HOPE IN THE IDEA THAT "SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL"
With all the talk of bailouts and panic on Wall Street, it seems like nothing but bad news. The current administration's team of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had hoped that infusing the market with confidence via a $700 billion dollar bailout of the financial system would help act as the shot in the arm the economy needs. Not everyone is sure this rush to throw money at the problem will actually solve it and Congress responded by voting down the Paulson plan on Monday the 28th. It remains to be seen how government will deal with this economic quagmire, but most everyone can agree that something has to change. In these unprecedented times of economic anarchy, credit drought and an avalanche of foreclosures, many of us are left wondering how we got here and what the future holds. If we can permit ourselves to look beyond the barrage of bad news, there may be a ray of hope to come out of this mess that can lead the country towards the path we should have taken many years ago. So what is this silver lining I speak of?
Out of the turmoil in the economy and the dissatisfaction with the state of things in our country, it seems that American's could finally be open to learning the lesson "Bigger isn't always Better" when it comes to many aspects of our lives. One area in particular is our houses. One of the biggest reasons we're all in this mess is the fact that too many people we're led into the false belief that home ownership was right for them and that the bigger the home, the more stuff you can get by borrowing against its perceived equity. As people bought into the "use your McMansion as an ATM" mentality and got in over their heads, it was only a matter of time before the domino effect of bad debt, mounting pressures and thus a foreclosure critical mass was reached. Yet, I can see a ray of hope in it all that could help turn our country around if we can get the panic and the markets to settle down. It's the observation that many of my fellow citizens are intrigued and excited about the new notion that "Small is Beautiful."
For a number of individuals, the realization that "bigger" didn't changer their lives for the "better" has lead to a growing trend in small house design and build. The idea is starting to take hold that a smaller home, if well-designed and organized around the way its owners actually live, can be more satisfying than any monster house ever could. Smaller also makes the move towards energy efficiency easier to achieve. Less space means it takes much less energy for heating and cooling. Insulation can be maximized across a smaller home and the more costly energy efficient devices have a quicker buy-back period. A smaller home can be designed to integrate more lifestyle upgrades in its smaller spaces at attainable prices. How? If you cut down to 1.5 bathrooms instead of 5, you can have nicer finishes and fixtures throughout. A 1,400 sq. ft house instead of 5,000 sq. ft one allows for more unique architectural details and craftsmanship, just like the character you'd find in older homes. The challenge of living in smaller spaces breeds creativity to make that space work smarter, not harder. Built-ins for seating and storage become more common and an emphasis on quality of decor instead of quantity can take root. Less can truly become More!
So what is the measure of such a movement? Well, this blog for one, as well as the numerous other websites, magazines, books, newspaper articles, television shows, museum exhibits, etc. that have grown in exponential number in the years since the housing market started going south. We can point to Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big" philosophy as one of the most successful incarnations of this movement, as well as websites like Apartment Therapy and Inhabitat. Magazines such as Dwell frequently highlight prefab and small house designs from architects like Michelle Kaufmann and Jennifer Siegel. The growing interest in historical designs from the Prairie School, the Arts and Crafts revival and Mid-century Modern masters have people looking for inspiration and design as a way to enrich their lives. People are moving into and renovating smaller, older homes and enjoying the satisfaction that comes with it. City populations are growing again as the concept of sprawling suburban McMansion living has mounted in cost and inconvenience. Most importantly, Principles for Living that we've ignored for too long are rediscovered, celebrated and put to use as the guide maps they were intended to serve as all along.
This is not to say that there won't be tough times ahead and more trouble to endure. However, it is important to be reminded that good news does exist in the midst of chaos and if we are willing to accept change and the personal responsibility that comes with it, there can be a hopeful tomorrow and one that yields a happy and healthy life for all of us. pm
::Read more about the Small House revolution here and here.
::Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" epitomizes the Small is Beautiful mentality
::Michelle Kaufmann's designs for the pre-fab revolution.
::Jennifer Siegel's Office of Mobile Designs.
::Inhabitat and Apartment Therapy serve up ideas online.
Illustration copyright Prairiemod
Eric O'Malley is a co-founder and contributor to PrairieMod. He lives in the Little Red House, a Mid-Century Modern ranch in suburban Chicago. You can email him at eric@prairiemod.com.
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