Small Takes with Alison Mazurek
How a family of four living in 900 square feet in Vancouver makes it work.
Happy Independence Day. It’s been a doozy of a week for democracy. I’m trying to find comfort in what we can do, including donating to pro-democracy organizations and scheming and dreaming more ways we can help. In that spirit, I’m donating 20% of any new subscriptions this week to Movement Voter Project, a non-profit that invests in the best local voter engagement organizations.
Welcome to Small Takes, a new monthly column for all LIVING SMALL subscribers. You can expect to receive Small Takes on the first Thursday of the month.
In Small Takes, I ask people who are living small how they make it work. Up first is Vancouver-based designer Alison Mazurek, the author of the blog 600sqft. I discovered Alison’s writing when I was a new mom navigating the realities of parenthood in a small apartment, and we’ve since become long-distance friends.
Alison and her family, husband Trevor, and kids Theo (almost 11) and Mae (almost 8), upgraded from the one-bedroom that gave her blog its name and now live in a small-ish 900-square foot condo that they’ve set up as a two-bedroom. I admire Alison for her airy, Scandi style but also for how she takes the time to really plan out what solutions will make her space work (see her detailed plan for updating her bedroom storage below). Here’s how Alison makes her small space work:
What is your definition of living small?
‘Small’ is very subjective. I often get feedback that what I consider small in Vancouver, Canada, is not small in other parts of the world. So, I believe small is relative to your surroundings, and there can be small space challenges in many larger spaces. I also think climate and access to outdoor space has such an impact on how small a space feels.
What is the real reason you live small?
Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities in the world, so living small is a result of what we can afford. We could choose to move to the suburbs where the cost of living is lower and spaces larger, or we could take on a larger rent or mortgage payment for a bigger space, but we didn’t.
I have embraced living small and value it. I find the creativity required to make a small space work for our family a fun (and ongoing) project. I also find it keeps my desire to consume in check.
What is a small change you made to your home that made a big difference?
Because my family used to live in a one-bedroom, 600-square-foot apartment, we made many changes over the years that made a big difference. Then when we took all these little changes, including a lot of flexible furniture, to our new 900-square-foot place, it felt like we had so much room.
For example, when we moved we found ourselves with space for a real bed, but we re-installed our Resource Furniture wall bed because it allows us to fold away our bed to use a room for other purposes. Other flexible furniture we own include a sofa that doubles as a guest bed; poufs/ottomans that work as coffee tables, seats, and footrests; and stools that can be used as side tables.
Do you have any quick tips for living small with a family?
I love living small as a family. I loved having my babies close and I love forcing them to share a room (hah!). I tell myself it makes them better at sharing and considering each other, but I have no scientific data to back this up. My best tips are to:
Get outside as much as possible
Communicate your needs clearly with the other humans in your space
Invest in headphones or earplugs to help with noise stimulation
Limit yourself to one set of sheets/blankets for each bed
Buy a projector instead of a TV
Fill your home with furniture and things that you truly love and find beautiful
What’s one way that your home is sustainable?
We use IKEA tea towels as our napkins instead of disposable ones. We also don’t use paper towels, so when the cloth napkins get old they become the rags for cleaning (I cut them up so we don’t get confused) It creates more laundry, but it’s a big step towards less waste and something we’ve been able to maintain for years.
What’s on your home wish list right now?
I would love to redo our only bathroom, but we would have to move out to make it happen, so we are holding on that for now. A smaller undertaking I would like to tackle is a custom floor-to-ceiling storage wall in our bedroom. I currently have three skinny Pax wardrobes there, but I would like to take advantage of the ceiling height and cover the whole wall with the 13 ¾-ich cabinets and even go around the doorway. I have a hundred versions of this wall pinned to my Pinterest.
With my work at an interior design firm, I spend a lot of time looking at furniture and my current obsession is this Kristina Dam bench that is begging to be in my living room. I’m also in love with everything Sarah Ellison is creating.
What’s one thing every small home needs?
Flexibility. A flexible space that can change to your needs is most important in small living. The living room may also need to be the playroom, the office, the extended dining room, and hobby space. But it can do all those things with some planning, careful storage, and acknowledgement of those needs.
What helps you stay organized in your home?
A place for everything and a reasonable amount of “things” to manage and clean. Honestly, I am not particularly good at organizing, nor do I have tons of labeled bins and complicated systems. Our life feels very full (i.e. busy) and I find that owning less stuff and a simple place for those things, so I can remember where they go, is the best tactic for an organized home.
Having clear boundaries for our kid’s belongings also helps. For example, each kid has their own cabinet and a basket, so they know where their things go at the end of the day. If their areas start to overflow, then we take the time to look at what needs to go to make space for the new things.
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Is there a home design book you recommend?
I have a few inspiring small living books, including Small Homes, Grand Living Bookshop.org | Amazon and Never Too Small by Colin Chee Bookshop.org | Amazon. For just pure design, I love Soft Minimal by Norm Architects Bookshop.org| Amazon and the Hay design book Bookshop.org | Amazon by
, who also has a really good design Substack.What Instagram accounts inspire you right now?
In terms of small space accounts some favourites that come to mind are:
@whitneyleighmorris
@maximizingtiny
@readtealeaves
@minima_organizing
@nvtsmall
@brookandpeony
One last thing:
Be grateful for the space you have, and don’t spend energy comparing your home to others.
Thank you so much for being our first Small Takes subject, Alison! You can follow along with Alison’s work on Instagram @600sqftandababy and her blog. If you need help with your small home, you can also book small-space consultations with Alison.
Know someone we should feature in a future edition of Small Takes? Reply to this email with your suggestion.