The makings of a Murphy Bed...

 (source here)

I am a transplant.

Which, loosely interpreted, means that all of my family (and my husband's) lives more than three hours away from us. So, when they come and visit they are in need of a bed...or two. And we don't have a guest room...

In the past, they have rested their weary heads on our futon, a cot, Sophie's bed or ours. It all winds up feeling like a serious case of musical beds, and it really wasn't working very well for anyone.

The handyman to the rescue!!!!!!

(This is the handyman):

He is also my husband, for those who might have been 

wondering.

Anyway, he is very handy. He buys us coffee:

 He fixes things and, more importantly, builds me things:

 And he is a very good father:

 

 But don't go getting the idea that he is perfect.

He is very messy, and he can never find anything!

Can yours?

Well, this handyman is also a problem solver and to solve our lack of a guest room issue he has built us a Murphy bed!!

From Wikipedia:  A Murphy bed (a North American term only), also called a Pull Down Bed, is a bed that is hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall, or inside a closet or cabinet. To achieve this, the mattress is attached to the bed frame, often with elastic straps.

  

I have secretly always wanted a Murphy bed. After seeing them on television shows in the late Seventies, I hankered for one of my own. And a futon just didn't cut it!

If you search Murphy beds on Google images you won't find anything all that inspiring. Because, let's face it, they are a hulking piece of furniture, aren't they? On a recent episode of HGTV's Bang for Your Buck, the homeowners spent more than $10,000 on making one that more seamlessly blends in to the room, mimicking an armoire/entertainment unit.

Well, ours is costing decidedly less than that (we purchased the mechanics at Lee Valley), and the handyman is going to do his best to make ours looks as handsome as possible. We hope to have it completed within the next two weeks and I will reveal the final product then. This is the only example that is appealing to me at this point:

(source here)

After costruction is totally complete, I will just have to paint it, dress it in pretty bedding and tell some guests to...

"Come on Down!"

Big solutions for small spaces... (Part 3)

Now that we've all decided that small homes can serve up ample comfort, let's examine how we can stretch the boundaries of our less is more rule.

One of the most common complaints I hear from home-owners is the lack of a mudroom or catch-all area for those coming and going though our door(s). Because I have already examined this exact issue, I will simply refer you to this post...and this one, and show you great examples of optical illusion mudrooms:

photo: Coastal Living

photo: Jean Allsopp

photo: BHG.com

These old lockers, reclaimed from a school, make excellent storage and take up very little room. They could serve as not only a mini-mudroom, but also a pantry, utility cupboard and more.

photo: My Home Ideas.com

A separate laundry room is often another fantasy of small-home-owners. Many older homes relegated the laundry area to the basement. As if the endless flow of laundry isn't dreary enough! If you have the budget to hire a plumber, check to see of you can install your machines in a closet on the upper floors. If your linen closet is ample, perhaps you can invest in stacking machines, which still enables you to have some linen storage space. The example below is an ideal example of a recessed laundry area. The front-loading appliances allow for a counter-top to be installed...offering up a surface to fold clothes, store laundry supplies or, alternately, even serve as a seasonal wrapping station!

When space is at a premium, having a home office can seem like a pipe dream. However, if you give up the notion that your office needs four walls and a large desk, you just might be able to squeeze one in. If you can spare it, empty out a little used closet and install shelving, a small work surface and a task light, and you will have the perfect place to catch up on emails, do online banking, or read...blogs!! If every closet is in use, then start tapping! Investigate whether there are any recesses that can be hollowed out (not a technical term) and retro-fitted with your future office space! The photo below best illustrates just how great an idea this is. I love the use of curtains on a simple cafe rod to hide computer guts, filing cabinets, and the inevitable jumble of electrical cords that come with the territory. Simply pull up a stool, and get to work. A similar set-up can also work well as a craft/wrapping area, child's homework station, or message center for a busy family. In this example, a hallway or pass-through serves as a very useful command central for all the members of this family. Remember, when space is limited, go up! Use the vertical spaces in your home to your advantage. In this case, books, photo albums, photos, and magazines are neatly tucked away, but within easy reach when needed.
Another great example of how hidden storage areas are lurking within one's walls is shown over at Chris' Just Beachy blog. Chris went poking around and solved a storage issue she was having in her bathroom.Chris is a master of transforming a smaller home into a home that lives large. She uses each and every nook and cranny to its best advantage. While her home is not small, it also is not considered large by many standards. High ceilings help it to feel more spacious and airy, and Chris has maximized the functionality of her home with true finesse. She even offers up a great solution for organizing the overflow of magazines so many of us have.

An actual guest room to put visiting family is something I can only dream of. At present, we only have a futon in my husband's office where we retreat to when company comes. I always insist that our parents use our bed (as we all know how comfortable they are), but the situation is less than ideal. When just our mothers visit (one at a time, of course), we often give them Sophie's room, and she piles into our bed. Another less than perfect solution! So, I am in search of a better solution. I love this glorious, decadent daybed, which has a pull-out trundle. Great for sleep-overs for friends and cousins, but somehow I don't see my father sleeping comfortable on that! Not to mention, it is in a huge room...in an obviously huge house!! Still, I threw in that photo for our viewing pleasure...~sigh~

I think the ideal solution to this problem is to have a Murphy bed. Some even multi-task as a slick office area and bed. I saw them at a home show a while back, and they seem like the perfect solution. Now just to find a pretty one...or the plans to make one. Paul...???

Liz at Violet Posy shared her solution to this common small space dilemma: "...when we upgraded our double bed to a super-king, we gave the old double to our then 3 year old daughter. It means that if we have guests to stay they can have her room and she has the princess blow up bed in our room." As the British say, brilliant! Right, Liz??

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In keeping with my tiny house tours, here is the most amazing link to the most adorable, tiny homes. It was brought to my attention by Jen. Go tell her thanks for making us all feel better about our small homes!!

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Next time, we will look at some survival tactics for dealing with the (ahem) shortcomings of living in a smaller space. Storage, furniture selection, colours, organization. We are on the case!!

Making your guests feel at home...

House guests... we all have had them, enjoyed them, and no matter how pleasurable their stay, have breathed a wee sigh of relief when they have driven down the driveway!! It is perfectly natural and acceptable, because if we didn't ever want them to go, we'd have to build an addition and move them in!! The one thing we don't want to see is our guests squealing out of the driveway to escape their home away from home! We have all been guests as well, and we want them to feel as comfortable as we would like to feel when the roles are reversed. Does this mean we all have to have a guest room as beautiful and inviting as the ones pictured above in order to open our home to friends and family? Well no, but we do have to remember the details...

Ideally, it is nice to have a quiet room set aside for our guests with a comfy bed, nearby bathroom and a place for their belongings. If you are fortunate enough to have such a space then you are ahead of the game. For those of us who don't, here are the options: 1. relocate one of your children and have them bunk up with a sibling. They will likely enjoy the adventure of it all and hopefully feel flattered that "granny" thinks their bed is the most comfortable. 2. Place a futon in an office space for use by guests and for a relaxing place to review notes/work when not in use as a guest bed. 3. Relocate yourself and offer up your master bedroom to older guests (like grandparents) or couples with small children. Usually the master bedroom has the largest bed and sometimes access to an ensuite bath. This offer is often met with resistance especially by the older generation, but I throw out the question to them,"would you put your own parents on a futon in the basement?" Besides it is usually just for a few nights and everyone will "survive."4. For visiting children, purchase a roll-a-way cot or B.Y.O.B and put them in with your own kids for a fun, if not noisy stay.

To make any guest room more inviting to your guests, include the following: 1. Provide new/fresh pillows, pretty bedding, towels and offer spare robes to your guests so they may feel comfortable joining you at breakfast before dressing. 2. Create a reading area in the room. Place a comfy chair, reading light, favorite magazines, books, etc. so your guest can "escape" and have peaceful time away from the crowd. This can benefit everyone! 3. Put a water carafe and glass, clock radio, telephone and t.v. (if possible) in the room for easy convenience. 4. Local maps, a blank journal and pen are added luxuries and help your guests be "tourists" to your area. 5. Remember many people like a nightime snack. Provide a bar of good chocolate, bagged treats and some fresh fruit so your guest can nibble without feeling guilty about asking for a late-night bite (not that many guests would dare, anyway). 6. Empty out some space for your guests' clothes. Place a few empty hangers in the closet, empty a drawer or two, and hooks for their robes or towels are especially convenient. 7. To really pamper your houseguest, place fresh flowers in their room. It can be as simple as flowers picked from your garden. Including a nice bottle of hand lotion will be appreciated too.

Most importantly, enjoy your guests; plan simple meals, a few special outings, and don't overdo it. If you are relaxed, your guests will feel that way too. You'll feel like a wonderful host, and your visit together will be memorable.