While I continue to build my homestead in my mind, there is just such a drag of time. Time usually seems to fly by these days, with 2013 passing so quickly it feels like I hardly blinked, yet, when an idea lies far out near the horizon, time seems to just sloooooooow down. It is the impetuousness in me, I know this. Knowing that fulfillment of goals takes time, saving, perseverance – still doesn’t lessen the impatience that I wrestle with. It is like having to lecture my own five-year-old self.
Maybe this feeling stems from the stop-start progress towards this desire from the get-go. Our first move several years ago was a short stint and we had to move just shortly after we had cleaned up the property and discovered the great things and I began to design a plan for the gardens and all. We moved in the dead of winter, so there was planning and dreaming of Spring at that new and beautiful location, and we finally got to put in a proper garden, including perennial beds. It grew well and I found deep pleasure in the work. Then my husband died and I moved yet again, to Sunflower Solace. All the components for success lay in that property – a home with a big country kitchen, barn and shed, open sunlit land to plant a garden – all the components except time and energy. My move was again done in the slow time of winter, giving me plenty of time to design a garden and dream again. Grief made my feet feel leaden. Working twelve-hour night shifts left my internal clock wonky. My sheer ignorance on so many things related to living this lifestyle alone daunted me. Equipment that would not stay running made me cry at times, but I soldiered on. I have so many blissful memories of the place, but also realistic and pragmatic ones. And so when I had to let the Sunflower Solace dream go too, I held on to the framework of the dream and moved where a job was. Sitting here now, in this tiny studio, once again my mind is aflame with ideas, goals, flights of fancy and hopefully, enough realism to keep me from falling flat on my face.
If a space is built with small living in mind, and is designed for maximizing storage and keeping clutter from view, then I believe that you have a blueprint for success. Even if you are retrofitting a place and have these ideas in hand, things can go well. That is my current focus, storage design. While there can and should be open space in a small home, there should be no wasted space when it comes to storage opportunities. Stair-storage and under-bed storage are excellent examples of maximizing space opportunities. Some good ideas that I have found are these:
Storage stairs – this is the most aesthetically pleasing set to me so far. I like the mix of tin, wood and basketry materials for a rustic home – plus the light shade of the wood in contract with white walls creates an open and airy appearance.
Credit: lauriflower.com
I will have to determine the length of the run for the steps though, in order to determine the storage potential. I definitely want a coat length unit in there for coats, boots, umbrellas and such. I’m not sure I’ll need a wine rack in there though, while it might be nice! I did like the turn angle of these stairs, but probably not appropriate for the space that I envision.
This has a more fun flavor, and the use of rolling storage on the bottom is genius I thought (Does anyone else see a smiley face on the front of the large yellow crate? Haha!) I love smiley face things 😀
Credit: remodelista.com
The above storage would play nicely with this exterior that I fell in love with (although, probably won’t happen due to pre-fab and all):
Credit: riseoverrun.biz
This house exterior, more than any other, grabbed me. Most of the wood is recycled barn wood, and that just floats my boat something fierce all by itself! Combined with the metal roof (another desired feature of mine) and the obvious use of wood heat, this little house just charms my socks off.
As with most things, I suppose the house in my future will roll through many iterations before it is solidified. But oh the fun I am having!
I am trying to keep my mind on best use of time, materials, space and light. I want to include efficiency of motion in the kitchen and bath as well. A nice clean and storage savvy vision of a bathroom vanity fixture was found on Tiny House Blog.
Credit: Tiny House Blog
And slab – my reality was shaken a bit yesterday when discussing the pouring of a foundation slab. Egads! I hope that my friends experience in cost includes factors that mine will not, or else my move-in date may keep creeping along until I’m near sixty! Everyone tells me to plan for twice as much time and money for things. I really hope that is not always true. But I see people that are building and doing in my online community, and it does seem to take much more time than expected. I’ll keep that little dampening thought tucked by in under my storage stairs of the brain.
I’d better get moving and get some things done today other than dreaming, pinning and planning.
Quote for today is a simple and truthful one:
Khalil Gibran
Wishing you dew-filled mornings for your heart.
~SE
Sunflower Solace Farm 