Back in "Furniture for Kismet Cabin" I had planned to address the no closet issue by getting a wardrobe. Except, I've run into a problem... there's no space for the wardrobe.
So I pulled out all my clothes over the weekend and took a good hard look at them and how I store them (when they don't just sit in the laundry basket). The reality is that most of my clothes are folded, not hung. I thought, "If there was just some way of compressing them like those vacuum bags." I knew I wasn't going to be vacuum sealing my garment bags every time I needed to access my clothes. Then I remembered another solution... the Eagle Creek Pack-It system from Container Store!
Since I feel like I practically live out of the suitcase (or the laundry basket), why not just go ahead and take advantage of it. I had two old fruit boxes that I'd salvaged from somewhere and fit perfectly in the rolling wire rack I was planning to keep by the front door. However, all my clothes you see piled up on the rack would not fit into those two makeshift drawers. So I sorted them into piles. Yellow is work shirts. Blue is exercise/camping clothes. Green is work pants. Purple/pink is casual and sleep wear. Four piles, so I got four Eagle Creek packers, size medium... and all my clothes fit into those two drawers now! Also, having them pre-divided makes it easy to just pull one pack out rather than having to dig around.
Sorry for the poor quality of the picture!
I still have four coats that I figure I'll hang on the wall (a red wool winter coat, a velvet black blazer for work or events, a denim for casual cool days, and a rain/wind coat for exercise and camping). I was thinking about getting some fun wall hooks like these:
Then there are my shoes. I don't think of myself as a person who has a lot of shoes, but when trying to find space for them - the pairs start to add up. I have 2 pairs of tennis shoes, 2 pairs of work wedges, 1 pair dress shoes, 2 pairs of ballet flats, 2 pairs of sandals, 2 pairs outdoor boots, 1 pair of Renaissance Fair boots. After some Google and Pinterest searching, I found this - a CD rack that was turned into a shoe rack. It's the perfect idea.
But like the wardrobe, where would I put it? Remember my bathroom without the door. Well, it just so happens that there is a perfectly sized CD tower from Ikea* that would fit on either side of the toilet along the back wall. (*Correction, the CD towers are NOT "perfectly" sized". So I'm in the process of looking for similar style that's about an inch narrower.) I plan to use the one to the right of the toilet for shoes and the one to the left for my homemade soaps!
The day I spent patching the holes in the walls of Kismet Cabin demonstrated just what a hindrance the bathroom door was. I quickly realized that swinging doors in small spaces are not my friend. Getting in and out was a bit like performing the Texas Two Step... side step, spin, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... side step, spin, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... Not to mention that closing the door for privacy meant cutting off all ventilation. Additionally, I couldn't use the wall behind the door for vertical storage because then I wouldn't be able to open the door. The conclusion - that door had to go!
I was surprised at how much more open it made the bathroom not having a door hanging there. Even taking it off the floor plan just seemed to make the bathroom roomier. However, taking the door off the bathroom does produce the problem of no privacy. The solutions is simple... use a curtain as a door (suggested by Loft & Cottage). This way I'll have the ventilation I need, won't have to do the Texas Two Step when I'm racing in from my 45 minute drive from work, and it'll provide privacy!
I was so excited to pick up the keys to Kismet Cabin and get a good look inside without all the stuff blocking my vision. I asked one of my friends to go with me to take the all important measurements of the place. This is the basic floorplan with the built-ins I have to work with.
After taking the measurements, I got my legal pad out and started making a list of things that need to be done. And since Idea Man was with me, I was jotting down his suggestions too.
The first thing I plan to do is paint the walls. When I got up close and personal with them last week, I realized they were riddled with screws, nails and holes. So before I can paint, I've gotta remove screws/nails and patch the walls. The property manger told me the place used to rented as a game room... I think I found the wall where the dart board used to hang.
Patching dart holes!
Next, I'll be priming and painting the walls before the furniture arrives in 2 weeks. Woot!
When I move to a new place, I always face the quandary of what to take with me and what to get rid of. Five years ago, I moved from a two bedroom, 2 car garage house to a 750 sq ft apartment. Then three years ago, I downsized to a 500 sq ft studio apartment with a separate kitchen and bathroom. And I am now downsizing again to a ~100 sq ft tiny house.
The challenge this time is more daunting though. There are no closets. There's next to nothing in kitchen storage. No pantry. No refrigerator. No washer or dryer. No space for a bed and a couch. Facing facts, the furniture I have is not going to fit in the this tiny house and still be functional.
I think one of the inviting things about building a tiny house or converting a bus is I can design it to fit my needs and my stuff. Coming into an established space like this tiny house, means letting go of preconceived design ideals and dealing with the challenges of this established floor plan. This is not to say that the space and decor won't be fabulous... because it will. I'm just going to have to go about the design and decorating ideas differently.
To break the design down to it's most basic elements, I have to establish, "What do I need?" Rather than think about what I need in terms of furniture or things, I've chosen to think of what I need by function.
1. I need to sleep.
2. I need to study.
3. I need to cook.
4. I need to be presentable for work.
5. I need to be creative.
6. I need to watch TV and movies.
7. I need to entertain.
Now the trick is finding furniture that combines several of these functions together.
1. My number one priority is I need to sleep. Because I looooove sleeping and I want to be nice and comfy. While I was touring the IKEA showroom I came across the Friheten sofa bed with chaise. I though this was a perfect example of multi-functional furniture because I've always liked the L-seating arrangement for entertainment, the chaise storage would be great for storing things like sheets, comforters and pillows, and the sofa bed expands to a full size bed - making sleep way more comfortable.
This means the queen size bed I currently have can go to my parents house for their guest bed room. The IKEA chair and chaise I got three years ago can be broken down and put into storage.
2. Now for my second need, studying. I'm using a library table that belonged to my mom when she was a teenager as my desk, craft table and dinner table. It's already a piece of multitasking furniture. However, it measures 3'x5' which is too big for the tiny house. So, it has to go into storage too with the rolling desk chair and folding guest chairs.
The reality is any stand-alone table/desk is going to be too big. I thought about using TV trays but they can be rickety and not very attractive. Also, I have to sit at the edge of my seat to use them.
Then I found these simple, modern tray-tables.They can slide flush to the sofa, thus taking up less room. The table trays also act as stylish TV trays when entertaining. If I got two, then they could act as end table to the sofa for drinks or be moved towards the center to hold meals when entertaining. One is large enough for a computer or a sewing machine and the second could hold books and notes acting as a desk. They would also fit as bedside tables too.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the printer, yet.
3. I also need to cook. There's not much I can do to make a refrigerator multi-functional but I can reconsider the size of refrigerator I need. I don't need a large refrigerator but I do need one with a freezer. I also have a set of wire rack shelves that are slightly larger than the dimensions of the Insignia 4.3 cu ft compact refrigerator. I could raise up the refrigerator on the shelves to maximize vertical space, also makes it easier to see into the fridge, and use the shelving storage underneath as a place to keep kitchen equipment. There should also be room for a narrow wire rack shelving unit on wheels to slide along the side of the fridge and act as a pantry.
4. I need to be presentable for work. Where, oh where, to store my clothes and shoes? And how do I clean them?The chaise storage would work if it wasn't already being used to store bedding. That leaves the bathroom as the only place to put some additional storage which kinda makes sense. IKEA had a diverse selection of wardrobes that I thought could work. But the one I found most versatile wasn't that pretty to look at. I only have a few things that I need to hang up and the 18" was adequate. Everything else I fold up, so the vertical shelves are a good fit. There's a long shelf at the bottom that would fit my shoes and boots. I could store bath towels in the wardrobe as well. All my toiletries already fit in one carrier.
As for keeping clothes clean, I've been thinking about getting the Scrubba Wash Bag for camping, so I think now's a good time for that. As seen in the video, it certainly doesn't take up much space for storage.
5. I need to be creative. The space for creative work has already been solved. I can sit on the couch and use the table-trays as my work space. But where to store my supplies and tools? I guess now's the time to mention the two storage lofts. I figure on using one storage loft for my weaving, sewing, bookbinding, and soap making crafts. Luckily, I can reach the storage loft using my step ladder/kitchen stool. I'm thinking, I might do something like this.
6. I need to watch TV and movies. The simplest solution is to mount the TV to the wall opposite the L-shaped sofa and chaise. A floating shelf would also be mounted to house the Roku and Blu Ray player with remotes.
7. I need to entertain. To extend my entertainment area, I think an outdoor kitchen/patio is the way to go. I need to work on this idea a little more.
Before I start moving into my new Tiny House, the walls need a fresh coat of paint. My first instincts are to paint the walls blue and the wainscoting white. Then I thought, why not do some research about painting a small space. There may be some surprises I'm not aware of or some useful advice.
"For a Light and Airy Feel, Go Cool... Blues and greens, and grays, browns, and lavenders with blue or green undertones can make walls recede and a small space seem larger."
"Bring the Outdoors Indoors..." with colors of green on the wall.
"To Add Volume, Make it Seamless... Paint walls and ceilings the same color... anytime the wall is higher than it is wider, it makes the room seem better proportioned... create continuous flow by painting the baseboards and trim the same color as the wall."
I also wanted some ideas for the wainscoting, other than the stereotypical white. I found this picture that I really liked. The "Recycled Glass" walls is serene like water but also the muted color of the outdoors. The brown adds a stark, richness to the space that is also reminiscent of the outdoors.
"Breakfast Nook: Provide an Anchor... Using a chocolate brown on the bench has a grounding effect on the minty-green walls, making them seem taller. The dark color also emphasizes the coziness of the corner built-in."
Other websites list ideas such as "be bold" with the colors or choose wallpaper that creates "movement." Many of the darker jeweled colors I like, I just feel would make the space too tight. And some of the wallpapers I like I think are too busy for a small space.
With these ideas in mind, I'm going to pick up some paint samples.
A lot of things happened in 2014 and early 2015 that really threw me off my stride. I went into a deep depression. I wasn't cooking, or hanging out, or doing any of the arts and crafty things that I love to do. And I put on so much weight I thought my scale was going to break. It's taken me some time to climb my way out thanks to the help and understanding of my friends, my doctor and my therapist.
Now, I'm moving forward. The last few post were discussions of downsizing with the eventual idea of moving into a converted school bus. The school bus conversion remains my ultimate goal, but I'm going to take a different track getting there.
During the course of dealing with my depression, I realized some important things about myself. The most important realization was that I LOVE nature and living in the city is not helping me (however cute the downtown district is). Specifically, I miss living near water. This was confirmed when I took my two week sojourn through National Parks on the way to and from San Diego. When I returned home in late June, I started searching for apartments and small houses in and around the lake areas. On Craig's List, I found a listing for a tiny house, ~ 100 sq ft, right next to the lake in a small community of like minded individuals. It was kismet!
I interviewed to be a tenant in late July. Yes, I do mean interviewed... complete with a biographical essay. The previous tenant was basically using the house as storage but I could see enough to know it was exactly what I wanted. On Monday, July 27, 2015, I found out that I beat out 16 other possible tenants and I was ecstatic. I told my new landlord that I didn't mind waiting until the 15th of August to move in, thus giving the previous tenant some extra time to clean it out (poor guy broke his leg).
So on Sunday, August 16, I'll get my keys and start making the place my own. I won't be moving in right away because I need to first figure out what I'm going to do with the space. That means taking exact measurements of everything and determining exactly what I need. Since I don't do idle that well, I've started collecting ideas by visiting the IKEA showrooms one weekend and the Container Store last weekend. But the reality is, I can't plan anything until I get into the house and take the measurements I need.
Since I can't plan about furniture and placement of things, I've started thinking about freshening up the walls instead. They are currently a russet/burgundy walls with chartreuse/olive wainscoting. Not my idea a serene space. So that has to go!
Update 8/14/15 - After a conversation with a friend, the cabin is now called Kismet Cabin.
Doubt is a seed that gets sown with every idea I have. Sometimes it's useful, it makes me take a step back, slow down and evaluate. Other times doubt just clogs up the work, trips me up and causes me to be overly cautious. It's hard to know when it's useful and when it's a hindrance.
The reason I'm talking about doubt is because no body else seems to. I've been inspired by other people's stories, their blogs and the YouTube videos. They had a vision and they went for it, all out, full force. And I wonder, did they ever have any doubts? Did they ever have a moment before that moment of commitment when they said, I don't have to do this? Did they ever think, this is scary crazy?
Because, I have those thoughts. And so did Christopher and Merete, the stars and builders of a tiny house in the film Tiny: a Story about Living Small.
Despite evidence to the contrary I've been assured that I'm not crazy by two professionals who work closely with the mentally disturbed. Though, the fact that they work with the mentally disturbed may actually count against them. Anyway, after much research, I came up with this -
School Bus to RV conversion.
Crazy, right?! I told you I wasn't sure about those two friends of mine.
Here are some of the reasons why I've decided a School Bus to RV conversion would be the way to go for my first tiny house:
School Buses can be bought for $3,000 to $5,000 dollars, sometimes even less.
They have a higher ground clearance than RVs in order to ensure the safety of the children they were used to transport.
Their roof systems are designed so that in case of roll over, the roof can support the entire weight of the bus.
They are solid steel frame construction, not aluminum like RVs. They use a medium density truck chassis was is totally better than anything a RV has.
School Buses are designed to haul for 500,000 miles, though most schools sell them before they get to the 200,000 miles mark. This leaves lots of life in the bus for the new owners.
School Buses are universal in every state, so they're relatively easy to fix.
They are designed to be self maintained.
Because School Buses were part of public facility, they underwent regular maintenance.
Now, I've also come across some issues with School Buses:
The ceiling height is right about 6' at the center aisle and slopes down towards the windows.
Most School Buses are geared toward city driving not highway cruising.
The diesel engine get about 11 miles to the gallon.
Conversion is hard work.
*7/5/2016 Update: Despite these challenges, I think this could work for my first tiny house. Another plus is the ability to travel until I find the property that I want to invest in to create a tiny house haven. After a year of living in a 135 sq. ft. Kismet Cabin, I can now say with confidence that I can live a tiny lifestyle and the next step is saving money to buy a school bus and convert it.
