The designer has designed a small house with minimal costs
Many of us spend the summer at the dacha and not all the houses outside the city are new. Is it possible to turn an old building into a cozy and stylish home, while spending a minimum of money? The American interior designer has proven by her own example that this is possible. She loved her tiny dacha so much that she stayed here to live all year round, with her husband and two children..
Vintage flavor
House with an area of 50 square meters
Interior designer Jessica Helgerson inherited the little house from her grandmother. It is located 15 minutes from Portland, and its area does not exceed 50 square meters. This summer cottage was built back in 1940 and has undergone four alterations since then..
A small vintage house has become a real challenge for Jessica, who has been designing residential and public spaces for over 15 years. First of all, it was required to restore the old house at the lowest cost. Secondly, it was necessary to emphasize its vintage flavor. In addition, there was a need to comfortably accommodate four people and make the most of every square meter..
Feeling spacious
We managed to place a large collection of books on a homemade rack
The tiny house was made spacious by combining a kitchen, dining room, living room and library. The design of the open space turned out to be simple, and at the same time, very cozy. This technique is very relevant for small apartments. The main thing is to choose laconic and functional furniture, light colors in decoration, natural materials.
Visually, the space expands thanks to a spacious bookcase that adjoins one of the walls and open sideboards in the kitchen area. Elongated narrow cells seem to push the walls apart, as well as wide wooden boards, painted white, with which the house was lined from the inside..
Second life of old things
A bunk bed was made in the nursery, and the wardrobe was hidden in the wall.
When renovating the house, they used secondary materials – old boards (which were found in one of the sheds), fabrics lying around in the closet, grandmother’s furniture and vintage plumbing. The only thing is that the floor is new. Made from local white oak.
Parents sleep under the roof
Several homemade sofas with practical upholstery were placed in the living room, and storage systems were hidden under them. A practical solution for small spaces. As well as a bunk children’s bed or a drawer, which is hidden in one of the walls of the nursery. But the parents’ sleeping place was located under the roof, thereby solving the problem with the master’s bedroom.
Vintage bath
Plumbing in vintage style
Everything is simple in this house
Green roof
As for the exterior, the facade of the house was painted in the traditional white color for these places, and the rotten roof was replaced with a green roof. Moss grows on it, which creates additional thermal insulation and makes the house aesthetically attractive..
But with the garden, Jessica and her household were lucky. It is located on 110 square meters, which made it possible to set up a vegetable garden here, start a small farm and plant a lot of fruit trees.
Moss grows on the roof
There is an orchard near the house
What to take note of
This house is an excellent example of how an old inconspicuous dacha can be turned into a cozy home where you can live all year round. Here are some of the techniques we’ve covered today that will help you restore your old home at the lowest cost:
• Use secondary materials for finishing;
• Give preference to paint, which is many times more practical than wallpaper and more suitable for decorating wooden walls;
• Choose simple and laconic furniture that you can buy even at a flea market or do it yourself;
• Place a sleeping place under the roof;
• Put a bunk bed in the nursery;
• Hide things under the sofa, and put the cabinet in the wall;
• Place your favorite collection of books on a large homemade rack on the wall;
• Use a potbelly stove for heating in the cold season;
• Make a green roof that looks very attractive.
Iron garden
We have collected more interesting tips on increasing the area in the article “How to increase a small size without redevelopment: 8 tips for organizing space”.
