Small Home Big Style: A Temporary Tiny Barn

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday loves!  I’m so so excited to be back with my Small Home Big Style series and I couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to share Kim’s small space story with you today. Kim is one of my fav people ever.  I met her at Haven this year and she definitely left a lasting impression. She’s beyond hilarious, super sweet, and one heck of a navigational expert:) Lets just say a certain somebody got lost on the way to the airport in an unfamiliar city. #thisgirl

While shes renovated and/or lived in several small homes, her latest endeavor is the most fascinating.  Her and her husband have been busy prepping a tiny barn on their 17 acre lot for them to live in while they build their dream home in the country. Oh Dont be fooled people! This isn’t your grandpa’s barn folks..or at least it isn’t anymore.  Its beautiful and its wonderful.

 

 

 

 

Lets hear how Kim lives and loves in her small space…

Where/What city do you live in? Currently in Moline, Ill., getting ready to move to rural Geneseo, Ill., on 17 acres.

Who do you share your home with? My husband Ryan and 2-year-old son Henry

Do you own or rent? Own

How many sq ft is your home? Our current home is just under 1,200 square feet. We are gearing up to move to an apartment we created in the attic of an old barn, which is about 320 square feet.

What do you love most about small space living? I love the idea that everything we are bringing to the barn apartment must be useful or something we truly love. Even in our current 1,200 square feet, I often feel overwhelmed by the stuff. It’s suffocating.

What challenges have you faced? The hardest thing we are dealing with right now is how to organize and store clothing. There are no closets in our barn apartment, and we are trying to find a variety of solutions to handle our wardrobe, as well as downsizing what we have.

Any unique storage solutions? My husband built-in drawers and cabinetry into the eaves of our barn, which really gives us a lot more flexibility, without eating up floor space. We also tried to add storage in every single piece of furniture in the space. (There are drawers in the bed, shelves in the island/table, etc.) We tried to be very practical with every single inch.

What’s your favorite room in your home? I am borderline obsessed with our barn apartment kitchen. It actually has nearly the same amount of storage as our current (modest-sized) kitchen in a fraction of the space. Plus, it just feels so very us. And it was done on a serious budget.

Do you every wish you had more space? We have yet to live in our tiny apartment, so it’s hard to say. We are gearing up to build a home in the spring, so knowing this is temporary is bound to help us cope with the limited space. Also, we’re so excited to live in the country and enjoy the outdoors. It’s a huge upgrade from a smaller city lot.

Best piece of small space living advice? Focus on what matters most to you and go for it – even if it seems insane. For us, being on-site while we build was more important than any extra square footage we may think we need. A lot of people don’t get that. A lot of people think we are crazy and tell us so. That’s okay. We can be crazy and happy. And we’ve never really cared much about what people think.

You guys…isnt Kim just freakin awesome.  What an amazing journey she’s on. I think its fabulous that she and her husband made the deliberate decision to live tiny while building their home.  I just love all the amazing details in her space.  The pocket doors, the lovely kitchen, that fabulous deck. It definitely has big style. Thank you so much, Kim, for sharing your home with us today.  I cant wait to continue to follow along on your small space living adventures.  Pop in and say hi to her guys!

If you’re living large in a small space, shoot me an email. Id love to hear all about it.  Happy weekend loves. Until next time….

Xo-Shavonda

*All images by Kim Woodward

 

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: features