Elegant Fancy Small Home

Join us as we ‘tour’ a sophisticatedly designed small home for a young family. You’ll surely get inspired – we promise!

[adrotate banner=”30″]

The words ‘elegant’ and ‘small’ are not always seen together in a sentence. But this is quite an elegant and fancy small home. What a treat.

But in our house tour today, you’ll find that those two fit well together, and that a small-spaced home can be easily described as ‘elegant’ (and then some).

Take a look and see for yourself … Photo Credit BHG.com

small home front door entrance

Grand entrance, anyone? This small home is definitely designed to change our view of small spaces. A row of built-ins offers storage and display space just inside the front door. By painting the inside of the bookcase black, it gives the wall a recessed look. A large, custom fish-eye mirror completes the look.

small home living room

Oh, those sofas are definitely calling my attention. I love them!  Any family will love to have this living room! This decorating scheme incorporated family pieces, including two red sofas, two large Empire Era chests, and a pedestal table. Blue accents calm the space and are the perfect companion to the vibrant red sofas. A mix of patterns on the pillows and chairs infuses the room with a youthful attitude.

small home fireplace

The fireplace. It just looks so modern and absolutely creative. The artwork above the mantel is from the owner’s childhood home. They were just waiting to find the perfect spot for it.

[adrotate banner=”29″]

Check out the simplicity of the living room below.

small home family room

Here’s the family room. Oh wow! A mix of geometric, organic, and ethnic patterns gives this room a playful persona.  The homeowners chose to create a casual space for relaxation and covered existing sofas in durable brown corduroy.

small home kitchen

In this small space, this kitchen’s crisp white cabinets, dark wood floors, and beautiful granite countertops create an ultimate kitchen any cook would love. Okay. Do you remember what I said earlier? Elegant and small in one sentence?

Join us each Sunday morning with your personal copy of
Small House Life magazine.. delivered right to your email.

Here you go. Elegant small kitchen. Based on the photo alone, I think we would never have guessed that this kitchen is from a small home / apartment. I mean, would you look at that? This is the dream kitchen.

small home dining nook

Oh, I love the dining nook! In the kitchen, every surface and fabric can be wiped with a sponge, including faux-leather pads on the banquette, laminated David Hicks fabric on pillows, and a Roman shade in the dining nook. The antique dining table was a wedding gift.

small home master bedroom

Amazing! A disco ball-inspired chandelier takes center stage in the master bedroom, where chartreuse cut velvet covers the headboard, Roman shade, and bed skirt. I love the fact that every room in this small home is somehow ‘themed’
small home kids bedroom

The kids’ room is absolutely stylish! Velvet twin headboards, bed skirts, and a Roman shade boast pretty green hues in this super-sophisticated kids’ room.

[adrotate banner=”29″]

Oh, lovin’ the desk nook below.

small home office

Sweet and tidy! A built-in desk area opposite the dining nook is command central for this family.

Garage Storage to Maximize Space

Maximizing space in your garage is not really a big problem anymore – with the help of some efficient garage storage. Storage tips

[adrotate banner=”30″]
It’s spring cleaning time! Maximizing space in your garage has never been easier with all the cool and nifty AND efficient new garage storage items available to us.

If you’re tired of looking at your messy… and what seems to be.. small garage, then we have some cool storage ideas that will get your garage spiffed up in no time.

But I have to tell you, if your garage is a wreck, then first and foremost, you have to do a big spring cleaning. Get rid of the junk and then start organizing what you have.

messy garage

Garage storage.. Do I really need it?

Yes! …yes, you do. It’s going to help you get organized and put everything in it’s place. Garage storage and cabinets are worthy additions to garage spaces of all sizes. Having some garage systems will definitely make your garage neat and clean, to say the least.

Here are some garage storage ideas that will surely take full advantage of your space – small or otherwise.

No place on the floor anymore? Install a ceiling storage in your garage!

ceiling storage Overhead storage bin

Having a ceiling storage installed will be one step to maximize your garage space. If you have a small garage, then getting one of these overhead ceiling storage units will be very practical – especially if you have a vehicle parked inside your garage. Easy and quick to install, you’ll make the most of your garage space in a few minutes (with the right tools, of course).

[note color=”#Ffff7e”]Are you just totally lovin this article? Then give it a tweet![/note]

Garage storage system

The most popular way of maximizing garage space, or any space or room for that matter, is by shelving. Shelving has a lot of benefits. For one, it will remove the “messy” look of your garage as it will surely reduce the clutter.

Aside from the obvious fact that it will maximize your garage space, it will also get you organized with the different tools, items and products that are normally stored in your garage. So remove those unwanted paper boxes – shelve the contents instead.

Join us each Sunday morning with your personal copy of
Small House Life magazine.. delivered right to your email.

Utilize your vertical space…

Pegboards for garage storage
… and that means hanging and storing all kinds of tools in one place – on the wall. Pegboards are known to do the trick of effectively hanging all kinds of tools, even bikes.  Pegboards are also known to last for a long time, and they don’t even cost that much.

Organize, organize, organize!

We mentioned it at the beginning of this post.. You really can’t skip this part when you want to maximize your garage space. Even with the above-mentioned storage ideas, if you are not organized, your garage will still end up messy and not easy to look at. Not to mention, you’re really not maximizing your garage space when working tools and garden products, for example, are not stored correctly. So make sure that you identify and group things accordingly.

Leave Garage Storage to Maximize Space for SmallHouseLife.com

Santa Rosa Gulf Front Condo

Come along to see this small house that happens to be a condo! Just 1513 square feet, with three bedrooms and three baths.

Small house that happens to be a Destin, Florida waterfront condo!  Just 1513 square feet, with three bedrooms and three baths.    We’ll give you the contact info at bottom of post in case you’re interested to see if it’s still available to buy.  If you like country, or maybe I should say with a slant towards french country, you’ll like the way this beach condo is decorated.

Front

Whoever said living in a small home meant doing without?  Look at the front façade of this condo complex, oh so elegant!  And I love the giant  fountain at the entrance.  Makes a great first impression, and I can imagine the splashing sound of water cascading in the front with the waves of the gulf at the back of this property.

Living Area

The small living area – The color selections are fairly typical in a beach property.. although the TV stand is definitely unique. The position of the TV is great because you won’t receive any glare from the outside sun.  And we all know beach son tens to be bright.  Can you see the beach and water through the balcony?

Living

The photo above shows you the view of the unit standing with your back to the balcony.  Nice dining area and the large kitchen bar for casual fare and entertaining.  Notice the large tiles set on a diagonal on the floor.  Tile is especially nice for a beach house.

Kitchen

Granite counter tops in a fully equipped kitchen.  Nice stainless steel appliances compliment the warm kitchen cabinets.


Dining Area

So this is the view from the kitchen – includes the dining table and the living area. I thought you might like to see the rest of the room in a slightly different perspective.  And there’s that gorgeous water again!  Enjoy waking up each morning and take in the breathtaking views of the emerald green waters.

Bedroom

Here’s one of the bedrooms. The white color of the wall obviously shouts simplicity. You can maybe hang some pictures or paintings here. Or maybe paint it with the color of your choice but then again, if you’re looking for the simplicity this room gives out, this bedroom will surely do.  Master suite has sliding glass doors to balcony, whirlpool tub and separate shower in master bath.

Wash Area

Dual wash in the small bathroom. Look, even granite countertops in the bath.  BTW, we do granite counters in our spec homes in Texas.  Looks like it’s also popular here in Florida.  And the mirrors- this is really ideal for families or even a couple in the bath at the same time.  Cool sinks and faucets!

Bedroom2

Photo above shows one of the secondary bedrooms.  It’s always nice to have single beds for guests or if you’re going to rent out a space.. This may be ideal as well when you have kids.

Community Pool

Oh yeah,  here’s the big community pool.  Personally I like to look at the ocean and swim in the pool.. LOL  That’s just me.  This is a great spot to meet up with friends for a party or enjoy a quiet afternoon reading your favorite book.  Development offers 515 feet of sugar white beaches, covered parking, fully equipped exercise room, video arcades, game room, and 2 gulf front pools.

The pictures are Courtesy of destinpropertyforsale.com.  MLS# 558484

 

The Nest Small Cottage

A romantic Italian small cottage set amid Italy’s countryside This romantic cottage, 431 square feet, was once a barn for goats.

I have found the coolest small cottage on the planet, called The Nest.. If the name alone doesn’t conjure up a charming, quaint, small house, the pictures definitely will.

This romantic cottage was once a barn for goats.. but now you can actually stay in the 431 square foot dream house (for two.)  We’ll give you all the contact info at bottom of post.  For now, let’s jump in and look at the cottage pictures!  Prepare to be amazed.

Outside View of The Nest
Could it get any more charming?  And it’s located in Italy’s Langhe region: A hilly area to the south and west of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont.  The stone house with tile roof amidst a rural countryside… I’m there!  Apparently this area has not been invaded by mass tourism, yet.

Entrance Door

Really, for this charming cottage, I’m mainly going to let the pictures speak for themselves.. But would you look at the view from inside?  OK, I’ll hush up now..

Living Area

Living Area Corner

Small Kitchen Area

I have to say this (because I’m very picky about it).. Look how clean this house is.  And is it too cute how they’ve carved a space under the stairs for a tiny kitchen?  Just goes to show how you can indeed get optimum living space from the smallest of spaces.  AND the small kitchen even has a tiny window!

Dining Area

Bedroom from another angleWow!  Love the high ceiling with wood and wood beams.  Rustic and warm.  Perfect balance for the hardwood floors and crisp white small bedroom.

Bedroom

We’ll deliver these posts directly to your email each
Sunday morning, free! Just sign up below!

Small Bedroom Door
I am SO digging these doors. Don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like them. You won’t find those at Lowes! Notice the doorknob.. cute little lizard.

small bathroom
Man.. this tiny cottage continues to delight. Sweet bath! Love the sink..now you can get those at Lowes.. although it looks like a stone sink so it would definitely be a special order.

PatioNow for a little rest and relaxation, we go out to the backyard. Can’t you almost hear the silence? 🙂

Backyard Barbecue

Garden

Garden

Flowers by the Pool

A pool? Well, I guess so. You’ll want to contact owner to make sure it’s a private pool, but it certainly appears that way.

Swimming Pool

View from the Pool

Now that you’ve seen the Nest, here is more info about this charming cottage to rent taken from the travel guide.  The Nest cottage website is >> Cascinaadami.it

The numerous villages of “Alta Langa”, full of rural life and rich of culture, can not only generate ideas about interesting tourist and cultural activities but also a lot of opportunity for who is interested by the traditional gastronomical culture. Indeed Murazzano is well known for his “toma”, a sheep milk cheese, for his hazelnuts and for his ancient restaurants. Murazzano is the ideal place where to spend relaxing holidays in touch with nature and rural life.

Leave The Nest Small Cottage for HOME

[note color=”#FFCC00″]Remember to share with your Twitter and Facebook friends below! ..thanks, dee [/note]

Southern Small House Built in 1941

Tour this delightful southern small house built in 1941. Just 1633 square feet, but this small home packs big living in small spaces.

Our first small house tour of the new year and it’s gorgeous!  Beaufort, South Carolina, where this home is located, is one of my favorite places to go soak up architectural style..  There is just something about the classic southern design elements that warms my heart..  I may be a Texas girl, but I was born in Savannah, you know.

Quick particulars: This lovely southern beauty sits on approx. a third acre, was built in 1941, with three bedrooms and two baths; approx. 1633 square feet..  OK then!  Now, it’s time for this small house tour!

Front View of Small House

When you say small house, it doesn’t mean that it cannot look grand, right? The circular steps welcoming your visitors, along with the archway framing the charming front door.   Simple yet elegant.  Lovin’ the wood windows.  How about the weeping moss hanging from the trees?  Only in the south!  Now let’s peek inside this lovely home.

Living Room

We begin with the living room.  Notice there is not a foyer.  Now, I personally am not big on foyers in a small home.  I think it wastes valuable space that can be used elsewhere.  The living room furniture is arranged to compliment the direct entrance into the room.  Ideal for movie night or just hanging around with family/friends enjoying easy conversation by the fireplace…

Quick comment about the TV over the fireplace.  It’s a very popular way to go these days but I always wondered how that played out in real life.  I mean does your neck get sore when not watching TV straight on?  We just moved into a house with the television set up like the one in this small house, and I’m here to tell you it works fine.

Tips for Hanging TV over Fireplace

[note color=”#f0f0f0″]

  • Hang TV as low to the fireplace mantel as possible. The TV you see in the living room above could be placed about six inches lower.
  • If you are building, select a fireplace with as low a mantel as possible that still works with your room proportion.

[/note]

Kitchen 2

The kitchen is a good size for a small house. Remember we’re talking just a little over 1600 square feet. Looks like a total update, and very well done. When you’re considering a home that’s been remodeled, make sure the quality is up to par.

Streamlined flat-paneled cabinets with slick stainless appliances.  Note with the cabinets, they installed old fashion style knobs to balance the semi modern kitchen with the older home. The country kitchen sink is a very expensive addition. FYI, I’ve never seen one less than about $1700. Also, they splurged on a refrigerator cabinet for a polished, finished look.

May I complain for a minute here? One of my pet peeves is this:  If someone is taking pictures of your house (for any reason, but especially to sell) get rid of the clutter! The dishes, and dishrag, and junk on the fridge, MUST GO. Pheww, ok now I feel better.

Kitchen

Ok, another view of the kitchen.  I’m diggin the range and vent.  Oh, and hardwood floors!  You noticed those, right?

I also want you to note how the cabinets go all the way to the counter.  We also did this in our big house.  Scroll down to the kitchen picture here and you’ll see.  I liked that and would probably do it again, but my kitchen had extra counter space next to the cabinets, while these do not.  The only reason that matters is if you have stuff on the counter and want to open the cabinet, there’s no place to scoot it.  Just remember that if you decide to build.

Want these articles delivered to your email once a week?

Check out SmallHouseLife Magazine!

Dining Area

Oh yeah, smart, smart how they opened up the space from the dining room to the living room.  And the sleek dining set is perfect for this small house.

Bedroom 2

Onto the light and bright master bedroom.  I love that the windows are situated strategically so when the sun shines in and it’s time to wake up in the morning, you’ll get the full benefit.

Even though this is a small bedroom, they got all the important pieces into the room and it looks great!  The white is a perfect compliment to the warm tones of the bed and hardwood floors.  It’s unusual to have hardwood floors throughout a home because they are more expensive than tile or carpet.  This is a perk you’ll sometime find in an older home.

Bathroom

Crisp, clean small bathroom right here.  I seriously love this bath!  I can’t tell id there’s wood on the walls, but I think there is.  The window brings in lots of natural light.. and speaking of light, how about the fun light fixture above the pedestal sink!  You know me, I’d probably tear up the floor and replace it with the black and white tiles that we did in our black and white bathroom here.

Bedroom 1

I’m telling you, this small home has fabulous windows to enjoy the natural light.  And see how they are even all cased out to give a more finished look. (Cased out means they have wood trim around them)  anyway, this is quite a large bedroom for this modest square footage.  Cool.

Porch

Speaking of windows.. Just look at this screened porch!  And the garden!  It’s really inspiring, isn’t it? Imagine reading your book here while drinking some iced tea on a hot summer day… It’s fantastic to have extra living spaces like this that extend the indoors to the outdoors, and double our enjoyment of our home.

Patio

Which brings us to the backyard of this lovely home.. You don’t always get such a generous outdoor living space in small houses, but this one over-deliverers.  Plus it looks so peaceful and private with the thoughtful use of hedges along the fence line.  Again, I have to say if you’re selling, move the boat!  Although I guess it does imply there’s water nearby, now that I think about it.  Hmmm. OK

So, this country cottage is actually still available to buy (photos from Realtor .com) at the time of this post.  Check out MLS#127651 or call listing agent Neil 843.252.2121.

[note color=”#fff666″]Please share with your buddies on facebook and/or Twitter.. Thanks, dee 🙂

AND if you’re not already receiving our super cool Sunday morning magazine, FREE, sign up now at the bottom of this page![/note]

Green Cottage with Garage Apartment

Enchanting green cottage – Come along for a tour.. and get small house design ideas that you can implement in your own small home. We take..

enchanting green cottageCome along as we tour this enchanting green cottage!  This small house is a two bedroom, one bath and only 1073 sq ft.  It even has an attached 400sf 1/1 garage apartment.

What I love about the garage apartment concept is that you can live in a small house but have extra room for guests or a little B & B or even a place for caregivers to stay.  What would you do with the extra space?

“That cute, little cottage from down the block” will be the description of  neighbors living near this small home. It’s really something – brings out the feel of ‘living a simple life’.  I like it!  I know you’ll fall in love with this little cottage, too. Simple but gorgeous.. and lots of design and decorating ideas for small spaces.

Photos Courtesy of Realtor .com MLS# 7918560

Living Room

Nice, cozy living room... yet spacious with an abundance of natural light. From the outside look of the house, you’ll never guess this fancy living room, huh?  And don’t you agree less is more?  This is a perfect example oh how you don’t need a bunch of stuff to make a welcoming home.

Fireplace

This picture focuses on another angle of the small living room. Notice the fireplace? For a cottage, a fireplace is a great addition. I like the combination of the simple and very ‘futuresque’ style right there.  One observation I want you to be careful of: The TV is too high!  It looks like it can come down another eight inches or so.  If you’re putting the TV over the fireplace, my suggestion is to put it just and inch or two over the mantel.

Kitchen

The kitchen certainly looks awesome.  Crisp and white.  Modern and yet fits perfectly with the cottage feel.  And how about the built-ins to the right of the pantry.  No wasted space!  See how you can carve out extra living areas to take advantage of all the space you have?  The walls are a lovely grey/taupe to compliment the white..and the stainless appliances.  Oh, and the ‘never out of style’ hardwood floors.

Kitchen 2

The other angle of the kitchen. Gotta love that granite counter tops.. It’s Volga Blue granite from the Ukraine to accentuate the white cupboards.  And I don’t know about you but if at all possible put a window in the kitchen!  There’s just nothing like mindlessly day dreaming while preparing dinner or cleaning up dishes.  OK,  it’s time to cook!

Dining Room

This dining area definitely shouts a ‘close family’ dinner. Or maybe even a dinner for a newly-wed couple. First house… first dinner together at your own house… Again, notice how adding built ins..this time in the corners, just makes a small dining room or any small space for that matter, function more efficiently.

Bedroom1

Now onto the master bedroom of this small house.  I like the way the bed and the other bedroom furniture are arranged. The wooden furniture and floors actually accentuate the comfy feeling here. Makes you want to just lay down for a while and drift away somewhere in your dreams. I also love that this room has many windows – makes it bright inside during daytime.  Notice the armoire angled in the corner.

Bedroom Nursery
I am a little surprised at the baby bed positioned perpendicular to the wall.. but apparently this 1073 square foot little cottage has pretty good size bedrooms.  Soft and sweet for the soft and sweet baby.  🙂  Check out the cool rug that covers almost all of the hardwood floors.. and then see what I suggest about hardwood floors under the next picture.

Bedroom 2

I like that the garage apartment bedroom is carpeted.  (See the roof tops through the windows.) Walking on a soft carpeted bedroom floor gives a calm feeling.   Here’s my personal opinion about hardwood floors:  They are fabulous in your main living areas, but not so much in the bedrooms.  I did a home with hardwood floors throughout, and was not happy with it.  The bedrooms always felt cold to me.  Just something to consider, and you’ll save a ton of money forgoing the hardwood floors in those rooms.

Yard

Yup, that’s the perfect yard right here! If you have kids, this yard will be very beneficial for games, outdoor picnics, camping out, or maybe some nice Sunday barbecue with the whole family… you name it!   You can do most anything in this spacey yard.  Always consider your outdoor living space when either buying a home or purchasing a Lot or acreage to build your small house.  It really matters!

Quaint Cottage – Small House has it all

Come along to tour this quaint cottage. This small house has gorgeous curb appeal.. The three bedrooms and one bath lives big at 1560 sq. ft.

Come along as we tour this quaint cottage.  Talk about curb appeal in a small house!  And behind that pretty face, are three bedrooms and one bath contained within 1560 square feet.   This small house makes it into our small house gallery because of the spaciousness of the living space.  Photos courtesy of Realtor.com MLS# 776566

Front Elevation of quaint small house

A very nice facade for a home, isn’t it? It’s almost like a dream home of young lovers starting out in their first home…. But this, I think, can be turned into a family home overflowing with children.. or maybe the perfect place to retire.   Quaint cottage.

Front 2

I included this picture so you’ll have a closer look of the front elevation..  
[adrotate banner=”29″]
Before we even step inside, we can see that they did a great job on the exterior part of this small house. The color is classic (for a classic home) and the wood front door gives it just enough interest.

Main Floor View

The main floor view above: I like that the main floor is quite spacey.   It is a bit cluttered.. at least for my taste.. but this area is roomy.  The hardwood floors are perfect and in great shape.. I love wood floors. It gives you the ‘homey’ and simple feeling.  Nothing quite like them for classic decor.

Living Room

This photo of the living room gives you the idea on what furniture and other décors you can put in. I like that the windows are all over – makes the whole room well ventilated and light and bright.  Personally, dark rooms are just too depressing for me.  Let the sun shine in!

Dining Area

Oh yeah, we definitely have a formal groove here in this small house.  But I’m still amazed that even with a ‘fussy’ look, there is still a lot of space for only 1560 square feet.

Bedroom
Alright, even though our quaint cottage is way too formal for my taste, I kinda like this master bedroom. 
[adrotate banner=”29″]
In fact, I like it a lot.  The green and white is fresh, and compliments beautifully with the wood furniture.

Deck
Now here’s a treat!  Cozy back yard deck surrounded by an English garden.  The only way you can get away with an uncovered area like this is if you either live in a cold area where you need that sun, or if the back of the house does not face west.

Deck-Yard
A broader view of the deck and garden.  This is really a gorgeous, spacious back yard.  Notice how they used greenery to create a privacy hedge waaay at the back of this picture.  While you can still see the neighbors over sized backyard building, it’s not unsightly due to the thick trees.

It sure is nice when your small house has an outdoor living space such as this quaint cottage.. It’s something to think about when designing your perfect living in a small house.

Leave Quaint Cottage for SmallHouseLife.com Homepage

Waterfront Living in 1200 Square Feet

Take a tour of waterfront living in 1200 square feet to get great design ideas for small spaces. Who says you can’t have it all when downsizing?

[adrotate banner=”30″]
Ready for some awesome design ideas for your small space? Downsizing never looked so good when it’s dressed up with a panoramic lake view.

This upscale 1200 +/- square foot home is a perfect example of how ‘down-sizing’ can be just the right size for folks who want it all. Get ideas for your small house as we tour this gorgeous Horseshoe Bay lake front condo with just the right living space and a plethora of amenities.

Photos & info courtesy of Realtor.com MLS# 113928 – Contact at end of post.

Front

Above is a good shot of the condo exterior. Whenever you’re considering a condo (as well as a single family home), you want to think about the aesthetics of the exterior. Does it make a good first impression? Does it have the desired curb appeal?

I will say one thing about this particular area.. Horseshoe Bay Resort.. It has an absolutely fantastic presence as you drive through the entrance. It breathes money with it’s lush tropical ambiance. If that matters to you, make sure to weigh it in when you’re considering different properties.

Living Area

Waterfront Condo Living Room space: Can’t tell too much about the living room other than it looks like you can get a full set of furniture in it. If you like to entertain, that’s important, or even if you simply want the feeling of a bigger home.

Living Room

Ahhh.. now we’re talking! First off, the living and kitchen spaces are open to each other while establishing boundaries with the kitchen bar. In my book this is a must in small living spaces. Otherwise you’re going to feel boxed in.

The second biggie is the view! Personally I could definitely downsize with a lake view like that. What’s so amazing about this view is that it looks like you get a wide open expanse of water, and not a puny canal where you’re looking across at your neighbor’s house.

Kitchen

Modern Well Designed Kitchen – Yes, very nice! It’s eye candy to be sure. Modern, with stainless appliances, built-in pantry and good color choices. It also has one of my favorite design features. When you have a good size pantry like this one, put it next to the fridge like you see here. That helps the fridge look semi built-in. A little more custom look, you know?

The only element I’d possibly change in this perfectly appointed kitchen, is the pantry door. I’d prefer it to open in the direction of the kitchen and not the other way. Check the swing of your doors if you’re building your own small house. It’s the details that matter.

Dining AreaOpen Dining and Living space – OK, we couldn’t see this so well before, but now we get a visual on how the living, dining and kitchen all flow together. Excellent design for this smaller square footage.

BedroomWow, even a water view from the master! Must be a pretty good size room if it’ll handle the big sleigh bed. But when you can cast your sight to a water expanse such as this one, I just don’t think it’s quite as important to get hung up on extra space because you will feel like you have the space.  Of course, crummy design can disappoint even with the killer view.. so you do want to look for a small floor plan with good design, such as this one.

BathroomI’m guessing this is the master bath because of the two sinks, although I’ve certainly seen two sinks in a second bath. Super storage with the long vanity.

Bedroom 2Here’s a look at the second bedroom with good size closet. I like closets with double doors like you see here so it’s easy to get in and find everything.

DeckBack Deck – Very important element to consider when you’re buying a condo as your small home. What kind of private outdoor spaces does it have? Here, you have a generous sized balcony. There’s room for a table and chairs, and even lounging chairs to soak up the view.. OK, I know there aren’t lounge chairs in this picture; I’m just saying there’s plenty of room for them. 🙂

Horseshoe Bay ViewOMgosh, are you kidding me?  Now do you see why we have condo lovers? This is an aerial view (I think it’s aerial) of the Horseshoe Bay Resort.  Actually I just found out that this picture was taken from the balcony of the condo and not a plane in the sky! LOL  Wow.

Of course, it’s possible to buy a single family home in a spot like this but typically you’re going to pay more.. and part of the appeal to small house life is downsizing the cost too.

Lakeview

We end this tour with yet another fantastic view of the water. Plus we have all the contact info below. FYI, the listing agent is a friend of mine, and she will take excellent care of you!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one VERY important question to ask when looking at condos.. What is the parking situation? I believe this one has a garage which is a definite perk.

Courtesy of Realtor.com MLS# 113928 – Listing Agent Jan Busse 512.755.3889

Cute as a Button Small White House

Come along for this small white house tour that we just added to our Small Home Gallery. Only 1450 square feet but it packs big living in..

[adrotate banner=”30″]This cute as a button small white house joins our Small House Gallery!  Even at approximately 1450 square feet, it manages to pack in three bedrooms and two full baths.

A quaint home built in 1949, but recently remodeled, as you’ll see from the pictures. 

Speaking of pictures, all images in this post were obtained from Realtor.com mls#2583761.  OK.. so let’s get to it!

front of house

“Charming” is the word of the day on this small house. White is always a good choice. Maybe black or red shutters would add a little spice to the exterior. And a painted front door could dress it up too.


VERY nice job on the small kitchen!  Sleek and modern but not overdone.  Natural wood cabinets and under bar adds warmth and is a balance to the slate floors and stainless appliances.  Retro bar stools coordinate perfectly.

Notice they have a combination of closed upper cabinets and glass cabinets.  That’s a nice touch, and if budget allows, it’s cool to have lights in the glass cabinets.  I see they did put in under the cabinet lights in this kitchen.  It’s hard to tell about the kitchen counter-tops, but they are Blue Pearl granite.

Dining Room
Above, you get a different view of the kitchen with the dining area.  I like that the homeowner was not afraid to blend two separate floor materials in basically one space.  If it’s done right (like here) then the different floor elements can help define the space and look fabulous.

[adrotate banner=”29″]
In this case, the kitchen enjoys slate floor tiles while the dining area has light to medium toned Hardwoods.

Jenn-aire glass cook-top with downdraft that I am seriously considering in my next house, and here’s why:  I visited my cousin in Alaska a few years ago and he had the Jenn-aire with a downdraft.  It was in the kitchen bar, and I kid you not, he sauteed garlic shrimp while we sat two feet away, and you could not smell the shrimp.  Now I don’t know if all Jenn-aires are that good but I’ll let you know what I get and if it’s as great as his.

Dining and breakfast nook
I included this extra picture of the dining area above so you could see the efficient built in to the right.  Similar to the built in alcove in our black and white bathroom, in that it illustrates how to carve out extra space in a small home.  (It’s the 7th image down if you go look.)  Every square foot counts, so take advantage whenever you have the opportunity to do so.

Living Room
Great view above of the open floor plan of the living room, dining and kitchen.  Note (to the right) how yet another built in was carved out of a small space and put to work greatly enhancing this small house to live big.  It eliminated the need for a bulky piece of furniture to house the media components or art work.

Another living room picture
This living room view highlights the Hardwood floors that run from living to dining area.  Also, we can see how nicely the windows cased out.

Small bath
Unique secondary bathroom is big on style; glass vessel sink with wall mounted faucet.  Just make sure if you go with this look, that you adjust the cabinet height accordingly.  [adrotate banner=”29″]This type of sink will add several inches before you get to the rim, so if you vote for the higher cabinet height that is so popular now, you could end up with a ridiculously high sink.

FYI, to give you an idea of measurements, we went with a 31″ tall bathroom cabinet with a 6.25″ high glass vessel sink in a house my husband and I built.  The other bathroom cabinets in the same house had typical drop in sinks, and for those we did 34″ high cabinets.

If you are enjoying the Small Home Gallery tour, you’ll love receiving a copy of Small House Life magazine.. delivered to your email every Sunday..

master bedroom picture
Attractive master bedroom with a continuation of the Hardwood floors.  Nice how the wooden patio doors ties it all together.  I want you to note how the bed is against the windows.  Personally this is not my first choice, but I don’t mind the look at all.  Another way to use a bed against windows is to cover the wall with ceiling to floor curtains.
master bedoormOh my, this view of the master bedroom shows how efficient storage was carefully implemented throughout this small house.  They might of goofed a little on the size of that TV..  🙂 but they did a fantastic job, nonetheless.  The glass closet doors still hide the contents but give us better visual to open up the room.

Smart window treatments, also.  The shades that close from the bottom up or from the top are pretty darn handy.

master bath
Nice how they managed to get two sinks in the small master bath.  Again, as they did in the secondary bathroom, they used ultra fun wall mounted faucets. 

And if course if it’s in your budget, the under-mount sinks (as opposed to drop-in) are preferably for a slick look with easy cleaning.

master bath shower
Roomy shower with tile inset within the tile walls for shampoo and toiletries.. and my bet is the lower tile is the perfect height to rest your foot while shaving.

extra bedroom
Remember our ‘Cute as a button white house’ has three bedrooms.. and the idea is to use the extra rooms in a way that works best for YOU.  In this case one of the extra rooms was regulated to an attractive office.

As we noted in 5 Mistakes not to Make in a Small House Plan, if at all possible go with three bedrooms in your small house.  Generally you can find unique ways to use the rooms that suit your lifestyle perfectly while retaining best resale value.

outside deck and yard
This small house sits on an oversized lot (about a quarter of an acre) and whoowhee don’t you see that here?  This shows the back door view.  I don’t know which way the house faces but if the back faces west, I’d certainly spring for a pergola to filter the hot sun.

deck outside
Back elevation just goes to show that not a detail was overlooked.  It’s truly a charming home front, back, inside and out!

[note color=”#Ffffcc”]Do you have a small house you’d like to share? Contact us here.[/note]