Small House Love: “Home is home, be it ever so humble”

We've lived at Small House Love for 1 year and 7 months now. In that time, we have worked to make it a more livable space. I have also worked to accept the fact that 942 sq ft is all I'm gonna be getting for a while. It's still hard to swallow, and I still daydream and search for new houses on a weekly basis. I don't need to be told that, "There are people who have nothing, so you should be happy" blah blah blah. I already know this, and I also know that I am suffering from First World Problems. It doesn't change that fact that I would like a third bedroom and a second bathroom. Sorry for sounding bitter - that is really not my intent here. Back to the issue, in the 1 year and 7 months we have lived here, I have been pushing to not accept this little space we have been given, but that has all changed in the past several months. I have come to start enjoying our little house, and I've even started to make it look like people live here.

A few posts ago I wrote about needing some inspiration for the large grey wall that encompasses the living room. I'm not sure if it actually counts as a living room, but that is what I am calling it :). I got some helpful ideas, but none that I was in love with. Then through the generosity of the in-laws, we got beautiful new floors and I started seeing potential in this small house. I actually started picturing Joe and I living here - you know, have our things around. Things that have lived in boxes since we moved. Things that seemed so sad and unloved.

I started with a photograph I purchased from next door neighbors I grew up with, and from there the ideas just kept flowing. The photograph is a beautiful black and white of the Grand Tetons and an old log home. I surrounded the art with my own photos from my trip to Montana. Personally, I think it is a great mix of color and black and white. This arrangement sits behind our kitchen table. I next started picturing shelves to take up space on the big grey blob you see when you walk in the door. Don't get me wrong, I love the color of the big grey blob, but it was just so big and empty.

I have a few antique pieces that make up the majority of the furniture in the living room. These were my inspiration for what to put on the shelves. I have acquired pictures from our grandparents' weddings along with a wedding photo of the hubs and I. Personally, this is my all-time favorite thing in the entire house. While it is still a work in progress, I think it is a beautiful mix of the families that brought Joe and I together. I also added a bookshelf to break up the living space from the eating space since they are in the same room.

The final piece is a big green chair. Since I didn't want to act like we were staying at this tiny abode for very long, I had a hard time deciding if I wanted seating for guests in the living room. The chair we have had for a while, and I had it tucked away in the second bedroom. Since the shelves and photographs started making our house feel more like home, I decided to bring it down for a try. I think it is a little larger than I actually want, but it does its job, for now, and pulls the room together. I know that Tilly and Poe really enjoy lounging on it to sunbathe.

I'm still working on the lighting situation. We have to get rid of that abombination above the table, and it's still a bit dark at night, but I am pleased with the direction things are going :)

Here are some updated pics :)

Cheers!!!