Ooooh, there will be many of these...gird your loins. make steadfast your shoelaces. tame your wayward and feckless bonnets with the power that is hairpins.
I love small houses. little. mini. diminutive (although preferably never dinky, and certainly never incommodious or mean).
Small, however, does not have to mean cramped. That's something I've found in the UK (or at least London and surrounds). While houses vary in size, they invariably feel cramped. It's something about small rooms, low ceilings, and inappropriate furniture. The fact that adults (single or not) have to houseshare well into their adult years doesn't help either. Barbaric. Icky. Certainly not heightening general levels of happiness, contentment, or even just mimbling alongness.
No, by small, I simply mean, well, "fitting". I come from Africa, where space is never at a premium, and houses, flats and gardens reflect this. We're used to oodles of space, both personal and public.
And yet, somehow, I've always preferred the idea of a space that fits me perfectly. Not for me hallowed halls and echoing rooms between which I can bounce endlessly. No. Instead, well-designed spaces which cater to my needs, but (and this is important, folks) never feel cramped. I can't abide cramped or cluttered surrounds. They depress me, and fetter my mind.
And, don't even mention the whole "green" thing.
"What green thing?", you say. To which i reply "I said, don't mention it". (aaah, Spike Milligan, and thank you, Robert Rankin)
So I continue to watch closely the increasingly innovative ways in which people are making small spaces...fitting spaces. Hooray for the scandinavians (again).
For those interested, the images (and general architecture pr0n, can be found here:
http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/tiny_houses.html
http://www.smallhousestyle.com/2007/07/23/the-mill-house-by-wingardhs/
No comments:
Post a Comment