PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun
DATE: 2007.10.12
By Lynda Reeves
Special to the Vancouver Sun
Bigger doesn't always mean you'll have better satisfaction; Eschewing a
bloated 'McMansion' for smaller-scale, more efficient living can be
liberating
I have a framed quote from a fortune cookie that has sat on a desk or
bedside table in various homes for many years. It reads: "A small house
can hold just as much happiness as a big one."
I remember the precise moment I cracked open that fortune cookie. It
was during an argument with a former mate about moving or not moving,
renovating or not renovating.
The details aren't important now, but the message is. He was telling me
that he didn't need any more space. I was telling him that I did. In
the end, he was right: experience has taught me that a big house can
hold a lot of unhappiness and a small one can hold a lot of joy.
At the office we use a media clipping service, so when the new issue of
House & Home featured my kitchen reno, they sent me comments other
journalists had made in print.
"Surprisingly small" was the descriptive that made me smile the most.
There is a misconception among a lot of Canadians that bigger is
better. We build McMansions that overpower our lots, buy furniture that
overpowers our rooms and set our tables with plates that are too big to go
in the dishwasher. So it stands to reason that if someone seems to have
achieved a measure of career success, they should be able to afford
"big."
I've done all that. I've had big and now I am going in the other
direction and I like it much better. I eat less when I use a smaller plate,
which is a good thing. In fact "small plates" and the whole concept of
tapas -- or dining on appetizers, with no main course -- is a hot trend
and the way many of us prefer to eat. Have you noticed in restaurants
that smaller dinner plates mean the dining table doesn't have to be
quite so large and conversation is easier around a cosier table?
I am now making my bed with thinner layers. First a thin quilted
coverlet, then a thin duvet, folded back, for extra warmth. The profile is
leaner and less puffy than my old billowy duvet cover. I'm opting for
thinner, finer fabrics with a great hand and higher thread count.
In the living room my preference is for small cocktail tables instead
of one big coffee table. I find them easier to move around and not so
visually weighty as a conventional coffee table.
Maybe it's an age thing. Friends who have moved from the big family
house to the chic townhouse or condo are telling me how liberating it is
to have something smaller, more efficient and elegant. Easier to lock up
and leave.
There are lots of things of consider when you choose the size of your
home and the things that go in it. Home fashion now focuses on drama and
playing with scale. Smaller spaces are forcing us to rethink how we
use our furniture, and loft living has made spare empty spaces seem chic
and serene.
I don't think happiness has anything to do with the size of your home
or your rooms.
Except that the perfect size is whatever makes you happy.
