Dwell 2015 11

editor’s letter
Smaller Is
Smarter
Why is the idea of downsizing such a common
daydream? Perhaps we equate paring down belongings
and reducing domestic square footage with having a
simpler, happier life. After all, being unencumbered
by the unnecessary certainly sounds good.
That’s not to say that the decision to live with less
is a simple one—it requires more than a fascination
with so-called tiny-house movements or a sudden
appreciation for transformable furnishings.
Changing one’s lifestyle to accommodate a drastic
reduction in livable space dictates a slew of compromises,
and, often, an escalating series of challenges
that are only revealed over time.
In the pages that follow, we share projects that
explore many of the hurdles connected with smallerspace
living which, for this issue, we define as
under 1,000 square feet. It’s worth noting that we
highlight stories of people at different stages in their
lives, who are operating under a wide variety of
circumstances: a young designer fresh out of architecture
school who created a customized trailer in
which to roam Colorado (page 52); a Manhattan-based
couple building their own Berkshires weekend retreat
(page 62); and an Australian duo who, looking to
unplug from urban life, constructed an escape on the
untamed island of Tasmania (page 114). Different
budgets and different priorities, to be sure, yet similar
woes related to storage and privacy unfold within
each of these stories.
Experimentation is the key to success, and two
stories in particular stand out as exercises in careful
calibration. The first is our cover story—the tale of a
diminutive Brooklyn outbuilding constructed from
spare materials and spare weekends by a young
architect just starting out (page 38). Less a full-time
domicile and more a laboratory for material tinkering,
the structure is an exhibition of thoughtful
details and stripped-down elegance. The second
story revolves around a father and son, both architects
interested in building with affordability and
sustainability in mind (page 44). The pair put their
heads together to create not one but two off-the-grid
family retreats in the woods of Wisconsin. The resulting
designs, called EDGE and Nest, are case studies
in efficiency (not to mention familial collaboration).
Speaking of family, don’t miss the tiny and
imaginative Warsaw, Poland, apartment created for
a young father and his six-year-old son (page 126).
Playful ideas, from skateboard-inspired swings
hanging from the ceiling to an entire dry-erase wall
dedicated to sketches, complement clever design
moves that enhance spatial dimensions while
addressing acoustic issues. In Switzerland, designer
Jonathan Tuckey lent his singular, sophisticated
vision to his family’s bifurcated mountain chalet
(page 90). Moody interior finishes enrich an unusual
architectural program, resulting in a winsome space
that’s both cozy and modern.
More standouts in the issue include a handsomely
renovated kitchen in Boston that packs a wallop—in
the form of elegant material choices and confident
universal-design principles—into 90 square feet (page
66); a charming cottage in Rhode Island with a faceted
cedar-clad exterior and a gracefully nuanced interior
(page 98); a Manhattan designer’s own apartment
where big-budget design theatrics manifest on a much
smaller stage (page 108); and an airy, enticing home
in Island Bay, New Zealand, that celebrates the region’s
temperate environment as well as its inhabitants’
zest for living within non-traditional spaces (page 74).
After a lifetime of acquisition and consumption,
having fewer items to maintain and less square
footage to manage becomes a tantalizing proposition.
We hope you’ll enjoy these stories about creative
people using architecture and design to help them
live smaller without sacrifice.
Amanda Dameron, Editor-in-Chief
amanda@dwell.com
Follow me on Twitter: @AmandaDameron
DWELL NOVEMBER 2015
15