Matrjosjka means grandma in Russian and used in common terminology to identify the wooden dolls that are set inside one another. As reflected by the hidden space within the dolls, [Matroshka] has the potential to revolutionize the storage and maximize quality of life, especially for those in limited dwelling houses.

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One thing you can do to help simplify your life is to get rid of the clutter in your home. A living space full of items that you don’t need, and may not even want anymore, really does affect how you feel. Plus, having all that stuff can weigh down on you, even if you aren’t planning on moving it anywhere. I’m always amazed at what a difference it makes when my home feels more open and clean. You can go slowly, or tackle all the clutter at once, but get rid of those things you don’t use or want anymore. You can sell it, donate it or give it to loved ones who need it.

2. Limit Your Family’s Activities

Extracurricular activities can be fun. It may be important to you to volunteer. But if everyone in your family has three different places to be, it starts to get ridiculous. Many of us are over-scheduled, and it becomes stressful — not to mention expensive. Evaluate where you are in life, and what activities is makes sense to do. Choose one or two things that you enjoy for now, and cut back on the rest. Limit your children to one or two extracurricular activities each term. It may force your family members to choose what the really want to focus on, but it will significantly reduce the scheduling stress in your life. And you’ll have more quality time to spend as a family.

3. Stop Buying Things

This isn’t a blanket ban on buying things. But it is a call to carefully consider your purchases. Make conscious spending decisions. Think about whether you really need (or want) the item in question. Give yourself a week to think about it. I’ve bought many things that I thought were just great — until I realized half the stuff was ignored after a couple of weeks. Even if it looks like a really good deal, stop and think. You’ll have more money in the bank, and less clutter in your home, if you reduce the amount of stuff that you buy.

4. Distance Yourself from Negative People

Life becomes complicated when you have negative people in your life. While you might not be able to cut some people out altogether, there are some “emotional leeches” that you can slowly distance yourself from. Look for supportive people, and strive to be a supportive person yourself. You will feel more uplifted, and you will feel less of a drain from toxic relationships.

5. Plan Your Meals

It’s amazing how much simpler your life seems when you take time to plan meals. Plan ahead, and make a shopping list. You can plan meals that are simple and fast to make. Consider crock pot meals that require little energy. Slow down and share a meal with your family. Getting back to the simplicity of the kitchen reminds you to relax and enjoy the company of your loved ones. Plus, you’ll spend less money on takeout.

6. Get Automated

When possible, consider automating what you can. Running programs on your heating/cooling system, setting timers on your sprinklers, and setting up automatic bill pay (to go with automatic deposit) are just a few ways that you can reduce stress and simplify your life, since you won’t have to actively do all of these items. Technology has provided us with options to streamline our lives, and in many cases a small amount of set-up work can greatly simplify your life down the road.

One of the issues with this is of course if you have tall ceilings you can run into the issue of not being able to reach it.  With this innovative concept you are able to remedy this issue, cut out any need for a ladder and bring multifunction into the space.

So check this out…..

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Tonight’s topic will be on working in a Tiny House or in small spaces.

Please go to the Tiny House Live tab at the top of the pages to see videos

Tonight’s topic will be on working in a Tiny House or in small spaces. Check us out, live at 8pm.

LIVE SHOW Thurs 8:30pm ET

Click Live Tab Above For More Info

We all know and love Jay’s amazing design that truly sparked the imagination of thousands.  When most people say Tiny House, we see in our minds an image of a Fencl or a Lusby, but it is important to remember that Tiny House come in all shapes and sizes.  This is important because by choosing a Tiny House we are breaking out of a mold, but sometimes we find ourselves in a new mold.  The out-of-the-box thinking that started Tiny Houses must be continued to improve an already great idea.   I submit these five improvements of the Tumbleweed Houses, but the face of Tiny Houses isn’t limited to Tumbleweed by any means.

Radiant Heat Floors

The Tiny House is typically heated by a small boat fireplace, which can run close to $1000, must be vented (which means cutting a hole in the roof) and I don’t like the look of the chimney.  Now radiant floors for those of you who don’t know, are wires inlaid into the subfloor to heat from the bottom up.  This gives a nice cozy feeling for your feet and since heat rises, you are heating the space as a whole.  It has been successfully done in the PAD (portlandalternativedwellings.com)

The best part about this option is that it adds about ½ inch rise on your floor level, which is unnoticeable, while the boat fireplace takes up a lot more space.  The downside to this is you will need electricity.  At 50 square feet (remember you don’t heat areas you don’t walk on) running an hour will need around 6 amps at 120 volts for a total use of ~750 watts.  Most folks are going to have power, so this is pretty reasonable when combined with a programmable thermostat.

Lockers

I came upon this idea over at Jonathan’s blog (http://gungy.livejournal.com) and it just made sense.  Upstairs in the loft he has created small “lockers” that line the side of his bed.  This frames the mattress, adds storage and keeps things looking neat while still having access to it.  He did an excellent job at taking the existing structure and integrating the storage to match.  The added bonus of this is that your mattress will have less room to shift as you climb in and out of bed.  I would take this option one step further by adapting one of the “lockers” near the head end to have a power outlet inside of it with holes to run cables to the top, this would create a way to charge your cell phone and ipod etc. neatly.

On Demand Water Heater

This one will certainly take a bit more expertise and planning, but there is one thing I would miss after a long day in the garden is not having a hot shower.  These water heaters are really small, can fit just about anywhere and mean that you only expend energy when you are in need of hot water.  Take all that and top it off with tax credits and it sounds like a great idea.  What is the catch?  You will need electricity (albeit a small amount and propane), which I feel is something that most Tiny House people have, either solar or grid.  You certainly can design it so you can bypass this when you are running off the grid.

Integrated Jacks

One thing many people don’t realize is that if you are going to be setting up in one spot with a Tiny House on a trailer is that just letting it sit there can lead to tire shock, which will put flat spots on your tires or break down the walls faster.  It is probably a good idea to jack the trailer up and remove the tires, this way people can’t steal your house. With jacks you also have a more stable floor, it could be argued that it is safer too.

Integrated jacks aren’t anything new, look at trailers and popup campers, but for $100-200 you can get some nice looking jacks that can be integrated into the trailer so you are never without them.  Be sure to take into account what weight they will be holding, 4 tons per jack will be overkill, but you will never have to worry about it.  The added benefit of these are if you ever get a flat tire on the road, these are already in place and are safer because they are welded to the frame.

Flexible Shelves

This one is a bit of a stretch, but I decided to add it anyway.  Jay’s craftsmanship is nothing short of beauty, the quality is superb, which is why he is a premium brand.  I felt the need to have my storage in these to be a bit more flexible.  With moveable shelves, rolling shelves, etcetera you are able to accommodate a wider range of items and have them tucked away out of sight.  See my photo here and take a look around my blog for lots of ideas.

A few key points she mentions:

• All thing have a place and are in their place
• Try to get things off the floor
• Only have things that you love

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Click here to read the full article by me:  Small Living Journal

This Couch Folds Out To A Bed

Kittie and her husband started out with a minimal renovation. They pulled out the original murphy bed and the original pullman kitchen in order to create a small office nook and a modern kitchen counter, bar and sink area, respectively.

Kittie spends one week a month with her husband in Texas and her husband spends one week a month with Kittie in Tudor City. Before the full-scale renovation, Kittie recalls that she and her husband would “draw straws to see who would pull down the bits of ceiling that had peeled off that day.”

Kittie enjoyed the challenge of making small seem big so much that she decided to offer her services to all of Tudor City. In the past six months, she has fully renovated her bathroom and closet, and added a dining bar and cooking island, and has done the same for many of her neighbors.

As an up and coming interior designer of small spaces, Kittie’s alacrity for organization is as important as her sense of style. Here, she has managed to carve out space for a fully functioning kitchen, bedroom, and office space to run her business, as well as storage space for both her and her husband’s clothing, shoes, hats, cleaning supplies, bedding and pet accouterments!

Style: Serene, simple (and organized!)

Inspiration: My inspiration is this quote from William Morris in 1882: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or consider to be beautiful”.

Biggest Challenge: Creating a gracious home with everything I need, including running my interior design business, in a 10′ x 17′ space.

What Friends Say: “I can’t believe how spacious it feels” and “I love the wall color”

Biggest Embarrassment: Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that the upholstery on my armchair is still held together by pins at the back. Sigh.

Proudest DIY: Proudest D-I-Me-and-a-cabinetmaker — my “Stealth Desk” — a complete office hidden out of sight. Proudest DIY: the lampshades I made out of real burl maple veneer for less than $10 each.

Biggest Indulgence: My porcelain tea set, and fresh flowers every week.

Best Advice: Take the William Morris quote above to heart, and donate everything in your home that doesn’t meet those 2 criteria. You will be amazed at how graciously you can live in a tiny space!

More photos Click the link

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