What happens when you spend more than two months living in a smaller house in a smaller town? That’s what we discovered this summer while staying at our beach house to manage the duplex rentals — and honestly, it turned out to be the best summer we’ve ever had. Living in a smaller space and a quieter place changed how we think about our home, our routines, and our spending. Those lessons stuck with us after we returned to Richmond and inspired four concrete changes to our habits. Even if you’re not moving or downsizing, there are simple experiments you could try that might have a similarly big impact.
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What’s New
- Going through these photos has made us even more excited to begin our bathroom renovation. Seeing the possibilities in images only amplifies the motivation we feel in person.
- The current bathroom layout is awkward and narrow, so photos don’t capture it well. We plan to share an overhead diagram in a future post once we redo the floorplan and revisit 3-D planning tools.
- The photo above shows the view from our bedroom toward the vanity we refreshed after moving in. We removed several interior doors to stop them from bumping into each other and to make the small space feel less cluttered. A linen closet sits to the left and competes for space, so every inch counts.
- Adjacent to the linen closet is a doorway leading to the shower and toilet area. We’ve already made small updates there: removing the shower door, stripping dated wallpaper, and softening the look with a ceiling paint treatment that balances the existing blue tile.
Removing the dark wallpaper was an instant way to make the bathroom feel larger and fresher. After spending time there this summer, we’re more confident about design decisions and have been able to save and plan with clarity, which means we’ll begin renovations with a clearer vision and less second-guessing.
2020 Color of the Year Predictions
- We love talking about paint brands’ Color of the Year choices. Behr revealed their 2020 pick, “Back To Nature,” but before the other brands announced their colors, Sherry shared her guesses on the podcast. We included our predictions and a look back at the last three years’ selections.
- We’ll compare our guesses to the actual announcements later and share how close (or far) we were. It’s a fun way to track trends and think about color direction for home projects.
- One notable project we mentioned was a meticulously built playhouse being used to reveal a brand’s color announcement. The creator’s photos hinted at a darker palette, which made us curious about how the final color would read in person versus black-and-white previews.
Our Summer in a Smaller Town & a Smaller House
- Living in a smaller town and a smaller house for the summer was fantastic for our family. We relaxed, recharged, and left excited for the next time we go back. The experience also reshaped how we think about using space and allocating money for things that matter most.
- For more about Sherry’s streamlined wardrobe, see the episode and closet tour we discussed on the podcast. Traveling light helped simplify mornings and reduced decision fatigue.
- We used an IKEA three-drawer Malm dresser shared between us for clothing during the stay. It felt surprisingly roomy when organized efficiently, and we’ve written about how we made it look built-in in a previous project post.
- The kids kept their clothes and swim gear in cube storage units, two cubes each. Late in the summer we updated that room to add more book storage and better organization; we’ll share photos of that improvement soon.
- Most toys and games were stored in the three drawers of an entry table, aside from a few stuffed animals and craft supplies kept in the kids’ rooms and the TV cabinet. Reducing and rotating toys helped keep the common areas clutter-free and made playtime more intentional.
- We’ve previously discussed why we cut down our toy collection by half and how it improved play and family life. Less is often more when it comes to daily enjoyment and cleanup.
We’re Digging
- One small change that’s helped Sherry break a habit and reduce waste is using small paper True Lemon packets in water instead of buying canned or bottled flavored beverages. They’re inexpensive, portable, and easy to toss into a reusable bottle or glass. Keeping a few in the car or beach bag makes hydration more convenient and less wasteful.
- On a different note, my Apple Watch stopped working this year. I had a Series 3 with cellular, which was plenty useful, and while I might buy another in the future, living without it since March hasn’t been a hardship.
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