larger than anything I’d ever want to take care of. It’s sort of a bummer that big homes are so trendy and everyone feels they have to build one the size of their neighbors’. I wish we could just have a small house in a quiet neighborhood and lots of outdoor space instead!
Thanks for reading, Kat! I understand what you mean by the “dumping ground” for stuff you haven’t stored yet… it’s both a good and bad thing! And I feel torn about guest rooms as well– they can come in handy when someone’s staying with us but otherwise don’t get used.
Wow!! That’s amazing Silvia. I am almost envious of all the face time you two are going to get– I miss that kind of shared space.
That’s so neat Shireen! I don’t know if I could ever do a couple hundred square feet. I don’t need a big bedroom but I like having a kitchen that’s not crammed. 😉
You’re so right, Elise! Having less space to store things (ahem clothes…) has made a huge difference. I grew up with 2 closets– I know, ridiculous– and am glad that I now only have half of one!
Haha! I bet your space is already gorgeous with flowers! 🙂 And yes, I understand the kid conundrum. Our space feels ample right now for the two of us– but when a child comes along we’re going to have to make space (goodbye, office!).
That is so wonderful, Lauren! I loved the feel of your house (the tiny bit that I saw of it) and you’re so fortunate to not have to move anytime soon. I am completely in agreement with you that the home should be *about* the people in it; not the other way around!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Devra! I love that you’ve been able to fit everyone in 1300 squarefeet and enjoy it; so many folks pine for more space until they realize what a burden that space can be! I’m also glad to know you spent time really thinking about what kind of space you needed.. you are so right that it is a huge investment and a big part of our lives; it’s not something we should allow trends to determine!
I agree with you, Miu! The space is great until you have to dust every corner and mop every square-inch. I do think that having enough space to accommodate guests is important to us, and I am with you on the garden as well!
Yes! we enjoyed our smaller apartment too– so little to take care of!
“Things pile up and our morale dwindles down”– I know exactly what you mean! I grew up in a home that was larger than necessary and we had piles everywhere. In fact, we got so used to those piles they started to blend in with the furniture, which is just ridiculous! I hope one day you find yourself in a space that you love!
Thank you so much for reading this, Jess! Our space is about the same size as yours, and we are loving it as well. I rejoice at the fact that cleaning doesn’t take much of our time, and it isn’t hard work! I also agree about the lawn issue– we have a tiny patch of dirt in our patio that has some succulents growing–so no pruning, mowing, or sowing, thank goodness!
Thank you Estrella! I do think that the lack of privacy and personal space can be a challenge. It’s definitely a delicate balance between too much space and too little.
Thanks Alyssa! There really are perks to renting– home ownership is a lot of work!
I love this! I will say though, that at least in my area, the larger homes are typically the nicer neighborhoods with sidewalks and tons of kids running around which would be my ideal environment for Little Miss to grow up in. We live in an 1800 sq ft ranch now that I love, but our neighborhood isn’t a “perfect” fit for the lifestyle we would like. If we wanted to move into something nicer and more family friendly, we would have to upsize which kind of stinks! I would love to be in this exact size home forever!
I totally agree with this! Maybe it’s because I just finished dorm life and am currently living in a house of 15 adults, but owning a large space of my own sounds overwhelming. I think your post really articulates why I think it would be overwhelming – who wants that many things/spaces/responsibilities to worry about?
As always, I 100% agree! When I was a teenager I lived in a huge house; we weren’t wealthy but my mom had gotten a good deal on a foreclosed property. We were a family of 5 living in a house with 8 BEDROOMS!
At first, we loved it, but soon we noticed so many problems you mentioned. The power bills were huge, there were rooms we never used, and cleaning was a massive chore. Also, we started spending less and less time together as a family, because we were literally too far apart!
For the past two years I’ve been living in studio apartments and this has allowed me to save enough to go on a 7 month round the world trip (leaving next month!)
My husband and I live in a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. It is too big. Half the living room is unfurnished because we don’t need more furniture but big and empty does not feel cozy. Having so many closets allows us to store things we need to get rid of. I can’t clean it all at once without getting a backache. But we need two bathrooms because of medical conditions and you can’t really get a small apartment with two baths. Getting old is not for wimps.
I’ve gone from having my own huge apartment to moving abroad and only having a tiny room in a flat share. There are times where I’d like to have my own apartment back but when I see how my friends are starting to rent houses, I’m all like “nope, that’s way too much space. I don’t need that”. Plus, the more space you have, the more is there to clean up 😀
Btw, where did you take that picture of the cottage? I noticed that Hello Neverland has a picture os the same cottage on her blog. Is it somewhere popular that I just haven’t heard of yet? 😉
Yes, yes! I definitely agree with all of these. Although I’ve never lived in a relatively “big” house – I think that has helped me live more minimally and focus more on the things I really need, clearing out room for what’s most important to have. It’s funny my room at college was considerably larger than my room at home, and it always felt a little too big when I was college. I guess there is good in coziness! Thanks so much for your thoughts Daisy!
Great points! It is a good reminder that MORE is not always better. I think we would all be happier and less stressed if we baught more affordable home and lived within our means.
I always thought that 2,000 sqft would be the MAXIMUM I’d ever consider. We live in a 1100 sqft place now and it’s perfect for our small family. There’s an old song that my Grandpa used to always sing that said, ” love grows best in little houses. With fewer walls to separate. Where you eat and sleep so close together. You can’t help but communicate…” 🙂
These are some really great points! I especially love #8. So important.
This was really interesting to read. I really agree with point 1 and 2. Maintenance and cleaning are both very time-consuming and costly, so smaller houses just make sense on those fronts. I always wonder how time-consuming and difficult it would be to keep a larger house clean and tidy! x
The point about the fact that it’s less work to clean and maintain is HUGE for me. I would not want any bigger of an apartment (ours is 1000 sq. ft.) because housework is just harder in Malaysia, harder physical labor than it is in America, due to the climate and the way homes are designed and the lack of conveniences–I feel like keeping the place clean already eats up plenty of hours each week. I absolutely love our apartment and how spacious it is, that we can have gatherings and guests here because the floor plan is so very efficient–but a bigger place would require more time spent on housework that I’m not really eager to do.
These are such good reasons! 🙂
We are house hunting at the moment and my mother in law is shocked that I don’t want or need an extra ‘rumpus’ room as a playroom. The tiny place we have at the moment has an open plan downstairs area, we work, eat, cook, watch TV, play in the one space, and the toddler’s toys are all over the place. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest. We only go upstairs to go to bed really, haha!
Hubby has similar thoughts to his mother though, so we let my ‘perfect’ house go so that we could keep looking for one that has an extra rumpus room so it’s perfect for him too. It’s not an easy search, but I’d rather have one we both love. Extra room or not 😛
Away From The Blue Blog
Yes. Yes. YES. We just bought our first home and I see what people mean about when they say you’ll accumulate more. Some things are inevitable like tools and gardening equipment, outdoor furniture, dining chairs, etc.. but we make it a serious priority to purge of unnecessary items several times a year. We don’t buy something new unless we have room for it (so we get rid of something first). I see our 1200 square foot home and I feel like we have more than enough space. I have been in some gaudy, large homes and wondered why a small family wants or needs such a space! We have agreed that no matter our income, we’ll always live in a home that’s just enough, and nothing more.
Great post! My boyfriend is pretty dead set on building us a tiny(er) home. He’s been collecting whatever free wood and materials he thinks would work for building it! I have to say, the thought of living rent/mortgage free sounds wonderful haha.
Renee | Lose The Road
yes please! My fiancé and I are both lovers of smaller spaces because it’s what we both grew up with and are used to! thanks for sharing this awesome post!
I love this! Josh and I both prefer a smaller home 🙂 I can’t wait to see what we can find!
Completely agree with this post! My husband and I are in the process of moving and while house-hunting my tendency was to want bigger and better. But when I realized that the home I grew up in was no larger than 1,000 sq. ft. and I have great memories with my family of 4 (while also having what felt like plenty of space when alone time was needed), I was all about a smaller home 🙂
Omigoodness, I couldn’t agree more! Paul and I can’t stop thinking of our “little dream home” that we’ll someday have. Our house is just too big for us, even though it’s on the smaller end of sizes. I love the comfort and coziness that small houses have – you are spot on, girlfriends! 🙂 xoxo
I want to get up on my office chair and slow clap for you and this post! Yes, yes to every single one of these points!! Less to clean and maintain, more time to enjoy people and relax, easier to live in our means and be content. Sounds like a a big win to me. 🙂 I love this line: “I want a space just large enough to fit a group of friends– and small enough that we can all still see each other and hear each other’s voices.” It resonated with me so much because yesterday I wrote a post with a similar idea but about my dining room table. I love your mind and your heart so much!
I couldn’t agree more! I am generally put off by contemporary suburban homes. Layout is far more important than space. I’m really thankful we’ve had to live in smaller apartments for most of our marriage — it’s made me realize what is actually important!
Totally agree and even more so since reading Marie Kondo’s book. I feel a sense of calm when I de-own things and have lots more space in my flat!
Yes!! I have unused rooms in our home, and they only collect dust and junk. And cleaning a small apartment would certainly take less time!
I love the heart behind this and do think it’s so important to have a space that fits you that’s full of only functional and beautiful things…instead of full of junk! My husband and I are in a strange (but awesome) place where we were able to skip the “starter home” phase in a way and buy what we hope is our forever home. Right now we have some empty bedrooms and space but we know it will get filled up as we have kiddos and continue to have lots of people stay with us and spend time at our house. Like you said…what matters are the people and the heart in our home and I always want to decorate and choose things for our home based on that idea!
LOVE this!! Lamar and I have a fairly small home compared to what’s “normal” for the area we live in, and we love it! It doesn’t take much to clean it, we use all of our rooms, and we don’t have that much clutter. The next home we have, the only thing I will need more space for is flowers…and maybe a kid. Ha.
I actually loved moving into my tiny studio apartment when I was single… it makes you really evaluate every purchase!!!
My husband and I love the idea of living in a tiny house but not the ones that are extreme. We have discuss about it and the ones at 350-400s.f would be perfect for us. Not is obviously not the right time for tiny house as the little one needs room to explore and all but it’s definitely in our mind for the future.
Shireen | Reflection of Sanity
That’s a great song and one of my favourite!
I so agree! My boyfriend and I just moved into an 80 square foot studio, which admittedly is a bit cozy, but it’s made me realize how little space we really need!
I feel like you shouldn’t ever buy something huge and not ever use it. I too grow up in a small home. It was used, loved and cozy. When it comes time for me to buy a home, I will look for those same qualities. (: I feel like we are raised to be showy now a days. Like having more things and a bigger house makes you a better person.
I heard a song the other day, called Try by Colbie Calliet and it made me think of you. (:
http://www.accordingtokiki.net
I think I would not necessarily be opposed to a big house, just the rooms shouldn’t be too big 😉 But I actually agree with you, especially in the point of having to clean all of the house! And I would never build a house that rarely fits as I want a garden 🙂
Love this post! Our house is definitely on the smaller side (right around 1,400 square feet). And, even then, we pretty much never use our guest room. Bert likes to nap in there, and we use it as a dumping ground for all of the stuff that doesn’t have a permanent spot yet. Other than that? It pretty much just sits there. I love the coziness of a smaller home!
xoxo
Kat
You did a great job explaining this! I completely agree with all of it! And not accumulating too much is one of my favorite things about a small home for sure! We have 4 adults and a dog in our 1300 square foot home and works great! Before that it was just the two of us and the pupster in 700 square feet which was perfect as well.
I really dislike the pressure to live at the edge of your means. Live in just enough home, then you will have the financial ability to go on trips, be generous, eat better quality food, have people over, fill your home with quality pieces, fix things when they break (oh home ownership….), and the list goes on.
Sorry I am pretty passionate about this topic because we just bought our first home this year and we were very serious about only buying what we could comfortable afford and what we actually needed + enough space for a roommate/eventually a kid. For us we feel that following God involves stewarding our finances wisely. Since a home is a HUGE chunk of how you use your finances, we felt that it required extra wisdom.
I agree with this completely! We’ve spent the last two years in a studio apartment and have loved the simplicity of it.
GIRL.
Every single thing you post is ON FREAKING POINT.
My gf and I rent. We have two kids that live with us full time and one that splits her time between our house and her dad’s, so at 5 family members, we’re a large-ish fam. (I came from a single child household, so more than 1 child constitutes a “large” family to me, lol.)
ANYWAY. We won’t be able to buy for a long time, but we talk about what we want in a home all.the.time. And the more we talk, the more we figure that we’d give up extra space in a heartbeat not only as a necessary real estate compromise (location & price v. size) but also for every single reason you list here. We have 1,000 whole square feet that we don’t even use in our current house and it just collects crap and disgusting bugs in all the corners. Things pile up and our morale dwindles down. Honestly, I can’t wait to move into a smaller homier place.
I LOVE this. My hubby and I just moved into a small townhome rental. It’s under 1,000 sq feet and at first we were worried that it would be too small. But now that we have been living there we realize just how perfect it is for the same reasons that you mentioned. I love that I don’t have to spend all my free time cleaning, and he doesn’t have to spend hours mowing the lawn. It gives us more time to spend together doing fun things. And I love that we don’t have to spend all of our paychecks taking care of fixing and sprucing things. When I read your last point, I want to shout, “AMEN!”. I come home everyday and feel so at peace. We can relax at night without obligations looming over us.
Awesome post, Daisy! I completely agree that a smaller house has some great advantages over a bigger place. #6 was especially true for my family. I grew up in an average home (4 bedrooms, 3 stories) but I have 5 sisters, so there were moments when it felt really crowded. But looking back, I have great memories of playing and just being in the same room as them (even if we weren’t necessarily doing the same activity).
I love this, Daisy! Having a small home makes things much easier, and in my life I anticipate being an apartment dweller for quite a while. Great points!