An eco-friendly family’s tiny, 400-square-foot cottage in Venice teems with plant life.
Note: This post was created in collaboration with Airbnb. I’m hugely grateful to be here in our little home + garden during this bizarre time of social distancing. Still — like most folks, I’m guessing — I increasingly find myself thinking back on past vacations, and envisioning various future get
I’m a fan of working with what we’ve already got. It’s usually better for our wallets, better for the planet, and a way of making our homes look and feel our own.
Our friends at Shinola invited me to partake in their #LoveMyCity campaign in celebration of their new Venice location, which opens this April on Abbot Kinney Boulevard (just a 5 minute walk from the Cottage). Adam and I are both sincere fans of the brand, so I was delighted to join in. (And you
Packing light for air travel with children.
One of the things I enjoy the most about small space living is that it inspires us to seek new experiences beyond our four walls. Last month, my sister and her family left LA and moved to Boise. So Adam, West and I decided to take a tiny adventure and travel to Idaho to explore their new ho
One of my goals for 2020 was to learn more offline by taking classes, participating in workshops and reading the books that had been gathering dust on our built-in shelves or at the library.
Packing light for air travel with children.
This post is sponsored by The White Company Spring is my favorite season here at the Cottage. The garden grows rapidly, looking lush and bright, and we can fully benefit from our tiny indoor-outdoor setup. As it's our first spring here with baby West, we've been exploring new ways to modify the Co
While sifting through old digital files, I came across these "before" photos of our lil' back patio and garden. I paired them with "after" shots on the right to demonstrate just how much the trees, vines, and potted plants have grown over the past 7 years! Update (2/
The following is an updated version of a blog post I published in February of 2019. One of the questions I’m asked the most often is: What is the plan for when West gets older and wants more privacy? And do we need more space if I’m able to have a second child?
I designed nearly every space in this cottage to multitask. While we have ~900 square feet to enjoy (a generous amount that’s more than twice the size of our previous home), what makes it work well for our family of two adults, 2 kids, 2 pups and 1 small business is the adaptability and versatility
In January of this year, we broke ground on our new small Cottage in the Southeast.* ( *For those who are confused about this new cottage vs our Tiny French Farmhouse: the property that we’re restoring and renovating in France is a forever project for us, and won’t be livable full-time for several
Thoughts on the evolution and continued growth of this blog…
Content alert: This post contains frank and personal stories concerning the process of trying to conceive and stay pregnant. Yet another month gone by, and I’m still unable to become (or remain) pregnant. We’ve now been trying for a year and a half. At first, I began the journey with optimistic c
This post is sponsored by The White Company Spring is my favorite season here at the Cottage. The garden grows rapidly, looking lush and bright, and we can fully benefit from our tiny indoor-outdoor setup. As it's our first spring here with baby West, we've been exploring new ways to modify the Co
While sifting through old digital files, I came across these "before" photos of our lil' back patio and garden. I paired them with "after" shots on the right to demonstrate just how much the trees, vines, and potted plants have grown over the past 7 years! Update (2/
Post Summary: Drying clothes and household linens in a small home/apartment. Recently I discovered that our ridiculously extendable curtain rod is actually quite useful in our tiny space on laundry day:
Our 3 year old’s interest in gardens didn’t begin at home— it began in the pages of borrowed books.
Recently I decided to change the services offered by my company— mainly the behind-the-scenes one-on-one decor gigs, which I rarely share online. I did this because those jobs produce far too much waste for my comfort, they consume more time than we currently have available, they induce a level of s
The following is an updated version of a blog post I published in February of 2019. One of the questions I’m asked the most often is: What is the plan for when West gets older and wants more privacy? And do we need more space if I’m able to have a second child?
It might surprise some readers to know that we’re renters.
I receive a lot of questions about the plants we have at the cottage-- are they real? Are they toxic? How long do they take to grow? How much care do they require?
I designed nearly every space in this cottage to multitask. While we have ~900 square feet to enjoy (a generous amount that’s more than twice the size of our previous home), what makes it work well for our family of two adults, 2 kids, 2 pups and 1 small business is the adaptability and versatility
In January of this year, we broke ground on our new small Cottage in the Southeast.* ( *For those who are confused about this new cottage vs our Tiny French Farmhouse: the property that we’re restoring and renovating in France is a forever project for us, and won’t be livable full-time for several
I stepped out of my comfort zone when I agreed to host a group trip to Italy .
Do you have a tiny yard? Or perhaps just a stoop or fire escape? Don't overlook the possibilities-- even small outdoor spaces can be beautiful and functional! Below are a few helpful mini-garden tips that routinely come in handy here at the Cottage.
Over the years, this community has continued to show up for The RightWay Foundation . Today I have my biggest ask yet, and while I’d certainly be grateful for help from anyone who is in a position to give it, I’m focusing this request towards brands and brand managers specifically : H
I almost never bring new decor into our home any more. While The Tiny Canal Cottage got its start in the home decor category, we’ve progressed beyond style alone into comfortable, sustainable small space living. Still, when I find a unique handmade or vintage item that I think will enhance our exper
Because we usually don’t need a bigger space. We simply need less stuff and more creativity.
I don’t want everything I publish to be shoppable. (That’s why I started my “ Items You Can Probably Go Without ” blog entries.) I don’t wan’t to earn income by constantly encouraging people to buy more, when I know that most of us can (and should, for environmental reasons,) live with less. What I
This month marks the 9th anniversary Adam and I moving into our lil’ cottage. I’ve now lived here longer than any other residence during my life. Since sheltering in place like countless others across the globe, I’ve received the same question from someone at least once a day: How do I feel about t
Note: This post was created in collaboration with Airbnb. I’m hugely grateful to be here in our little home + garden during this bizarre time of social distancing. Still — like most folks, I’m guessing — I increasingly find myself thinking back on past vacations, and envisioning various future get
I’m a fan of working with what we’ve already got. It’s usually better for our wallets, better for the planet, and a way of making our homes look and feel our own.
One of my goals for 2020 was to learn more offline by taking classes, participating in workshops and reading the books that had been gathering dust on our built-in shelves or at the library.
