Every autumn we do a monthly cottage feature, to share with you the wonderful local inspiration of other homeowners in the Prescott, Arizona area.  #cottagesofprescott

For October, we got to check out Vyne House, in downtown Prescott.
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Simple and artful, nordic cottages are often so picturesque that they don't seem to look real.

But real they are, and outside of the largest cities, predominantly what you will find. 

To be clear, simple doesn't translate to minimalist in any way.  Although Nords tend to live lightly and not have much clutter or unnecessary possessions, what they do keep is treasured and often artful and beautiful.

So, although The Whiskey Porch specializes in Nordic Bungalow Lifestyle & Design, I wanted to clarify that this does not refer to the modern likes of Scandinavian Designs Furniture or Ikea.  Not that there is anything wrong with those ultra-clean and modern styles.  What we are thinking of is the more traditional aesthetic.

The American Dream has virtually always been:  more + bigger = better.

The fad and trend that's predominated the last many decades has been to stretch yourself to the limit in order to acquire the most impressive home possible.  This home would prove that you were successful, and obviously make you comfortable and happy.

Over many decades, that's turned into crazy-big homes which required large incomes to buy and maintain, along with massive consumption of resources to build and live in.

​Tiny is fine if that's what you really need or want, but it's pretty extreme and unsustainable by most standards. 

​A more manageable and still meaningful downsize might mean reclaiming older, smaller homes and shifting to a less consumerism mentality, while still participating in a mainstream community and lifestyle.
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Every autumn we do a monthly cottage feature, to share with you the wonderful local inspiration of other homeowners in the Prescott, Arizona area.  #cottagesofprescott

​For September, we are starting with a sweet downtown cottage.
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Yesterday was "Sustainable House Day" - actually, the beginning of a month-long celebration that takes place in Australia every year now since 2017.  https://sustainablehouseday.com/ 

Many things go into defining whether a home is "sustainable" or not, and it depends on who you ask.  

Of course, most of us would assume that efficient energy use, low environmental impact during the build as well as use of greener materials, products and technology would always apply.    

​The result of much of that is to also end up being budget friendly for the inhabitants of the home over time (although I'm not certain that the up-front investment in these higher end materials and technology is less of a budget drain currently than standard materials, and that's part of the hesitancy.)

Here in the U.S. (and around the world) we are still in the throws of the Tiny-House-Craze.  One of several reasons so many find it an intriguing concept is that it's assumed to be a vastly more sustainable option than your typical American home.  

​I would tend to agree with this idea theoretically, for some individuals.  

However, I would argue that when viewed from the collective perspective of making a real and ongoing impact in our larger communities, tiny homes are NOT a sustainable option.  And that there should be a wider, more vocal dialogue about small-not-tiny homes as the path to meaningful sustainability for both the environment and the larger community.

Let me explain.

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There are so many reasons that I think smaller homes are the answer to so many of the gaps in life. 

And when I say smaller, I definitely do not mean tiny.  (I've got more on that below...)

In this post I am focusing on artful details.  The idea is that you might choose to purchase or stay and renovate a small home, rather than spread your resources and budget over a bigger but more typical (and boring) space.

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I've always been enamoured with the craftsman bungalow - but didn't even realize it at first. 

I remember spending time in the Pasadena California area house hunting for a possible job move decades ago and just being hypnotically drawn to the older bungalows that abound there.  I didn't know then, but it was a truly American architectural style that was also common all over San Francisco where I'd lived most of my life. 

​Looking back, the feature that always caught my eye first and drew me in, was the front porch.

One of our goals here at The Whiskey Porch is to provide well curated, high-quality resources to help you on your journey to creating a smaller & simpler life in your Nordic bungalow.

This is my first collection in which I'm going to share some of my all-time favorites, and my focus will be books and publications here. 
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• None of these resources represent exactly my take on a small bungalow lifestyle or design, but they reflect the basics and core inspiration to get us there.

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• In fact, some of these listings feature some particularly spectacular, huge, over-the-top homes.  Not what I would call a smaller & simpler lifestyle, but never-the-less it's a wonderful idea generator.

Let's get started: