Letter of Recommendation: Tiny Spaces

This article makes me think of the initial layout of Salvador Dali's house in Cadaques. This initial house was no more than a small storage room that was bought from the local fishermen and served as bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dinning room for Gala and Dali. During the course of 40 years the house would grow "cellularly" with the couple's needs into its present incarnation which is a incredible labernith of levels, spaces and corridors. However in the early humble beginnings of the home, Dali would refer to it as having a certain uterine charm.

I was just in Iceland. I didn't notice any tiny spaces. Just the opposite in fact.

Excellent illustration.

My wife and I and our two kids lived in a 650 sq. foot apartment in Chicago for a four years before the eldest entered school, in the near suburbs. A cliche, perhaps, but they were the happiest years of my life.

Not clear on your math. "I am 5-foot-4, and my current apartment is 320 square feet. Therefore, my current apartment is 3 x 3.75 Mollys." 5'4" = 64". 320 sq. ft. = 3,840 sq. in. What am I missing?

We live in a sizable condo, but my two favorite rooms are my tiny bedroom that also serves as an office and wine cellar and a walled patio of about the same size. In larger rooms, I become ever so slightly agoraphobic. Thanks for a sprightly and delicious essay, Molly Young. I'm now going to head over to Amazon, hoping to find your name on some books.

Loved this little piece!! I thought that my preference for squeezing into small spaces was due to having had a previous life as a cat! :D

I, for one, am with this all the way.

I once had a bedroom about 8' x 10', with good ventilation, but no windows, where we slept like babies. We never knew the time, and trusted our bodies' rhythms to guide us, which they did.

From there we moved, for a while, to a showy new house with a 'Master Bedroom Suite' about 18' x 30', and marble floors. A real nouveau riche dream. We hated every minute in that room and soon moved to an adjacent one, billed as a child's room.

I felt that this was an intuitive, natural choice, rather than one made by contractors and a brokers.

Some can do the super-small/tiny house challenge. I need about 800-1000 sq. feet...smallish, but not claustrophobic. Have lived in much bigger spaces as well, and felt it took too much time to cross the huge livingroom, too much energy to cook in a huge kitchen, walking distances from sink to oven, to refrigerator. I have gravitated to this modest living space in 3 homes, for many years..not too big, not too small..as Goldilocks would say.."Just right".

Thank you so much. I loved this.

A really lovely piece. When I was about 43 years old, and divorced, living in a big house in the country with housemates, one night I went into our huge back yard and built a small tent of some sort out of sheets over lawn chairs and spent the night there. It was a completely spur of the moment act that I found fun and amusing. I think I wanted to feel bigger! Thanks for your article.

What a wonderful article. How true. I have ancient memories of playing comfortably under a dining room table. What a wonderful refutation of the modern American pseudo-dream [nightmare] that everything must be larger than previous in order to impress the neighbors/relatives/associates that one, often, does not even like. The 20s-30s-40s-50s bungalows that were quite acceptable at the time - now everything must be grand/grandiose [only 8 ft. ceilings now sooo out of fashion].

I was drawn into the smallness, yet expansive read. Enjoged it very much. I felt like I was riding a rollercoaster, not knowing which way I was going to be pulled towards next. Whew!

I too appreciated this piece. I was a young reader but we had little to read in our house except mostly a large pile of old National Geographic Magazines. I would get in a particular closet and pour over these mags. And, on occasion, I would bring home a book from school and read it in the closet. Seven decades later,I am a writer and I have my very own 'perch' overlooking the ranch lands.

I am in the midst of downsizing into what was a weekend house half the size of the former one. Although not the tiny space described, the smaller house speaks to me so much more. It makes me feel safe, cozy and comfortable, and more in control. It is easier to clean. I am glad to know others share this sensation, especially when more and more "normal" houses in Los Angeles are being replaced by hulking mega-mansions. My relative once bought a 13,000 square foot house in Florida, and then proceeded to live in only 2 rooms. Maybe we are cave-dwellers at heart! Nice illustration, also.

The Japanese have dealt with small spaces in housing as well as gardening, with a view to scale and clarity. How well that contrasts with the Victorian mansions and estates. Yet note a canopied bed in a vast drafty room tried to compensate
for that.

I grew up in a large house in Latin America and over time as I moved to New York, I downsized to a 330 sq ft. studio. I loved being in a space like that, I had a simpler existence. That changed and now with a family and a dog I am in an expansion wave: from a 1 bedroom, to our current 2 bedroom, to what we hope will be a lovely house. However in that lovely house, I wan to have a shed or mini 300 sq ft studio at the en of the garden

I'll be honest -- I just don't understand your mindset, Ms. Young, and I almost pity you. If I lived in a tiny space, I could not have the richness of life that I have. I enjoy all kinds of creative, artsy hobbies which require space; I collect beautiful things/objects; I love to entertain and serve meals that emphasize seasonal/holiday themes; I have pets; I grow indoor plants (as well as those in my yard); I treasure my library of great books; I keep family heirlooms; we have our own little gym, and a room where guests can stay; I can host a local civic group meeting if I want to.

But the most important thing about having a decent size place is that you can have a wonderful family life. In our home we gather together often, but everyone also has their personal space - which means we live in harmony and order. To me, living in 320 square feet would be intolerable punishment -- not much different from living in a room in Assisted Living.

my favourite bedroom in a young people share house was 6'x9' with 10' ceiling - no-one else wanted it so they let me have it for half the rent of other rooms - bargain !

I bought eight lengths of 4"x2"pine - four vertical posts, and two cross beams each way across the width/length of the room - to support my metal double-bed spring frame - I arranged the bed into one corner - allowing space for a ladder to the bed - and luckily the 10' ceiling was enough space to duck down walk around under - I had my study desk and chair at the window, a bookshelf, armchair and a persian carpet - around the walls I had hanging rack for clothes and maybe another bookcase for clothes.

Point is - I loved it - my cozy little den - and my girlfriend of the time also loved it enough to visit regularly and enjoy climbing the ladder !

I've lived in 26 different housing arrangements - too big - fills with junk - a really big house - fills with really big load of junk - so now I live in a compact walk-city apartment - where any excess gets put out on the street for the next passerby to pick up - oh - good - just what I need !

I really enjoyed this piece -- it spoke to the inner child in me wanting to make a tent out of the sofa cushions and my trusty blankey. Thanks for that.