No Room at the Inn: Making Something out of Nothing

I grew up in a round house (think soccer ball), so there were always odd corners that just didn't fit anything. I NEED more room. Extra space is a must, not an option. But where to find it? As many of you know, I've been cleaning for the last few days, hoping to get into a better semblance of order than I am right now. Again, I'm facing the classic American problem: too much stuff, too little room. I'm reminded of The Poisonwood Bible, where, at the ending, one of the aunts has to explain to her young nephew, who is from the Congo, why there can be so much stuff that people don't need. Really, we have so much that we don't need. We are far past subsistence levels. We have food, we have clothes, we have shelter. And so we collect more stuff.

I'm still feeling cold hearted about throwing out or giving away childhood toys and clothing. Today, I found an old bear backpack. Its cute. It was fun as a little kid. My purse can hold more. I still want to keep the backpack. BUT IT IS GOING TO GOODWILL. And all of the paper that I feel required to save and use as scrap paper will be going in the trash, and I will not feel bad about killing trees.

Then, of course, what to do with the remaining items? A while ago, a friend of mine sent me an interesting article about nooks. Since nearly every available spot in my home is filled with some sort of book, bauble or piece of junk, this was an inventive piece that made me wish I had the money to put some in. My two favorites are the reading nook under the stairs (above) and the Wardrobe that leads to a secret room. If I ever build my own home, I want both of these. Both are fun space savers. Why put in a chair where you can put a shelf, and put a reading nook under the stairs? Why make a play room where you can put an office? These are delicious cozy places. Like the window seat, they offer an extra little bit of comfort without taking up much room. In fact, they don't take up room. They give more space.

For more interesting nooks, you can look at the original babble article here.