Hello,

If you’ve noticed this blog has been slowing down lately it is because, due to some changes in our lives, we’ve decided to move. Deciding to leave the little attic and its many charming features wasn’t easy. The apartment itself is a gem. Original fir flooring, massive baseboards, cozy gabled ceilings, quirky built-ins… and then there’s the sunlight, the mountain view, the quiet street with churches in every direction, the endearingly uneven pavement.

But, especially in the life of a renter, changes happen and they can be very good. Right now we’re taking a leap of faith into Craigslist and there are many positive changes to look forward to. A bathtub? A patio? Seeing as there aren’t many places smaller than 325 sq ft, we’ll probably be getting a bit more space. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll still be livin relatively little.

Filtering through and finding a good “cats allowed” apartment is challenging but continuing in the spirit of positive thinking, it can also be entertaining. Interesting finds on Craigslist today:

“Private island and Cabin” for only 795$. Cool!

I also really want to see this!

 

 

 

 

Photos by Chad

We’ve had quite the winter weather this week in Vancouver and when it gets to -8 degrees our 80 year old attic does get a little chilly. But, we’ve been keeping toasty warm thanks to the beautiful Canadian wool blanket I received last weekend as a birthday gift. The weight of a thick wool blanket layered on top of a fluffy feather duvet is the ultimate experience of COZY. Sergei wasn’t sure about the texture at first but he has certainly been showing his approval by curling up on it day and night.

a little traveling perhaps?

Sparked by a friend’s upcoming trip to Africa and our sudden wintery weather, I’ve recently become obsessed with the following travel fantasy: staying at a Riad in Marrakech, Morocco.  The refined and calming Riad Dar K is one of my favorites so far. And what to do while there? Check out these “experience” videos from the official Marrakech travel website and I bet you’ll soon be dreaming of Morocco too!

Photos via Riads Morocco

a new laneway in the neighborhood

Photo via Lanefab

I’ve been watching this laneway take shape over the past few months. The style, which seems to be a signature look for Lanefab, is very West Coast Modern. The angles of the deck add a lot of visual interest to the facade and it probably acts as a privacy screen between the house and the laneway. By orienting it this way, however, they seem to be sacrificing a lot of south facing light. I wonder if that little window is enough to make it warm and sunny up there?

Hello again!

Guess what we got for Christmas? An IKEA Brimnes Bed!

Photo from IKEA

We had been sleeping on a mattress on the ground for about a year because there was no way a box spring was going to fit up the attic stairs when we moved in. Sleeping on a real bed feels pretty luxurious and the Brimnes is great. The drawers are awesome because unlike having a bed with storage containers underneath, the drawers are easier to access and organize and are cleaner, both aesthetically and literally…they keep our stuff safe from the nasty dust/cat hair tumbleweeds that roam our hardwood floors. Hooray!

little eats

See more photos via Scout Magazine

Walking to Chinatown yesterday, I came across this very cute and very little pizzeria on Main street. I can’t wait to try it soon!

ikea thinks little

I’m really excited that IKEA’s 2012 catalogue is all about smart, small space design. Each page is packed with storage ideas and great “foldable, stackable, moveable” furniture. Check it out online here!

storage challenge #1: shoes and coats

 

The attic, stairwell

All shoes from Umeboshi Shoes

In the absence of a traditional coat closet, we’ve had to get creative with how we store our many coats and shoes. This weekend, I almost got rid of this shabby little bookcase, but carrying it down the stairwell I realized it would make a pretty good shoe shelf. It fits almost perfectly on our narrow landing (this space is only 2.5 ft wide and 7 ft long). We bought a shelf organizer which doubles the space for oxfords on the bottom shelf. Scarves, gloves and bags found a new home on top of the bookcase. We keep our keys in that little antique tin on the window sill.

I should point out that these are only our winter shoes–what we are wearing daily right now.  Summer shoes, running shoes and more rain boots are being stored in boxes on shelves behind our (only) clothes closet.

This area is still needing some work because it’s already too full! I’m planning to add some shelving above our front door for bags and add a few more hooks for our bicycle helmets.  Stay tuned!

storage

Adequate storage can be a big challenge in small spaces. When we moved into our little attic, we downsized. A lot. We went from having a walk-in closet/storage room, a huge linen closet and a double bedroom closet to having a small closet without doors in the bedroom, a tiny broom closet and an old, built-in dresser. In this process, we discovered that we had been storing a bunch of stuff we didn’t want or need. After many liberating trips to Value Village, we started figuring out what to store and how to store it. Because things are always coming in and out of our lives, but mostly in, this is an ongoing challenge.

With Christmas and the New Year approaching, I’ve lately had an urge to declutter and re-organize. On the subject, I really like this “How to” article from Apartment Therapy. I love their idea of maintaining a “Golden 10%” of free space to allow newness to come into your life. Very zen–but also practical, because when storage is completely full it ceases to be usable. And when I can no longer put away my clothes, or find my tape or get at my waffle-iron because the drawer is too full or too cluttered I get really frustrated, actually, I get pretty damn angry. Very not zen.

I’ll be sharing some of our organization projects as they develop. For now, here’s a peek at one of our storage options, the built-in dresser, which is currently displaying our Christmas ornaments.

And for any music nerds, here’s a look at what’s inside!

a tour of burns’ block

Photos via The Province

See a great video tour of another Micro-loft here!

Vancouver got an inside tour of the Burns’ Block Micro-lofts today. As the smallest rental units in Canada, these suites range from 226-291 sq ft. They look smartly designed and very liveable. Liveable, that is, for one person who earns at least double minimum wage, because they are now rented for 850$, not 650-700$ as planned in 2010. Protesters also visited Burns’ Block today, angered by the City’s efforts to sell the project as an “affordable housing” strategy. I’d like to see the City being more upfront about their target market for the Burns’ Block, which seems to me to be young, entry to mid-level professionals. These little spaces are definitely pressing on a major social issue in Vancouver!