I like little houses. Always have.
When the kids were small, we'd drive around the countryside and while everyone else was ooh-ing and ah-ing at the big, rambling houses, I'd get excited about the playhouses, the bungalows.
We'd pass an outhouse.
"There's a Mom-house," the kids would say. And they'd laugh and laugh.
There's something very satisfying about a house that's no bigger than it needs to be, where every square inch has a function. I don't want to bump my head on the ceiling or crash into the walls if I stretch, but I appreciate a house that is compact, efficient and beautiful.
I fell in love with Irish thatched roof cottages. Charm, function, compact design. And then I discovered vardos, known to most of us as Gypsy caravans. I still dream of having one in my yard one day. Secretly, I'd like to live in one.
Why wouldn't you? They're gorgeous, easy to clean, easy to move. Tired of your neighbors? Roll on down the road. I'm good with owning a big old draft horse. I'm better than good with it.
Something new has happened in recent years. I've loved Victorian architecture my whole life, drooled over farmhouses, Carpenter Gothic, Arts and Crafts. I never cared much for the spare, minimalist thing. But that's changing.
Maybe it's a reaction to years of pouring love and money into charming old wrecks that reward your devotion with yet another plumbing crisis. I'm tired.
Really, look at this place. It's absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity. Walls, windows, space for whatever you need. Too small for two, maybe, unless they're very chummy. But okay, then, butt two together.
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/z-glass/
Set it down amid the trees and it becomes part of its surroundings. Place it in rocks, ditto. Along a stream? Same. It's unobtrusive, so plain as to be a non-issue. It's about the setting instead of the house.
Want to see more? This site is like porn for tiny house coveters. http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
And if you're ready to take a walk on the wild side, check this out.
http://www.modernistmodularhomes.com/steel.php
Be warned: this stuff is addictive.
4 comments:
Love the gypsy wagon - maybe my next move will be into one of those. I went from a ten room house to a one room bungalow. A movable house and a draft horse sound good!
I think I want a caravan just so I can decorate the outside.
Just gorgeous.
Ten rooms to a one room house - sounds like something I'd do!
Okay, you're right, this stuff is addictive...
Unfortunately, I have far too much stuff to move into a small space such as this. It would be nice to put something in the yard, though, for when I need to run away from home.
Whitney, that's exactly my idea, too. If I can't live in it, I at least would like a vardo under an apple tree in the yard.
Yet there's part of me that would just like to have a huge yard sale and let everything go.
They're just things.
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