Transformational Spaces

Months had passed since Scott moved in with me.  The tiny house workshops were over, and the chill and rain had dampened our camping adventures for the season.  Conflicts between our states of mind and sharing space had begun to wear on our day to day relationship. Instead of hashing out ideas for buying land or building tiny homes, and instead of working on plans to build a temporary, removable, safe, and sound-proof wall, we had begun to sit in silence together.

We did manage to put up a new closet I bought at Ikea. It is long and narrow, held up by tensioning rods, and suitable for a walk-through hallway closet.  The hat rack spins around and has a mirror on the other side! (Downside: clothing can get dusty.)

Then, some things between us shifted.  We had a talk that rejuvenated our plans to make the apartment a happy and functional co-habitation. Together we erected a curtain wall, the ideal interim or trial solution to a definite barrier problem.  I now had privacy, and defining limits to my space.

When Scott was away for the weekend, my thoughts returned to downsizing, an aspect of the TinyHomeland process that I had put on the back burner.  I took the opportunity to clean and organize, fitting things more functionally and elegantly into a smaller space.

I already owned several pieces of convertible furniture, such as folding tables, a folding stool, chairs on wheels, a laptop desk on wheels that slide under a bed or chair, and many trays that contain items which can then be easily moved from place to place, making areas more versatile and easy to transform.

The chair reclines, comfortable for watching a laptop placed on the desk, or chatting with someone lying on the bed.  The red bins on the shelf contain art supplies, organized into packaging bags for sheets. They are great for modular transporting. It is easy to grab one and see exactly what's inside right away.   (Downside: the zipping and unzipping takes time).

There is usually a small, wheeled, black desk chair pulled up to the desk, but it is not pictured.  The arrangement makes for a bright view out into the living room, great for socializing or catching the sun while using the computer. Work can also be accomplished from bed, using the wheeling and tilting, vertically-adjusting laptop desk.

The small, light, convertible, and easily-moved furniture used here could help solve space issues within a tiny home.  Consolidating my possessions and reorganizing them in more functional ways has been a meditative and transformative process for me.  I have been enjoying my new environment, although I am a little concerned about bringing home noisy lovers! The curtain walls allow for conveniences like multiple entry and exit points, passage of cables, and a desk window.  (Downside: sound is free to travel unmuffled ease).

Now that our common space is neat and tidy, and my room is set up, we are working on Scott's room.  That means I have a few things to get rid of to finish up this wave of downsizing.  The plan is to have a clothing swap and then take unwanted items to charity.  I also have some electronics to recycle and a bit of food to donate.  Scott and I are bubbling along, enjoying conversations about the kitchen chairs that show up on craigslist (we need to replace ours).  It feels good to be more settled in the space.  We are both keeping up with cleaning and tidying, which makes living together in a small space work so much better!