Smaller Living Does Not Mean a Smaller Life

There comes a moment in life when you start looking at your home differently.

Perhaps the children have left. Perhaps the garden has become more work than pleasure. Perhaps stairs are no longer quite as appealing as they once were. Or perhaps you simply realise that you do not need all those rooms, cupboards and possessions anymore.

For younger people, the reason may be completely different. Finding a home can be difficult and expensive, and a small apartment, a tiny house, a converted garage or a bungalow may suddenly feel like a wonderful opportunity rather than a compromise.

Whatever the reason, I have been thinking about this a lot lately.

We are going to live smaller.

And strangely enough, I am becoming rather excited about it.

The surprising pleasure of getting rid of things

For some time now, I have been clearing out our home.

At first, I thought of it as a necessary job. Something you simply have to do when you know you are moving to a smaller space.

But something unexpected happened; I started to enjoy it.

There is a peculiar satisfaction in opening a cupboard and discovering that half of its contents are things you have not used for years.

A drawer becomes empty.

A shelf becomes calm.

A wardrobe becomes manageable.

And suddenly you realise that owning fewer things does not necessarily feel like losing something.

It can feel like gaining space.

Not only physical space, either. But mental space.

The less you own, the less you have to clean, organise, maintain, store and think about.

And that is when I started to wonder whether we have perhaps confused having more with living better.

My 10/90 rule

I have even developed my own rule of thumb for our future interior.

Ten percent beautiful. Ninety percent useful.

The ninety percent should ideally be functional or ~ better~ multifunctional.

A table should be a really good table, rather than simply filling an empty corner.

A basket can be beautiful, but it should also hold something.

A bench can provide seating and storage.

A beautiful textile can make a room warmer, while also being something we actually use.

This way of thinking is becoming increasingly relevant in small-space design. Contemporary furniture designers are creating pieces that combine several functions, transform according to the time of day, or make clever use of storage. The idea is simple: the space should adapt to the way you live, rather than forcing you to live around the furniture.

But I would add one important thing: the ten percent that is simply beautiful matters too.

Perhaps even more when you have less space.

When less makes beautiful things more important

Imagine a small room with twenty decorative objects.

Now imagine the same room with three.

Suddenly, those three objects become much more noticeable.

A handmade bowl on a table.

A beautifully woven throw.

A piece of art.

A lamp made by hand.

Something with a story behind it.

When we own fewer things, I think we become more selective about what deserves a place in our home. And that is something I rather like.

At Handmade Luxury Home, we have always been interested in objects that combine beauty with craftsmanship and purpose. For a smaller home, this makes even more sense.

I don't want a home filled with things that are merely there.

I want things that are useful, beautiful, well made and perhaps even meaningful.

But then comes the difficult part: memories

Of course, downsizing sounds wonderfully simple until you reach the boxes.

The old clothes. The letters. The photographs. The things inherited from family. And, in my case, the books. I write about books. I love books. So obviously I can explain perfectly well why a person should get rid of unnecessary possessions — until I stand in front of my own bookcase. Then everything becomes much more complicated.

I might read this one again.

This was a present.

I remember exactly where I bought this.

This book reminds me of a particular period in my life.

And before you know it, the bookcase has won. Perhaps this is the real challenge of downsizing. Not deciding what is useful. But deciding what is meaningful.

A smaller home can still be luxurious

This is also where I think the word luxury deserves some reconsideration.

Luxury does not necessarily mean a large house.

It does not have to mean a huge bedroom, a separate dining room or a wardrobe the size of a small shop.

Perhaps luxury can mean something much simpler.

A comfortable chair. Beautiful natural textiles. A handmade object you use every day. Good light. A quiet corner. A home that is easy to maintain. A room that is not overflowing with possessions.

And, perhaps most importantly, enough time and energy left to actually enjoy the home. That is a kind of luxury I find increasingly attractive.