exhibit A
the guest room - aka my living room
guests had better be very small or very tolerant,
preferably both.
exhibit B
notice anything missing?
no dishwasher.
exhibit C
the master bath
no storage or counter space at all.
exhibit D
no interior doors.
you better really love and like the person you live with.
A: Keeps people from overstaying their welcome.
ReplyDeleteB: Don't need one.
C: Plenty of room for a basket on the floor on the right side of the sink for storage.
D: I do.
:)
I must say, your little cottage is beautiful! I'd happily give up guest rooms, dishwashers, storage space and lack of interior doors for such a lovely little place!
What you lack in space and convenience, is made up for in sheer loveliness! With just my husband and I most of the time, I rarely use the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm with you. Guests have very little space here - they are stuck in a room with a computer and lots of guitars. Our bath has no counter space. We have a dishwasher, but it has never worked right...so we don't use it.
ReplyDeleteYour place is so beautiful, Janet - surely that helps!
xo
Claudia
jenna ann - thank you for your comment. and welcome here. yes, you are right people usually can't wait to get home after a visit here.
ReplyDeletebodeci - thanks, and i don't really miss the dishwasher either. i never had one that worked properly i guess.
claudia - thanks for your comment. do you ever get envious when you see the layouts for "the perfect guest room" in magazines? i confess that i do. sometimes.
I like not having a dishwasher. There's something meditative about having your hands in warm water with a little Mrs. Meyer's lavender dish soap. But no doors?
ReplyDeleteYour house is breathtakingly beautiful so would you like some cheese with that w .....
ReplyDeleteS
xo
Dear Janet, I never have guests to stay in London and I have no guest room in Budapest. Guests are accommodated in a separate apartment which is usually rented out. I find that even the most charming guests are best only seen after breakfast. Do away with the guest room, dear Janet, and have it just for yourself!!
ReplyDeleteI thought the cookies were missing! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't care about all this...I still want to be a guest! I'll sleep outside in the yoga room ~
I cannot get over how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE the flooring in the kitchen and bath. I just want to rip mine out now.
I didn't realize you didn't have a door to the bathroom...maybe now that the teenage boys are gone!
janet, please don't tell me there is no mirror above the sink in the master bath! (saw the round one above the toilett)
ReplyDeleteI envy your window in the bath, in Vienna so little bathrooms in apartment buildings have windows in the bathrooms.
Hi Janet,
ReplyDeleteWhat you lack in amenities, you more than make up for in charm and grace. Your home makes me question whether those things are really needed anyway. Your style is so crisp and fresh, it makes me think of my first bit into a perfect granny smith apple. Mmm-- delicious!
Anne
Hi Janet,
ReplyDeleteWe have a dishwasher and since it's just my husband and I we don't run it very much. Use it mostly for company.
We have an airbed on hand not for overnight guests but for when our next door neighbors have very loud (and frequent) parties. The only room I can get some sleep is in the office. :(
Just wondering, do you have a fireplace? We don't...
Linda
It's...MY bathroom floor...what's it doing visiting your cottage?
ReplyDeleteNo doors on the W/C now that is a brave move...
Janet you are a rebel.
Janet with a house that old your drains probably couldnt handle a dishwasher anyway, ours wont.
ReplyDeleteTurn the extra room into a library/media room? Guest can stay comfortably at a hotel.
Rip out that back wall and add a BATHROOM ;) Although I LOVE the shower curtain. Wish I still had mine.
Have you ever heard of pocket doors???
I think you need two cats in the yard. :)
love ya
your Desert Rat sis
But still quite lovely!!
ReplyDeleteashleyanderic.blogspot.com
steve - b/c the bedroom and bathroom are so small the doors just impeded movement so we took them off and hung a drape instead.
ReplyDeletesue - i really wasn't whining this time. although i'm sure everyone has become accustomed to that lovely trait of mine. i just think that sometimes people don't realize that small house living has its drawbacks.
edith - thank you for taking the time to comment here. but i don't have a guest room, that first picture is of my living room!
sarah - yes, please come visit and you don't have to sleep in the yoga room. we'll figure it out.
ReplyDeletepaula - yes i have a mirrored medicine cabinet. and i love bathrooms with windows too.
anne - thank you for your comment and compliments. i am making an apple pie today in honor of fall and now for you too.
linda - no we don't have a fireplace. sadness.
leslie - i told you we have the same floor. only mine has dark gray grout. i'm not brave at all, just practical.
ReplyDeletejeanne - i have heard of pocket doors but a curtain was cheaper. i would love 2 cats in the yard b/c everything would be so easy!
ashley - thank you so much!
ditto Steve's comment!! (though I do have a dishwasher, I still wash lots of the vintage/antique pieces that we use every day by hand).
ReplyDeleteHey, wait a minute, lol! What about the bed in the office?
ReplyDeleteS
xo
I live in a regular house. Bathroom is just like yours. Had to put up shelves to hold towels. No dishwasher so had to get a portable one but it takes up most of the kitchen floor space and is currently rusting out. Bedroom has slanted ceilings so we have to watch it or we'll bump our heads on it. Porch is crumbling. Garage needs re-roofing, carpet in living room is worn out, and the basement bathroom leaks. Guess everything has its downside.
ReplyDeletesue - we gave the bed to our grandaughter and put a small loveseat in there instead. so the office now has a little place to sit and read.
ReplyDeletejoan - thanks for dittoing steve! now that i think about it, i don't think i have any vintage/antique dinnerware at all.
Your home is perfect for two. Living simply aids in uncluttered minds. I live in a one-bedroom condo and my guests also camp out in the living room - we usually end up having more fun staying up late, talking, reminiscent of sleepovers and I like that it guarantees short visits. Although I have one, think dishwashers are overrated and actually feel they are just as much work: rinsing, stacking, putting away - for two, it's easier to wash and air dry - you also save on electricity, your arms will remain firm, toned! LOVE your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI guess you've heard this a million times... but your house is amazing... small and perfect! I live in a tiny house and I can only dream, that one day it will look as fantastic as yours! Lx
ReplyDeleteYour house is a very very very fine house- with roses in the yard- and cookies in the jar- now everything is pretty cause of you - Hugs, Joyce
ReplyDeleteI share your longing for a beautiful guest room, I just feel we can't be as hospitable as I would like, and don't have as many friends/family staying over because of it.
ReplyDeleteBut 4 kids take up a lotta space!! And I love them rather more than my hangup for a glam guestroom! (please note British understatement going on here).
Do you ever get it all though? Your place certainly has loveliness in spades!
Oh, I can so empathize with you about no guest room. Although I do have one extra room in my house it is very small and has to serve as an office space and a guest room, leaving room for only one guest. Since I have two children, both of whom live out of town, one always has to sleep on the couch if they come into town at the same time (like holidays). But the rest of it doesn't bother me and I think the beauty of living in a little cottage makes up for the "bad"! I do have a dishwasher, but hardly ever use it. With just two people in the house I don't need to. Besides, washing dishes by hand is my favorite chore. (Weird, huh? :)) I do love you little cottage! And I picked out my beautiful white paint for mine! Now I just have to find the time... Karin
ReplyDeleteHere are two sayings to consider.
ReplyDeleteThe first is, "small is beautiful".
The second one is from Sweden and states, "guests and fish stink after two days"!
anon - you are right, everything does have a downside.
ReplyDeletelouise - what a sweet comment. i never even thought that my arms were getting toned.
kayce - thank you so much.
julie - that's what i'm going to call it from now on, the boutique hotel!
laura - thank you very much for your sweet comment.
joyce - ha, you picked up on that! i'd light a fire, but i don't have one, but i can place the flowers in the vase that i bought today!
ReplyDeletebelinda - thank you and your brittish self. loveliness in spades. so pretty.
karin - i don't think that is weird at all.
rosemary - love both those sayings!
I live in a tiny cottage too and storage is at a premium. I have to utilise every nook and cranny. I have bedsteads so I can store loads of stuff underneath. Your cottage is delightful, but no door on the loo? Heavens I'm much too British for that!
ReplyDeleteLouise x
I tend to like small and cozy. I don't about not having interior doors though...
ReplyDeleteBrenda
The bathroom floor is beautiful! I love getting a peek into your cottage. Less to clean = more time for fun! Our guest room/office is now a playroom. It's used everyday now.
ReplyDeleteLonden
xx
Me again Janet! How about a picture of that sweet reading room?
ReplyDelete:)
S
xo
Yes, but it's so beautiful! And small means you have an excuse not to spend or collect clutter.
ReplyDeleteI'm still finding it gorgeous.
I'm tolerant, I'm small, how ling can I stay?.................
ReplyDeleteThe elephant has "left the room", insert smiley face.
And here was I worrying about accommodating family at Christmas in the smallish (with doors) house we are presently living in!
ReplyDeleteAre your guests staying for a long or short visit?
xx
shoot, I meant how "long" can I stay!
ReplyDeletel&l - i have a curtain. does that count?
ReplyDeletebrenda - yeah, it took some getting used to.
londen - thanks i love that floor too. and less cleaning is def the upside.
sue - i will do a post on the office/reading room.
carol - the size of this place def has made an impact on the way i shop for sure.
anon/janet/mybestfriend - well what the fu*k! welcome to the gardeners cottage it's this little thing i do on the side. i am smiling right now.
anne - marie - no they were just overnight and i'm sure they thought that was too long.
I want you to know that I absolutely love this blog! From the inspired simple living to the vegan recipes and the fashion, this is my favorite blog. I look forward to reading your ideas each time you post. Thank you so much for the time and energy you put into this.
ReplyDeleteI live in a small house too but I can't complain as I have a (half-size) dishwasher, storage in the bathroom, a guest bedroom and even toilet doors. Like the saying 'I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet' I will stop moaning about my tiny house. I am changing my moaning into decluttering. I don't need more space, I need less stuff.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Edith Hope about guest rooms and people staying overnight. I don´t like either. I have had my MIL overnight more than often and her company has been s o exhausting, starting from dawn. She used to follow me from room to room, and talk and talk endlessly of matters not concerning me. We have a study here, but the sofa is 170 cm long, so this settles many problems.
ReplyDeleteYou have a cute cottage!
I think in spite of being a small house it is a very big HOME!!!
ReplyDeletehugs my dear Janet...
susan - you are so sweet and just made my night.
ReplyDeletefiona - we all do that don't we?
metscan - i agree w/both you wise women.
maria cecilia - thank you dearest.
Hi Janet!! The sizi doesn´t mind. Your house is fantastic and really, really beautiful. Thanks for your blog and your ideas. Kisses, Ana
ReplyDeleteThough I sympathize with the lack of space it all looks so beautiful I can't wrap my head around the shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteAnd the lack of stuff, I envy you that, I have a small space with TOO MUCH STUFF.
Blog yardsale?
xo Jane
Your house is so lovely J. I don't have a diswasher either, not from lack of space I just can't be bothered getting one. I always imagine American homes to be HUGE. Your blog is really taking off. I hope you get a book deal soon! You can take your veganism and thrift and non shopping to the world! x
ReplyDeleteana - that's funny about size doesn't matter.
ReplyDeletejane - yes please organize that.
ff - a book deal? are you kidding? you are so funny.
Your home is absolutely beautiful. Quiet and serene.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a dishwasher goes, as others have commented, it's fairly easy to get along without one if there are only two people in the house.
But on the other hand, dishwashers are said to use less energy than washing dishes by hand.
If you did want a dishwasher, I'm wondering if it would be possible to turn your pantry into a scullery with sink and dishwasher. (Just a thought.)
And yes, to echo Susan, this is also my favorite blog!
kris
I hear you, Janet. Oh, what I wouldn't do for more storage space in my house too.
ReplyDeleteDeborah
Dear Janet, To echo Susan and Kris, this is my favorite too! The way you comment on the comments is fascinating! Hugs, Joyce
ReplyDeletekris - i really don't miss the dishwasher now. at first i did but i'm over it. are you brittish? i love the word scullery.
ReplyDeletedeborah - my husband constantly reminds me that this is what i wanted.
joyce - i will tell you that i read tons of blogs, too many really. but i have the best commenters in the world and esp. the anon commenters. you guys deserve an award from me of some sort. how can i not comment on all the great things/insights you all have?
Dear Janet, You DO have the best commenters in the world! YOU are our reward Janet, YOU are our reward!! Hugs, not so anonymous in Torrance, Ca., Joyce
ReplyDeletejoyce, do i know you? i used to live in torrance.
ReplyDeleteDear Janet, You did? I wish we had met here!! That would have been wonderful!! But, I'm very, very grateful to have met you at 'Gardeners Cottage' Hugs, Joyce
ReplyDeleteSo cozy, I love it....I love my cozy cottage too...we have small footprints, that's good!
ReplyDeleteDear Janet, your house looks immaculate, so lovely, don't tell Mr B but I really miss my little flat, I felt I could keep on top of things easily; I am already plotting return to small but perfectly formed ( i am still talking about houses) when the hooligans have been outsourced xx
ReplyDeletejoyce - too bad we never met. i lived across the street from del amo mall.
ReplyDeleteconnie lou - small footprints are in baby.
blighty - that's exactly what i did.
Dear Janet, I just thought of something. Have you ever seen George Carlin's classic standup routine called "stuff"? I think you would love it. It's over at youtube, I just typed in, stuff, you can type in George Carlin also and I believe it will give you all his classic stuff! My ongoing goal is to 'live light'. Hugs, Joyce
ReplyDeleteps, How did you ever find your unique, delightful, one of a kind property? What a great adventure you are on! H, J
ReplyDeleteJanet . . .
ReplyDeleteI love the word scullery too.
(And I'm not British. Born and bread in the midwest. But I love reading shelter magazines and books from the U.K.)
kris
I just found your blog and became your newest follower. I think its refreshing that you are talking about not buying things. It seems that lots of blogs are all about things they buy. I myself have not shopped in a mall for 7 years. If I go to a mall....I will see lots of things I want but do not need, so I do not put myself through that.
ReplyDeleteWhen I tell my friends that I have not gone to the mall for anything other than a movie they look at me like I am crazed.
Now I do buy things...but I have to know that I really want it and have to seek it out. But I do not shop as a hobby like I used to do.
joyce - i have seen it, but not in a while so i'm gonna do that later on today. thanks. i found this place on the internet. i knew it immediately b/c a long time ago i pulled in the driveway here to turn around and said to myself, who gets to be so lucky to live in a place like this. that is a true story.
ReplyDeletenita - thank you and welcome. i'm trying really hard to not make the focus of this blog about buying new stuff. i really dislike malls too. but i did find myself in the pb trap. new stuff each season. i no longer feel that pull. same with clothes. i really love junk/thrift stores but found i was getting caught up in that too. so i admire your 7 yr mall freeze. and i would agree, shopping was def one of my hobbies.
Your house is lovely! I am about to do a small and rather budget restrictive renovation to our kitchen and I showed the builder photos of your kitchen as my inspiration. I know it won't be nearly as nice but I got some great ideas - such as the bib front sink and the open shelf cupboards. Thanks for sharing. And no dishwasher here either - I'm used to doing them by hand.
ReplyDeletepink rose - fyi, i would not spend the money on the farmhouse sink again. it's ok but def not worth the money.
ReplyDeleteDear Janet, Exhibit B: What is missing? Cookies! Hugs, Joyce
ReplyDeleteWe have a dishwasher, yes--but a much tinier sink. Your photos are such an inspiration to pare down and un-decorate my tiny apartment!
ReplyDeletejoyce - my son noticed that too!
ReplyDeleteach - thank you and welcome.
Just found your blog and am reading through your old posts and enjoying it very much.
ReplyDeleteAs others have said - with two people I don't imagine not having a dishwasher being a problem but I'm sure you have room for a small one if you really felt the need for one.
Also, no storage in the bathroom. Isn't that a result of the decorating choices you made? You certainly didn't have to go with a pedestal sink. You could have chosen a cabinet style one that would have given you some storage.
Also don't you have a room that has a sofa/computer? Perhaps you could re-arrange the layout so that you could get a sofa bed and therefore have more comfortable space for guests.
I think that a lot of these "issues" that you've brought up are result of decorating choices that you made and are therefore easily remedied if you so wished.
Brenda