Move Over, McMansions

Reinventing the Idea of Dreaming Big in the Palisades

By MARIE TABELA |Special to the Palisadian-Post

Picture walking into your custom-built dream home, complete with semi-precious stone countertops, Macassar ebony hardwood floors, artisanal fixtures made by hand, plenty of natural light, creative storage options and more … but it is 250 square feet.

(The average home in America is 2,600 square feet, and that average just keeps rising.)

To most of us, a 250-square-foot home sounds like a one-way ticket to ending up in intensive family therapy. However, with the creative way these tiny homes are being built, coupled with family sizes getting smaller, do we really need all that space?

In an age where we are all about simplifying our lives, the trend in building bigger homes doesn’t really seem to make sense. Before you completely dismiss the idea, let’s explore a little bit about tiny houses and see if maybe one day, they can find their way into Pacific Palisades.

Much like our enormous (albeit, beautiful) Palisadian homes, the tiny homes can be customized to include your must-haves, like a full-sized washer and dryer, a full refrigerator, and even a king-sized bed.

Tiny house builders know all of the best tricks for storage, too.

Maximize the space in the stairs (yes, stairs!) up to your sleeping loft by creating shelving and drawers within each step.

Utilize your wall space with creative shelving to display your photos and knick-knacks, or to store your cookware and dishes. Save space by having a dinner table that folds up flat onto the wall (now you see it, now you don’t!).

The possibilities are truly endless with tiny houses, and tiny house designers have a plethora of design ideas to make your tiny space feel clutter-free and even roomy.

On top of that, the median cost for a tiny house is right around $60,000 (plus that minor issue of the cost of land in the Palisades)—but it could still leave you with a lot more play money.

Has that oceanfront property you’ve always wanted been a bit of a stretch budget-wise?

Tiny homes can be easily moved to any location of your choosing (within reason, of course; George Clooney’s backyard is off limits).

We are lucky enough to live under this beautiful Palisadian sun, and tiny homes are known for their incredible patio buildout possibilities. With a tiny house, you can truly take advantage of the ultimate indoor/outdoor lifestyle.

Decluttering our lives by consolidating all of our books onto an e-reader and donating the hard copies, or ditching the cable box for a streaming service on a tablet or laptop, are a great start. Obviously, downsizing will require you to take a look at what you have and determine what you can and cannot live without.

Are you guilty of having an expansive wardrobe, of which you only wear 10 percent? (You’re not alone; I raise my hand with you.)

Tiny house living is not an easy switch, but it might just change your life for the better. If we start thinking small, the world of possibility might just get very, very big.