Good things happen in small spaces

Personally, I prefer a small home. Too much space overwhelms me--maybe because space breeds clutter, and houses things that I tend to keep but don't need. I feel I can keep a small space pretty and cozy and today, I found a couple of kindred souls.

Check out Tiny Homes, Big Ideas in Oprah.com. And though a little too extreme (even for me), Jay Shafer, founder of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, says living small is a luxury—and when he says living small, he means it. Jay's entire house is only 96 square feet! "It's the smallest house we've ever seen," Oprah says.

I think I can live in Jack Sammis's home. Check him out in his barely 7-foot wide Virginia flat, which Ripley's calls the narrowest home in America. It has a full-size bedroom and bathroom and lots of storage. The best part, though, is the garden. He can have 1 or 2 guests.

Designer Nate Berkus learned to prioritize after his most challenging make-over--a 250-foot Manhattan apartment. He utilized every inch of space to be functional. "I mean, how much space do we really need?" he says.

Speaking of Nate, check out his own 550-sq ft. New York City apartment make-over here.



I am so inspired at what you can do with small spaces. It sure beats a regular house with lots of space but with an unusable garage filled with things you don't even know about. You can't have guests over when your living room is filled with clutter and you technically have no storage space too, if your closets are busting out with clothes you haven't worn in years, and your dressers brimming with expired lotions and makeup.

My goal towards retirement is to keep downsizing and tossing away what I don't need instead of growing them into clutter. It feels freer, and the energy feels more positive. New things also have a way of coming into your life when your house is organized and clear.