60 Square Feet of Wisdom
(Page 2 of 3)
May/June 2009
By Carol Venolia
Cocoon on wheels
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And talk about human scale: I can reach up and touch the ceiling. When I sit in bed to read, with my back against the curved “corner,” I feel like the world is my oyster and I’m the pearl.
In fact, I feel so safe and secure here that I sometimes escape my comparatively cavernous 1,300-square-foot house to curl up in the trailer. It’s an instant tonic—a great way to make the world go away.
Multipurpose rooms
Each part of my trailer serves multiple functions. For example, the bathroom is the shower space; the whole room sheds water, and I pull a shower curtain across one wall to protect the towels and toilet paper. The bed can be converted to a dinette. Solid covers turn the range and sink into counter space. A waist-high cabinet door is hinged on the bottom and converts into a horizontal work surface. And there’s a storage cabinet in every possible nook.
Clutter control
When I first got this trailer, I’d leave dirty dishes in the sink, toss my clothes on the bed and leave papers lying around. In no time, I felt like I was living in a wastebasket. I learned that the serenity of small-space living depends on minimizing visual clutter. When I stash everything away, the place sings.
Decoration follows a similar principle. Before I really “moved in,” this little beige bubble was pretty boring inside. I quickly found that a little décor went a long way. A touch of whimsy here and a bit of color there was all it needed.
Conscious consumption
Here’s the real kicker: I use insanely less water, gas and electricity in my trailer than at home—and I’m pretty careful at home. It helps that I don’t carry my garden with me. But it also helps that the trailer’s marine toilet uses about 2 cups of water per flush and the shower is a hand-held sprayer with a shut-off valve. One small light illuminates the whole trailer after dark. On the rare occasions when I need it, a few minutes of propane furnace time keeps the space warm for an hour.