Let's get small

Let's get small
Tags: Building Green, Home Plans, Remodeling
August 31, 2010 - Christine Brun

For the past 11 years I have written a weekly column about small living spaces. Suddenly this is one of the hottest design topics concerning how Americans live. As we quickly bury the era of over consumption, many Americans are being pushed into much smaller homes out of necessity, partly because of the housing bust that many blame on the greed and waste of living large. Others look to living smaller as a more responsible path with less dependence on foreign oil and a lower mortgage that is safer. Still others have been forced to down-size in order to afford food, health care expenses, tuition or caring for aging parents.

In the U.S. we have a long held custom of equating success to the size of the home one owns. It is uniquely ingrained in our history because we are a nation of immigrants and one way to define achievement of the American Dream is through home ownership. Right or wrong, as early colonists pushed continuously westward through vast forests and over majestic mountains, there was feeling of limitless opportunity that is quintessentially American. But the reality of a shrinking world and limited resources has become painfully clear in the last two years.

As an interior designer I believe one of the fears about living green is that it might limit aesthetic choices. Can green be chic? You bet it can, and I will reveal style ideas, resources and products that can help you to embrace environmental responsibility without sacrificing beauty. Kermit the Frog says that it’s not easy being green, but we will look at some lovely inspiration that will prove otherwise! It is useful to try on some new ideas of what is aesthetically desirable and open yourself up to reclaimed and repurposed materials in order to get there.

For example, Tracen Gardner and his partner Kimber Reed of Reclaimed™ Space build homes from 80-90 percent salvaged materials, many of which are taken from dilapidated buildings in the Texas countryside. Gardner uses his environmental resource management degree from the University of Texas and his construction know-how, while Austin-based interior designer Reed helps him to mix imaginative blends using materials from houses that are 150 years old. They tear the structures down and rebuild into functional buildings such as private homes, home offices, a west-coast surf shack or a separate artist’s studio. The results are creative and re-use wood bead board, corrugated steel, barn wood, and more.