Small, Not Tiny

The Goldilocks question: what's just right for real homes?

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For years, the conversation around home size has been framed as a choice between extremes: oversized houses with unused rooms, or tiny homes that promise freedom through radical reduction.

But for many people, neither option truly supports the way life unfolds.

A right-sized home isn’t defined by square footage alone. It’s shaped by proportion, flow, and livability - by how well spaces support daily routines, changing needs, and long-term comfort.

Designing small-not-tiny often means focusing on flexibility, thoughtful circulation, and rooms that can adapt as life expands and contracts.

Rather than asking how much we can strip away or accumulate, the more useful question is how our homes support the lives unfolding inside them. When scale, intention, and design work together, a smaller home can feel generous, calm, and deeply functional.

I explore this idea more fully in my latest Design Dispatches letter Small, Not Tiny, where I reflect on what “just right” looks like in real homes- and why the missing middle matters.

👉 Read the full letter on Substack → That’s where I share ongoing reflections on home, garden, and thoughtful design rooted in real life and lived experience.

Small, Not Tiny

With contentment & possibility,